Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-01-02
!. MANY LIVES Lost.

Waters Edge go twenty One Persons
Perlsh--l'assengers Reach the Shore
Only to Stick Fast I'm the Soft Mud.
Where, Unable to Exrticate Them
serves, They Are Hoas cd to Death by
the Heat from the Raging Eiames--
Lnss of the Steamer Lief Erickson, In
Washington Territory, with Six or
Seven Lives.
New ORLEANS, Dec. 2G.-The steam boat
John II Hanna from the Ouach ia river
with large number Of passengers and a
cargo " 3,00t bales of cotton on board,
WIS burned nj ,ndaY night near Plaque.
mino, La. Conflicting reports have been
received reg riding the loss Of lifo. The
first accounts suid TINT only fourteen Of
the 100 persons on board were known to
have been saved. The latest report from
tie Ncaymse's correspondent, however,
places the 1893 ut Ave whites and sixteen
coloTedt
Capita II j. s. Holmes, master OF tho boat:
Samuel Powell chief clerk: Bob Smith, o pilot
from SmiAhland, La; M l1o O'Nei4, night
watchman; 200 Crane. cabin watchmah; Mon.
roe d ggs, first cook; Jack DUFF, second cook;
Joe HhrVe'. CABIN boy; Jim Watson. second
baker; JOAN Grafton, carpenter: John Barlow,
rouslanout; Jim Blank (colored). rousta bout:
OK Blank tcolored). mess-room tender; child
OF FrisC LA Wh1te (cOlOrel).
Among those who were badly injured
ares
Dan Carroll. steward, jim ONeiu, deck
hand; John Gibbons, sai!orman; Louis Welch,
roustabout; JOAN Jacksou, Thomas GArrow.
Many OF the crew and passengers were
asleep when the fire broke out, ind it
spread with indes sribablc rapidity. The
details Of the sufferings and death Of
some Of the passengers are narrowing in
tue extreme, The boat had reached q
point short distance above the town when
negro rou3taoout near tho boiler room
ran out to TIC dccz and shouted that the
boat Nas on fire. J ohm Cullen. p stoker,
ran hastily to the engine-roorn arc gave
the a 'rm. Engineer Mcrriman ut once
st unded tho alarm by blowing the steam
whistle and ringing the bells. In
an instant, certainly in much
shorter time than IT takes to explain
1t, the flames shot through the cabin and
over the sides of the cotton, envolopin e
the entire boat in tire. Clerk Pow ell was
upstairs at the time, and when he saw the
flames he heroically ran through the smoke
which filed the cabin and tried to arouse
the sleeping people. He kicked at the
DOORS and in short time almost
every body was awake. Frantic people
ran TO different exits to mako their escape
but the boat was piled high with cotton
aud the assagc ways were filled with
smoke. Many dropped before they were
able to get to the forward part Of the boat
and were dead whom tne steamer went
down. AS soon AS the fire was discovered
Engineer MerriT1u set tho steam jumps
w, rk .ng and triei to battle with the
flames, but the fire swept through the boat
like blaze on a IRA RE and the engine
further to the CONSERVATION, u steam pipe
burst and filled the place with scalding
steam Engineer Mer. imam was forced to
abandon his post and be and the stokers
and others ran to the sides of the boat in
order to save their lives.
AS soon as the smoke and flames began
TO start up the sides Of the boat Captain
Jolles, the pilot, swung the wheel around
and headed the boat for the shore. A
full head OF steam was on at the
me uUt=thc boat" was soou run into the
bauk. Before she was, however, she was
doom ed. All OF her timber was then furi-
.ously burning. When she struck the bank
she bounded away aga:n and swung
around, drifting down as she burned.
Then Captain Jolles jumped out over the
cotton bales and spring ing into the river
SWAN ashore
The siynt was wierd one, viewed from
the bank, and the town vas arou sc l.
floating cotton, charred timber al other
debris filed the river, and many
people We're struggling desperately in
the water for their lives. Some of them
were SO badly burned or SO thoroughly
exhausted that they struggled but>a few
moments and sunk to rise no re. AS
the turning boat struck the bank of the
,.S hn
been able to reach the forward end Of the
boat sprung ashore, some Of them with
scorched faces and bruised limbs, and
many of them with scarcely any covering.
Brave Captain Holmes, resident of
Now Orleans. met with Almost awful
death. He remained ut his post of duty
| till every chance to save the lives Of his
passengers WAS gone. Then he attempted
| to SWIM ashore, but + happened to be
DOGGY, and he was seen to make frautic
en- eavors to cStricats himself without
avail. The buroing boat WAS fast nearing
| him and while he WAS on his l1uces in the
mud he put his hands up to protect his
| back from the intense heat. It was an
| awful moment for those on shore,
who Wcro making every endcavor to
relieve him with skifs and with ropes
| from the bank. One man went out
to him and placed box between him
and he lanes TO protect him from the in.
| creasing heat. lie said: "Ncver mind
me. I'll be- dead in a few minutes, any
way" he was finally freed from his ter.
bic sit,lutinn by tying II rope around his
| cody and dragging him on shore, but, alas,
TOO late. He died about half On hour ter
| be ng rescued.
| The body Of Chief Clerk Powell was in a
perfect state Of preservation. There were
n MARKS of any kind upon it. He had on
q life prcscrver which was partly urned.
1t is supposed lie ed of suff ,cahou. A
short time previous to the alarm of fire
Powell was convcrsing with Willie Fl G.
! gins, bar keeper, about tho burning Of the
! Is ate Adams, an account Of which Higgins
had just fin shed reading.
The death of John Grafton, carpenter
was Il sad one. Ha was In tho upper por-
ton of tue boat, struggling to get near the
bow. Tho flames were TWISTING and sweep
ing all about him. He tried nohly, but
he dropped and burned to death before
t eyes Of the people, who were not able
to render him any nelp.
| The second ar-keeper of the boat sale
| Mr.. Powell was standing near him whcr
they bbth jumped into the water Powell
who could not swim, climbed on float
| ing COTTON bale, but two deck
! hands inmreH IN thc hale turu