Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-01-03
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
The Passenger Steamer Kate Adams
Destroyed by Fire.
Latest Accounts Say tho Loss of Life May
Reach FIFTY.

Latest Accounts Say tho Loss of LIfe May
Reach FIFTY.
The elegant passenger steamer Kc o
Adams, running as a semi-weekly packet
between Memphis and Arkansas City,
burned on the morning Of December %,
near Commerce, Miss, 40 miles south of
Memphis.
She was en- route to Memphis, and had
about 200 people aboard, including her deck
and cabin crew of so and - cabin and 90
deck passengers and % colored cabin pas
sengerS
The fire, which caught in some cotton
near tho forward end of the boilers was
discovered about s O'Clock The passen-
gers were at breakfast, and when the alarm
was given they all made rush for the for
ward deck AT the time the steamer was
about 300 yards from the Mississippi side
of the river and her bow was at once head
ed for the shore. Pilot Joe Barton was on
watch and he remained heroically at his
post until she was safely landed. Harry
Best, the second clerk who was seated at
the table when the alarm was given, had
brought all the ladies and children forward
and assisted them ashore. Capt Mark r.
Check, who was on the hurricane deck re-
manned there, giving his commands until
the stage plank was safely lowered. The
fire by this time had spread all through the
cabin and he was compelled to retreat to
the rear and climbed over the rails and de
soended TO the cabin. Here he found Chief
Clerk w. &. Glanker, who had made an eff
fort 10 save the money and papers of the
steamer, which were in the safe. He man
aged 10 grab the money, but was cut of from
the bow and forced back into the cabin As
he was cropping back aft, he stumbled and
fell over some chairs and lost all the valu-
ables he had secured, and il was with great
difficulty that he succeeded in reaching the
rear through the binding smoke and flames
which filled the cabin. Capt. Cheek seized
a life preserver, and placing it on Chief
Clerk Glanker helped him overheard into
the water. He floated 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 lifc-preservers, and when il was
no longer possible for him to remain with
out being burned he, too, jumped into the
river and swan ashore. There were about
twenty-five colored cabin passengers who
We're saved along with the passengers. On
the lower deck, however, fearful panic
seized the crew and deck passengers.
Those who were cut Off from escape from
tho bow, were compelled TO jump overheard
to save their lives. The stern of the burn
ing steamer had swung out into river and
in the effort made 10 launch the yawl it was
capsized by the crowd which filed il and
many of its occupants drowned. They
were mostly cOlored men, but there were
only three or four women in the crowd.
The greatest excitement prevailed In
Memphis when the first news of the disas-
ter was received there. 1t is impossible to
definitely ascertain how many lives were
really lost, but conservative estimate
places the number at not less than thirty.
eight. II may probably reach fifty.