The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-12-29
BURNED ON THE MISSISSIPPI.
Passenger Steamer Destroyed and n
Number of Lives Lost


Number of Lives Lost.
The elegant passenger steamer Kate
Adams, running RS seml-weekly
packet between Memphis and Arkan-
sas City, burned ON the morning of the
z5d near Commerce, Miss, forty miles
south OF Memphis, and about twenty
nVe OF her passengers and crew were
drowned.
She was en- route to Memphis and
had about 200 people aboard, including
her deck and cabin crew of eighty, aud
twenty-five cabin and sixty deck passen-
gers, and twenty-five colored cabin
passengers. The fire, which caught in
some cotton near the forward end of
the boiler was discovered about s
O'Clock. The passengers were at break
last and when the alarm was given they
all made rush for the forward deck.
At the time the steamer was about 800
yards from the Mississippi side of the
river and her bow was a; once headed
tor the shore. Pilot Joe Barron was on
watch and he remained at his post until
she was safely landed. Harry Best,
the second clerk, who was seated at
the table when the alarm was given,
brought all the ladies and children for
ward and assisted them ashore.
Capt. Mark r. Cheek, who was on the
hurricane deck, remained there, giving
his commands until the stage plank was
safely lowered. The fire by this time
had spread all through the forward
cabin, and he was compelled TO retreat
TO the stern and climbed ovel the rails
and descended to the alter cabin. Here
he found Chief Clerk W. G. Banker,
who had made an effort to save the
money and papers of the steamer;
W high IN, hn FA II
to grab the money, but was cut off from
the bow and forced back into 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 reaching the stern
through the binding smoke and flames
which filled the cabin. Capt. Cheek
seized lite-preserver, aud, placing it
on Chief Clerk Banker, helped him
overheard into the water. He f1oated
down about three miles before he was
rescued by parties who had walked
ashore and followed him down the
river. Capt. Cheek assisted several
others in securing hfe-preservers, and,
when it was no longer possible for him
to remain without being burned, he,
too, jumped into the river and swan
ashOre.
There were about twenty-five colored
cabin passengers who were saved along
with the white passengers. On the
lower deck, however, a fearful panic
seized the crew and deck passengers.
Those who were cut off from escape
from the bow, were compelled to lump
overheard to save their lives The
stern of the burning steamer had swung
out into the river and In the effort made
10 launch the yawl, it was capsized by
the crowd which filed it and MANY of
it's occupants drowned. They were
mostly colored men, but there were
three or four women in the crowd.
The -ost, so far as can be learned, are as
follows: George Corbett, third clerk,
aged 80 years, who had launched the
yawl, and was trying to save the women
on the lower deck. He leaves a wife
who resides IN st. Louis. Joe Porter,
Hilliard Horton (colored), Monroe
Jackson, Lee Finley (colored) !, Sim NeI-
son, Frank Wells (olored), Senator
Coleman. In addition about fifteen
deck passengers, four of whom were
white men, were also drowned. In this
lot cf unknown We're three colored wo-
men and two children. They were
coming to Memphis to spend the hoh-
days. The whites had been working on
the levees and their names and desti-
nations are unknown.
The burning steamer drifted away
after laying at the bank for twenty
minutes and f1oated down the river, her
hull sinking at the head of Peters
Island, four miles below Commerce.
The Kate Adams was owned by the
Memphis and Vicksburg Packet Com
pany. She was built by James Rees &
Sons, of Pittsburg, in 1882, and cost
$4,000. She was the best and fastest
steamer of her type, and her owners
this summer spent $4,000 in repairing
her at Paducah. She was insured for
s33,75O in st. Louis, Cincinnati and
foreign offices. This would have
been the completion of her 6O2nd trip in
the Memphis and Arkansas City trade.
Her cargo consisted of ,16I bales of
cotton, l, 900 sacks cottonseed, 81 bags
seed and good list of sundries The
cotton was consigned to Memphis mer-
chants and fully insured in their open
policies. Fader, Frank d Co., Hill,
Fontaine & Co., and Thomas II. Allen
* Co. were the largest cOdsignees