The Osceola times., 1888-12-29
APPALLING CALAMITY.
Burning Of the Lowor Mississippi
Steamer Kato Adams.
OF the Two Hundred Persons on Hoard
Thirty are Known to Have Seen
Burn~d to Death or Drowned
Some OF the Victims.

Some OF the Victims.
MEMPHIS, Tenn, Dec 2i.-rhe magnih-
cent Lower Mississippi steamer hdte
Adams was burned few minutes before
eight O'Clock yesterday morning near
Commerce, Miss, and thirty OF the two
hundred people on board lost their lives.
The boat left Helena at one O'Clock In tho
morning, loaded to the guards. Besides
twelve hundred bales of cotton, the lower
deck had forty passengers, while over
hundred passengers found quarters In the
cabin, Many were at breakfast when
Peters Island, forty miles below this city,
was reached. Ten minutes later column
of smoke was discovered ascending out 0f
the cotton piled on the boat, and the crew
rushed TO the spot with buckets and hose.
The first bale tossed aside disclosed
Widespread confagration in the cotton
below. The alarm was Civ n, and FIRST
Pilot Barton, who was on duty at the
wheel, turned the bow of the steamer to-
ward the Mississippi shote. The vessel
burned like powder, and in a fash the
flames had taken possession of the for
the rails toward the stern. The passen-
gers rushed around in a state OF panic I'M
possible for the captain TO check or the
officers to subdue. Many Of them leaped
overheard and were drowned, while some
few of the men succeeded i'll swimming
from the middle of the river TO the-shore.
Among the deck passengers the panic
was, II any thing, greater. Most OF them
were colored men, and upon the approach
of the fire they jumped into the river.
Only a few succeeded Ia reaching the
shore.
Avong the deck passengers were six
colok. women, and in attempting to res
cue thNm, Second Clerk George Corbett
lost his life. An attempt was made to
lower the yawl, but in the struggle to
take possession of it, the boat was cap
sized and several people drowned.
The pilot remained at his post, though
surrounded by fame and smoke, and soon
had the buin ming steamer against the
bank. Ii was none too soon, for already a
score OF people were cut off and compelled
to Jump into the river from the opposite
side, and just how many were lost in this
plunge is not known. About one hun
died and fifty halfdrowned and partially
burned people were landed from the
cabin deck. Those below had been cut
off, and the loss of life was heavy. The
majority of them were forced into the
water on the side of the boat where the
water was deep and the current strong.
Fortunately there we're only a few women
and children on board.
Captain Mark r. Cheek, who was on the
lanlr N, N Il, aJ thera eriyipr ~ In =
orders until the stage plank was safely
lowered. The fire had by this time spread
all through the cabin and he was CON-
peeled to retreat to the rear and climb over
the rails and desceded to the cabin. As
he was cropping his way aft he stumbled
and fell over some chairs and lost all the
valuables he had secured and 1t was with
great difficulty that he succeeded in reach
ing the rear through the binding smoke
and flames which filled the cabin. Cap
tain Cheek seized life preserver and
placing it on Clerk Blanker helped him
overheard into the water. He fioated
down about three miles before he was
rescued by parties who had walked ashore
and followed him down the river.
The lost, so far as can be learned, are:
George Corbet, third clerk, aged
thirty years. who had launched a
yawl and was trying to save the colored
women on the lower deck. He leaves Q
wife who resides in st. Louis.
Joe Porter.
Andrew Rees.
Monroe Jackson.
Jim Nelson.
Senator Coleman.
Hilliard Norton.
This comprised all OF the colored cabir
crew.
Lee Finlay and Frank Wells, colorel
roustabouts.
In addition about fifteen deck passer'
gers, four OF whom were white men, were
also drowned.
In the list of unknown were three col
ored women and two children. They wert
coming TO Memphis to spend the holidays
The whites had been working on the
levees, and their names and destination
are unknown. The burning steamer
drifted away after laying at the bank fol
twenty minutes, and noated down tht
river, her hull sinking at the head o.
Peters Island, four miles below Com
merce.
Mrs. Fields is positive that W. A. Gov
ington planter and merchant of Rose
dale, Miss, perished in the flames.
1t is reported that a negro murderer
who was being brought back here foi
trial, perished on board the steamer. IL,
was hand -cuffed, and the officer in charg,
made his escape and left the negro in his
helpless condition and he was burned {,
death.
The cabin passengers who were ol
board were: Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas Nc
Lemere and two children, Of BOLIVIA
County, Mississippi; Mrs. Maggie Field
of Memphis: Mrs. John Quehn and five
children, of Rosedale, Mississippi; Mrs
Harrison and wife of LaConis, Mississippi
Mrs. johnson and child, of LaConis
CAPTAIN T. C.. Gloster assistant engineer
of Mississippi Levee Board; John Il
Woods; Captain Elisha Evans, of Mem
phis and W. 7. Jackman, agent of The
American Cotton Seed Oil Trust com
pany.
All the passengers and crew arrived a
Memphis yesterday afternoon at si'
o'clock. There were l6T from the ill-fatet
steamer that came to Memphis, Captain
Cheek defraying the expenses OF all thos'
who did not have funds.
Three of the colored cabin crew wh'
we're rescued from the water died after
ward.
Defeated Boston Candidates to Contest
BosToS, Dec. 23.-Ex- Alderman p. 7
Mcclure filed motion with the city clerl
Yesterday of his intention to contest tn
seat OF Alderman Short in the next BoarC
OF Aldermen, on the ground that Short Sc
cured his election by the votes of womer
cast in the Ninth aldermanic district
This is the hepinninn of what nrOin