Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-28

they suffered is heartrending When the
captain jumped ashore he was burned
terribly, and in his frantic desire to be
relieved from the pain he was suffering
he buried his face and hands in soft mush
and begged piteously for some one to
help him. Smith was just behind and
was laid out by the side of the dying cap
tain. Nothing could De done for the suf-
fering men, and the two died together on
the bank.
Plaguemine was not slumbering when
the fire broke out, and when the diScOv-
cry was made that the Hanna was burn
ing, almost the entire town flocked to the
river bank and watched the vessel burn
The struggling unfortunates who reached
the shore were taken care of, and doe
tors and others came to their aid and
tried to alleviate their suffering The
City and Central halls and private houses
THREW OPEN THEIR DOORS
to the Inflated people and fed and
clothed them until this morning. The
survivors telegraphed accounts of the
disaster to their homes.
No one saw Clerk Powell, who dis
played much heroism in waking the pas
sengers, after he had raped at the doors
and it is quite positive he was burned to
death and went down with the steamer.
No attempt was made to save any of
the steamers books or papers, and
everything together with the clothes of
the crew and passengers was lost. The
boat burned rapidly after she reached
the bank, and in 4 very short time after
the alarm was given she had burned to
the waters edge. The hull sank and
nothing was left of the Hanna but float
ing timber and burning cotton.
The survivors were all warm in their
praise of the humane people of Plaque
mine, who spared no pains and no money
to furnish them with clothes and shelter
after
THEIR TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.
The mayor of the city was especially
kind to the survivors
None of the men could say what was
the origin of the fire. The general i'm
preston, however, is that some careless
stoker threw a cigarette among the cotton
bales and thereby caused the disaster.
The death of John Grafton, carpenter,
was a sad one. He was in the upper
portion of the boat, struggling to get
near the front end of the boat.
The flames were twirling and sweeping
all about him. He tried nobly
to reach the bow but dropped and burned
to death before the eyes of the people,
who were not able to render aid.
The second barkeeper of the boat said
Mr.. Powell was standing near him when
they both jumped into the water. Powell,
who could not swim, clenched on a float
ing cotton bale, but two deck hands also
jumped on the bale, turning it over and
throwing Powell into the water and he
disappeared.
The boat was about fifteen yards from
shore when a great many people plunged
into the river, and several who reached
the banks in safety became begged in the
soft mud, and so intense was the heat of
the burning boat
THEY BURNED TO DEATH
before they could climb up the steep
bank to the levee. The fire was
SO rapid that before the pilot
had finished sounding the alarm
whistles the entire boat from stem to
stern was a roaring mass of flames, and
the scene that ensued was terrible in
the extreme. Men yelled and ran about
the decks of the burning steamer like
maniacs, and others screamed at the top
of their voices threw themselves into the
dark waters and were lost to sight in the
twinkling of an eye. A cabin boy who
was an assistant of the steward says
the crew were aroused from
their slumbers by the flames
which roared over them, and they were
compelled to dive headlong from the roof
of the boat into the river, and many of
them were burned to death while in the
water.
The impression now is that the number
of lives lost viii not exceed thirty.
NEW ORLEANS, La, Dec. 25.-On
the arrival of the train in this
city ambulances were at the depot,
and all of the survivors of the dis
aster who were suffering from severe
burns were at once conveyed to the char
ity hospital. Steward Carroll says the
last of the lady passengers on the boat
coming down got off at Baton Rouge.
The passengers that were on board at
the time of the accident were Captain p.
c. Montgomery, SMr. Harper of the
Board of Underwriters, and DR.. Over
and his son. They were all saved.