Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-01-03
HORRORS MULTIPLY.
Burning OF the Steamer John Fl.
Hanna, at Plaqusmine, La.
Large Number of Lives Lost by Burn
ing and Drowning-Tbe List Length
ened by Another Disaster at
Alllxi Point. w. T.


terrible river disasters that has ever hap.
| pened in Southern waters. The loss OF
-, life was heavy, nearly thirty persons per.
| ishing in the flames and in the river.
| At the time the fire was discovered the
! crew were at their several posts. Captain
| Jolles was at the wheel, and in the pilot
| house with him was Bob Smith, famous
| Mississippi river pilot who was one of
| the men on the Robert E. Lee when she
| burned to the waters edge some years
| ago.
Second Engineer Merriman was in the
| engine room ON duty, and Captain J. S.
| Holmes, one of the finest steamboat men
| on the river, was in command of the
steamer.
The boat had left Monroe Sunday morn
ing well laden with cotton. She picked
up freight all along, and when she got out
of the Ouachita and into the Mississippi
she had over twenty-three hundred bales
of Gotten. 1t was just before Christmas
day was being ushered in, when the fine
steamer was coming down the river.
Several of the gentlemen passengers
were seated in the cabin making merry
and with no thought of the impending
catastrophe. Many of the crew and pas
sengers were asleep. There were deck
hands on the boat, busy with freight, and
the fremen and others were near the
boilers.
The boat was booked to land near Pla-
quemine, and had reached a point Just a
short distance above the town, when a
negro roustabout near the boilers, ran
out to the after end, and cried out that the
boat was all afire. Jno. Cullen, a stoker,
was near the place at the time, and seeing
the flames bursting forth from the big
tiers of cotton near the boiler, ran hastily
tn tho apOina and tho al at
once. Engineer Merriman took in the sit
uation at glance, and at once sounded
the alarm by blowing the steam whistle
and ringing the bells. In an instant
certainly in much shorter time than it
takes to explain 1.-THE flames shot through
the cabin and over the sides of the cotton,
wrapping the entire boat in flames.
First Clerk Powell was upstairs at the
time. and when he saw the flames he he
roically ran through the smoke filled
cabin and tried to arouse the sleepin G
people. He kicked at the doors, and in a
short while everybody almost was awake.
Then there was confusion worse con-
founded, and the frantic people on the
boat ran to the different exits to make
their escape; but the boat was piled high
with cotton, and the passageways were
filed with binding smoke. Many dropped
before they were able to get to the for
ward part of the boat, and were dead
when the steamer went down.
AS soon as the fire was discovered, En-
gineer Merriman set the pumps working
and tried to battle with the flames, but
the fire swept through the boat like a
blaze on the prairie, and the engine room
was soon in flames. Then, to add further
to the CONSERVATION, the steam pipe burst
and filled the place with scalding steam.
Mprf. f.,r TO oh don hi
and he and the stokers and others ran to
the sides and climbed through the pitman
in order to save their lives.
AS soon as the smoke and flames began
to shoot over the sides of the boat, Cap
tain Jol1es 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 in to the bank. Before
she did, however, she was doomed, and
there was scarcely a bit of timber that
was not furiously burning. When the
Hanna struck the bank, she bounded away
again, and swung around, drifting down
as she burned. Then Captain Jolles
jumped out over the cotton, and springing
into the river swan ashore.
The sight was a weird one, viewed from
the land, and the town was aroused.
Floating cotton, charred timber and other
debris filled the river, and many persons
were struggling desperately in the water
for their lives. Some of them were able
to swim ashore, but most of them were
badly burned or so exhausted that they
struggled but moment and sank to rise
no more.
As the burning boat struck the bank OF
the river, the crew and passengers who
had been able to reach the forward end of
the boat, sprang ashore, some of them
with scorched faces and bruised limbs,
and many of them with scarcely any
clothing. Among those who managed to
get off were Captain Holmes and Bob
Smith, the unfortunate pilot of the ILL
fated Lee, who was a passenger on his
way down to this city. Both men were
burned nigh unto death, and the story Of
the way they persisted is most heartrend-
ing. When the captain jumped ashore, he
was horribly burned, and in his frantic
desire to be relieved of the pain he was
suffering he buried his face and hands in
the soft mud, and begged most pit
eously for some one to help him. Smith
was just behind, and lay down beside the
dying captain. Nothing could be done
for the suffering men, and the two died to-
gether on the river bank.
No attempt was made to save any Of the
books or papers, and everything, to-
gether with the clothes of the crew and |
passengers, was lost.
The boat burned rapidly after she
reached the bank, and in q very short
time after the alarm was given, she |
burned to the waters edge. The hull |
sank and nothing was left of the Hanna !
but floating timbers and burning cotton. |
The crew of the boat on the trip were: |
j. S. Holmes, captain: Sam Powell and |
jim Jordan, clerks; Lord Rawlings and /
Henry Joller, pilots; W. Handley and J. t
G.. Merriman, engineers: Daniel Carroll, !
steward: Samuel Bryant, first mate;
Michael Cussick. second mate; Jim. Glib
bons, sailorman; Ben Ducios and Willie
Higgins, barkeepers; and carpenter
whose name is not known. Two cham
bermaids, Mrs. Demery and Mrs. Hunt;
fire men; John RucAer and Tom Cullen,
stOkerS.
Among those who were lost were:
Captain j. S. Holmes, master of boat
Sam Powell, chief clerk.
Bob Smith, pilot from S1nithland, La.
Mike O'Neil, night watcLuan.
Joe Crane, first COOK.
Jack Duff, second cook.
Jo- Horner, cabin boy.
Jim Watson, second baker.
The carpenter OF the boat.
Among those who are badly burned
about the face, hands and body are: Dan
Carroll. steward; Jim O'Neil, deck hand:
jim Gibbons, sailormar; Lewis WEIGH.
Henry Barber, roustabout,
and number of others.
Coming down on the boat as passengers
were number of the crew of the Josie
W., all of whom were saved.
None of the men could say what was the