St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-05
Survivors of the Corona Dis
aster Detail Their Thrill
ing Experiences.
Thirty-Four Vessels Wrecked
on the Mexican Coast Dur
ing a Gale.
ThresherS Drowned Like Rats
by the Collapse Of a Rick
ETY. Bridge.
AsShoWer Of Pig Iron Crushes
Street Car Passengers to
a Jelly.

NEW ORLEANS, Oct. A number OF
the survivors of Corona disaster reached
the city to-day. Seven of them came by
rail and others by the City of st. Louis.
Those who came by train were Capt. L.
C. Sweeny, who was passenger; Pilot
L. w. Hawlins, Bill Clerk Billy Hig-
gins; Jack Green. captain of the deck
watch; Robert CarneS. carpenter; Sec
ond Steward William Fleming, and En-
gineer William Handley. When they
stepped from the tain they could easily
| identified by their cut and bruised
| countenances. They were quickly SUI
rounded by crowd of weeping men
and women, all anxious to learn the
| fate of some loved ones. The scene was
| indeed heartrending, and strong men
| were compelled to turn aside their
| heads when some one in answer to a
| question would ascertain that the one
| they inquired after was among the lost.
| Mrs. Henry Blanks was among those
who came down by the Anchor line
| steamer City of st. Louis. She was on
| the Corona with her sister, Mrs. Hull,
| and two children, Ell route to Columbia
as passenger. She says:
II was standing with my sister and had
! my youngest child in my arms in the rear or
| place. The chambermaid came running to
| us with life preservers which we fastened
| on. William Fleming. the pantryman, then
| came running to us and told us TO go up on
| the hurricane roof until he could get the life
| boat down, which he did in hurry; we then
| got into the yowl and hardly had been seated
when the boat was sWamped. throwing US
all into the river. !, with my -Vear-old
| child on one arm, held on to piece OF
| Wreckage until one of the ST. Louis boats
came and saved us. l told the child: Hold
! tight, daughter; God will save US Or my
| sister, Mrs. Huff, who is a widow from Ope-
| lOuSas saw no more after our boat cap
| sized"
a little six-year-old boy of Mrs. Henry
| Blanks, who was blown into the air by
| the explosion, says:
/ was out looking at Capt Sweeny fixing
| the electric light and then went into the
| cabin to see my mother. and had hardly got
| as far as the Office, when was blown away
| into the air, and when / came down fell into
| the river on my back, When came to The
! surface caught on to a sack, and an old
| mau was near by, holding piece of wood
| bowling for the yawls to come and save him
| 1t was then that was frightened and began
to yell also. skif came and picked me
/ and the cid man I'D, and look US on their
| boat the City Of st. Louis.
The brave little fellow is badly hurt
about the head. He stated that this
was caused by man throwing plank
on him. Capt. Sweeney stated that the
| whole thing came on so suddenly that
he hardly had time to see anything.
| Capt. Blanks, who was sitting in the
| BARRIERS chair, was hurled through the
cabin roof and instantly killed. The
others in the cabin were struck by fly
ing timbers, among whom was Shrimp
| Hanna, who was sitting near the clerk S
office. The explosion seemed to go
downward. and the full force was in the
rear part of the boat. The cabin parted
and One-half of it fell into the river and
the other half tioated with the wreck.
Those that were not killed outright by
the flying timbers were pinned down
and scalded to death. Capt. Sweeney
said that the
SCENE WAS INDESCRIBABLE.
| When the explosion took place he
was on the forecastle, and thus escaped
! the heavy timberS that were flying
around. He remained on the wreck as
| long as possible, and as there was DC
| chance to rescue any one, he sprang
overheard and was picked up by the
| yawl of the City of st. Louis. Charity
| Lambert, first chambermaid of the Cor
ona, says:
81 was aft ironing at the time or the explo
| sion, when Mr.. Fleming, the second steward
| come running and told me 10 help put life
| preservers on the ladies. while he would &C
| on the roof TO get the boat out. This l did
but soon found myself in the river struggling
| for life, when was picked up by the yaWl.'
Charity Lambert was one of those
| who were on the Hanna when that boat
| burned last Christmas morning. Henry
,JolIe, the pilot of the Corona, says he
was in the pilot house at the time OF
I the explosion, and felt as though be
was blown up at first. and then fell
down through the wreck on the lower
| deck on debris. and found his arm badly
| hurt. In short time Skitf came along
side, and took HIM from the sinking
boat. He also says his steersman, Mr.
Pierce, was in the pilot house with him
| and was also blown up, and when he
saw him he was lying upon the lower
| deck some feet away from him, also
badly hurt by the fall and flying tim
| bers.
after the explosion, / found myself
among the wrecklng and was picked up BY
| one of the boats of the reseuing steamer. My
| right arm is, fear. fractured. and my heaC
| is cut i'll several places. The Alto was passed
| al Baton Rouge and the Warren was abou
six miles ahead"
| Charles Pierce, steerSman, who was
with MIR. JOlle on watch, corroborate6
the statement that the Corona blew VI
lust after having saluted the City of st
Louis. Henry Baughman, passenger
of Danville: Peter Leonard, rouSta
bout. and Alexander Seymour, nigh
watehman-the latter last night re
ported lost-all badly hurt, were res
cued by boats from the City of st. LOui:
and came down on her and were sent tC
the hospital.
SCENE OF THE WRECK.
BAYOU SARA, La, Oct. 4.-The
steam tug Beverly Harris went dowr
this morning to the wreck of the ill
fated steamer Corona. The hull has
sunk in deep water, Capt. Knapp, Of
the steamer Cleon, is at work saving al
he can. He lowed the cabin and
lodged at the foot of Prophets island
where it is being taken to pieces, and
| everything that is worth anything i:
being put on the Cleon and barge
which she has in tow. The body of PAT
RYAN. steward, was found damned be
tween two hunks in state room. After
an inquest. the body was buried and
marked, so it can be recovered by hi;
relatives. The body of Mrs. Huff ha:
been found and sent to Baton Rouge
on the Cleveland this morning. Nc
other bodies have as yet been recovered
The valises of Willie Nelson and j. V
,Jourdou have been found. Capt. Ber
COrnwell passed up on the steamer
Dickie yesterday on his way home te
Smithland. La. He received medical
attention here, and his injuries are moi
III