Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-01-03
MORE RIVER H0RROR6s'


Ouachita, burned here early yesterday
morning. The boat and cargo were a total
loss. The number Of people who persisted
is not positively known, but the loss Of life
will be at least thirty and may be much
beyond that number, Captain j. 8. Holmes
was in command and was burned to death.
First Clerk Sam Powell was drowned.
The Old pilot, Bob Smith. a passenger on
the hi-fated vessel, was burned to death.
Several persons persisted in the flames
ana number jumped overheard and were
drowned Captain Holmes body was ter.
roiy burned. Bob Smith was the pilot OF
the y. NJ. White at the time she was burned.
One OF the deck hands who escaped says
mere were about 100 persons on board and
that only about q dozen can now be found
alive. but this was not confirmed by the
officers who made their escape.
It was just before Christmas day was
being ushered in that the steamer was
coming down the river. Several of the
passengers were seated in the cabin hav-
ing q merry time and with no thought of
the impending catastrophe and many Of
the crew and passengers were asleep when
the fire broke out and spread with indes-
cribabIe rapidity, and the details of the
sufferings and death Of some of the pas
sengers are narrowing in the extreme.
The boat had reached a point which was
but a short distance above the town when
q negro roustabout near the boiler room
ran out to the deck and shouted that the
boat was on fire. John Cullen, a stoker,
was near the place at the. time and seeing
the hames bursting forth from the big tiers
of cotton near the boiler ran hastily to the
engine room and gave the alarm. Engineer
Merriman took In the situation at a glance
and at once sounded the alarm on the
steam whistle and ringing the bells.
In an instant-certainly in q much
shorter time than it takes to explain 1.-THE
flames shot through the cabin and over the
sides of the cotton, envelOping the entire
boat in fire.
Clerk Powell was upstairs at the time
aud when he saw the flames he heroically
ran through the smoke which was filing
the cabin to wake the sleeping people. He
kicked at the doors and in a short time
almost every body was awake. Then
terrible confusion ensued and frantic peo-
pie on the boat ran to different exits to
make their escape, but the boat was piled
high with cotton and the passage ways
were filed with smoke. Many dropped
before they were able to get to the forward
parts of the boat and were dead when the
steamer went down.
As soon as the smoke and flames began
to start up the sides of the boat Captain
Jolles. the pilot, swung the wheel around
and headed the boat for the shore. A full
head OF steam was on at the time, and the
boat was soon run into the bank. Before
she did SO, however, she was doomed, as
all Of her timber was then furiousiy burn
ink. Va
When the Hanna struck the bank she
bounded away again and swung around.
drifting as she burned. Then Captain
Jolles jumped out over the cotton bales,
and, springing into the river, swan ashore.
AS the burning boat struck the bank of
the river the crew and passengers who
had been able to reach the forward end
faces and bruised limbs and many of them
with scarcely any covering.
Among those who managed to get off
were Captain Holmes and Bob Smith, the
unfortunate pilot of the Inflated White,
who was a, passenger. Both men were
burned nigh unto death, and the story Of
the manner in which they suffered is
heartrending. When the Captain jumped
ashore he was burned horribly, and in his
frantic desire to be relieved from the pain
he was suffering he buried his face and
hands in the soft mud and begged most
piteously for some one to help him. Smith
was just behind and was laid out by the
side of the dying captain. Nothing could
De done for the suffering men and the two
died together on the river bank.
Amongsthose thatwere lost are: Captain
j. S. Holmes, master of the boat; Samuel
Powell, chief clerk; Bob Smith, pilot, from
Smithland. La; Mike O'Neill, night watch
man; Joe Crane, cabin watchman; Monroe
Deck. first cook; Jack Duff. second cook;
Joe Harvey, cabin boy; Jim Watson, Sec
ond baker; john Grafton, carpenter; John
Barlow, colored; Jim Blank, colored, roust
about; Dick Blank, colored, mess room
tender; Steploe John; Monroe Diggs, cook;
"A child of Perceiia Wright (co:ored).
There were forty-four sroustabouts on
the Hanna, of whom th;rty-three are
known to have been saved, leaving eleven
unaccounted for.
PACIFIC COAST CALAMITY.
SEATTLE, w. T., Dec. y26.-The steamer
Left Ericsson was burned to the waters
edge at five O'Clock Monday evening off
Aliaki point. Five lives were lost, per-
haps seven.
Captain Nibbe saw his niece, Miss Annie
Tollmer, struggling in the water. about
$50 feet from him, and he did his utmost to
push the raft toward her, but she drowned
less than 100 feet away from him. He was
hamperSd with gum boots and almost
helpless.
The list of those lost is as follows: Miss
Annie Tollmer, Sidney: j. H. Norus, of
the Norus Brickyard Company, Sidney;
T. Smith,. of Smith, Taylor & Co, Colby.
A man and his wife whose names could
not be ascertained. The survivors also re-
ported another woman as being lost.
The steamer was burned TO the waters
edge and no doubt sank. Neither the
sSkagit Chief nor the Mountaineer went to
the burning steamer as all hands had de-
serted her and she was enveloped in
flames. Both made efforts to saving life
from the water. The Ericsson was valued
at SAC, 600 and was not Insured.
The steamer Skagit Chief, en- route to
Tacoma, saw the fire aud crowded on steam
to givs assistance. and she succeeded l.:
rescuihg seven people.
Deadly Quarrel.
DENIsoN, Tex, Dec S5-Yesterday
morning near HorneyviIle, Chickasaw Ma
ton, Sealey Meyer and Dud Luttrell quar-
relied aud exchanged several shots with