The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1889-01-03
Horrible Steamboat Disaster.

The elegant passenger steamer Kate
Adams, running as q semi-weekly packet be-
tween Memphis and Arkansas City, wasburn-
ed near Commerce, Miss, forty miles below
Memphis. She was en- route to Memphis,
and had about two hundred people aboard,
including her deck and cabin crew OF so, and
IS cabin and so deck passengers, and % col
ored cabin passengers. The Are, which caught
boilers. was discovered about 8 o'clock. The
passengers we're at breakfast and when the
alarm was given they all made q rush
for the forward deck. At the time the
steamer wal about three hundred 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 re-
manned h~eroically 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.. Cheek, who ives on the hurri-
cane deck, remained there, giving his com-
mands until the stage plank was safely low.
cred. The FIRE by this time had spread all
retreat to the rear, and climbed over the rails
and descended to the cabin. Here he found
Chief Clerk w. G. Banker, who had make an
effort to save the money and papers Of the
steamer, which were in the safe. He man.
aged to grab the money, but was cut off from
the bow and forced back into the cabin. As
he was CROPPING his way aft he stumbled
and fell over some chairs and lost all the
valuables he had secured, and it was with
great difficulty that he succeeded in reaching
the rear through the binding smoke and
flames which filed the cabin. Capt. Cheek
seized o life preseryer, and placing it on
Chief Clerk Banker, helped him overheard
S~& h Su u. - a. 5000 l--l Ill.,.
miles before he was rescued by parties who
had followed him down the river Capt.
Cheek assisted several Others in securing lie
preservers, and when it was no longer posi-.
BILE for him to remain without being burned
he, too, jumped int the river and swan
ashors. There were about twenty-five
so,ofsd o,o saein w; RSFse" tSs v who w were
sengers. On the lower desk, however, a
fearful panic seized the crew and deck pas
sengers. Those who were cut off from es.
cape from the bow were compelled to jump
overheard to save their lives. Thu stern oil
the burning steamer had swung out into the
river, and an effort vas made to launch the
yawl,. but it was capsized by the crowd which
filed 1T n many of its occupants drowned.
They were mostly colored men, but there
were three or four women in the crowd.
In addition about fifteen deck passengers,
-four of whom. were white men, were also
drowned. In the list of unknown were three
colored women and two children. They were
coming to Memphis to spend the holidays.
The whites had been working on the leveee
and their names and destination are un.
know. Three of the colored cabin crew who
were rescued from the water died after.
wards. <
Mrs. Harry Field, one of the lady passen.
gers, was seated at the breakfast table when
the cry of fire was heard. She paid little at
tention to it at first, but when she saw
smoke filing the cabin she ran to the
bow of the steamer which by this time had
touched the bank, and tried &c jump ashore.
She failed and fell to the lower deck. A ne
gro man, who was close behind her, followed
her example, and like her failed to reach the
shore, but fell near her. The fire was scorch-
ing hot where they were, but the negro gath.
cred her in his arms and carried her t. the
bank, and thus saved her from being burned
to death, as she was unable to move after
having fallen from the boiler deck. Mrs.
Fields is positive that W. A. Covington, a
planter and merchant of Rosedale, Miss,
persisted in the flames. She thinks he must
have been suficated in his stateroom,
rs he was aboard and nothing has
been seen or heard. of him since the disaster.
Billy Hodges, one of the pilots. was in the
barber shop getting shaved when the alarm
was sounded. He rushed to the stern OF
the boat n providing himself with q life
preserver, jumped overheard. While SWIM
ming to the shore he found Sam Robinson, a
passenger, struggling in the water, and as
sisted him to the shore. 1t is reported that
a negro murderer who wa being brought
back for trial, perished OF board the steamer.
He was handcuffed, and the officer in charge
made his escape and lett the negro in his
helpless condition, and no was burned to
death. 1t is impossible to definitely ascer-
tain how many lives were really lost, but a,
conservative estimate places the number at
not less then thirt weight. It may probably
reach fifty