Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-01-11
A RIVER STEAMER
Burns With Her Nose on the Bank, Yet
There Was a Terrible
Loss OF
Life.
The Kate Adams Was q Fine and Fast
Steamer and Was on Her Six
Hundred and Second
Trim

MEaRHIs, TESN., December 27.-The
elegant passenger steamer Kate Adams.
running as a semi-weekly packet between
Memphis and Arkansas City, burned near
Commerce, Miss, forty miles south OF this
city. She was en- route to Memphis and
had about 200 people aboard. including her
deck and cabin crew Of eighty, and twenty
i've cabin and sixty deck passengers and
twenty-five colored cabin passengers. The
fire, which caught in some cotton near the
forward end Of the boilers, was discovered
about 8 O'Clock. The passengers were at
breakfast, and when the alarm was given
they ali 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 at once headed for the
shore. Pilot Joe Barton was on watch and
he remained herOically at his post until she
was landed. Harry Best, the second clerk,
who was seated at the table when the alarm
was gwen had brought all the ladies and
children forward anu assisted them ashore.
Captain Mark r. Cheek, who was on the
hurricane deck, remained there giving his
commands until the stage plank was safely
lowered.
The burning steamer drifted away after
laying at the bank for twenty minutes and
Heated down the river, her hull sinking at
the head Of Peters island, four miles below
Comm cree.
The Kate Adams was owned by the Mem
phis and VlcksbOrg Packet company, of
which Major ohm u. Adams, of Little Rock,
IS president, Captain Mark Il. Cheek, super
intendent, and John "a. Peters, secretary
and treasurer. She was built by John Rees
d Sons, of Plttsburg, IN 1862, and cost SlO2,-
600. She was the finest and fastest steamer
Of her type and her owners this summer
spent $4,000 in repairing her at Paducah.
She was valued at $4,000 and insured for
S33, $50 in st. Louis, Cincinnati and other
foreign offices.
This would have been the completion of
her 6O2d trip in the Memphis and Arkansas
trade. Her officers were: Mark r. Cheek,
captain; w. @. Banker, Harry Best, George
Corbett ard William Donahue. clerks;
Billy Hodges and Joseph Barton, pilots;
Lou BOlto and Dick Young, engineers; Tom
Allen and Frank Brady, mates; jeEy Mat
sen, steward.
Her cargo consisted OF !, ISL bales of cot
ton, ], SEQ sacks of cotton seed, eighty seven
bags of seed and good list OF sundries.
The cotton was consigned to Memphis mer-
chants and fully insured in their open pol
icies. fader, Frank d Co., Hill q Fontaine
and Thomas H. Allen q Co. were the larg
est cOnsignees.
The greatest excitement prevailed in
Memphis when the first news of the disaster
was received here. 1t came about noon in
the shape of private telegram from Rob
insonvlile and SAID 80 lives had been lost.
Later accounts we're more reassuriug and
large crowd of citizens were at the depot
when the train arrived, bringing those who
bic to definitely ascertain how many lives
were really lost, but a conservative estimate
places the number at not less than thirty
I'VE. 1t may possibly reach fifty.