The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-01-04
MORE RIVER HORRORS.
Another Steamboat Disaster on
the Mississippi
The Steamer John II. Hanna Burned at
PiaQuemine, La, and Many Lives Lost
"A Pacific Coast Steamer
Burned.

PLAoUEMINE, La, Dec 26.-The steamer
John III. Hanna, loaded with cotton from
Ouachita, burned here early YESTERDAY
morning. The boat and cargo We're a total
loss. The number Of people who persisted
is not positively known, but the loss of life
will be at least thirty and may be much
beyond that number, Captain j. S. Holmes
was in command and was burned to death.
First Clerk Sam Powell was drowned.
The old pilot Bob Smith. passenger ON
the Inflated vessel was burned to death.
Several persons persisted in the flames
and number jumped overheard and were
drowned. Captain Holmes body was ter
rib,y burned. Bob Smith was the pilot of
the j. NJ. White at the time she was burned.
One of the deck hands who escaped says
there were about 100 persons on board and
that only about dozen can now be found
alive, but this was not confirmed by the
officers who made their escape.
1t was just before Christmas day was
being ushered in that the steamer was
coming down the river. Several of the
passengers were seated in the cabin hav-
ing merry time and with no thouc hit of
the impending catastrophe and many of
the crew and passengers were asleep when
the fire broke out and spread with indes-
cribable rapidity, and the details of the
sufferings and death of some of the pas
sengers are narrowing in the extreme.
The boat had reached a point which was
but short distance above the town when
negro roustabout near the boiler room
ran ont to the deck and shouted that the
boat was on fire. John Cullen, a stoker.
was near the place at The time and seeing
the flames burst ne forth from the big tiers
of Gotten near the boiler ran hastily to the
engine room end gave the alarm. Eng neer
Merriman took in the situation at glance
and at once sounded the alarm ON the
steam whistle and ringing the bells.
In an instant-certainly in a much
shorter time than it takes to explain title
flames shot through the cabin and over H. g
sides of the cotton, enveloping the entire
boat in fire.
Clerk Powell was upstairs at the time
and when he saw the flames he heroically
ran through the smoke VIII oh was filing
the cabin to wake the sleeping people. He
kicked at the doors and in a short time
almost every body was awake. Then
terrible confusion ensued and frantic peo-
pie on the boat ran TO different exits 10
make their escape, but the boat was piled
high with cotton and the passage ways
were filed with smoke. Many dropped
before they were able to get to the forward
paris of the boat and were dead when the
steamer went down.
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 time, and he
boat was soon run into the bank. Before
she did so, however, she was doomed, as
all of her timber was then furiously burn
ing;
When the Hanna struck the bank she
bounded away again and swung around.
drifting as she burned. Then Captain
Jolles jumped out over the cotton bales,
and, spiinging into the river, swan ashore.
AS the burning boat struck the bank of
the river the crew and passengers who
had been able to reach the forward END
sprang ashore, some of them with scorched
faces and bruised limbs and many of them
with scarcely any covering.
Among those who managed to get Off
were Captain Holmes and Bob Smith, the
unfortunate pilot of the Inflated White,
who was a passenger. Both men were
burned nigh unto death. and the story Of
the manner in which they suffered is
heartrending. When the Captain jumped
ashore he was burned horribly, and in his
frantic desire to be relieved from the pain
he was suffering he buried his face and
hands in the soft mud and begged most
piteously for some one to help him. Smith
was just behind and was laid out by the
side of the dying captain. Nothing could
be done for the suffering men and the two
died together on the river bank.
Among those that were lost are: Captain
J. S. Holmes, master of the boat; Samuel
Powell. chief clerk; Bob Smith, pilot, from
Smithland, La; Mike O'Neill, night watch
man; Joe Crane, cabin watchman; Monroe
Deck. first cook; Jack Duff, second cook;
Joe Harvey, cabin boy; Jim Watson. sec
ond baker; John Grafton, carpenter; John
Barlow, colored; Jim Blank, colored, roust
about: Dick Blank, colored, mess room
tender; Steploe John; Monroe Digs, COOK
A child of Perceila Wright (cooredl.
There were forty-four roustab bouts on
the Hanna, of whom th'rty-three are
known to have been saved, leaving eleven
unaccounted for.
PACIFIC COAST CALAMITY.
SEATTLE, W. l., Dec. 2G.-The steamer
Left Ericsson was burned to the waters
edge at five O'Clock Monday evening OF
Aliaki point Five lives We're lost per-
haps seven.
Captain Nibhe saw his niece, Miss Annie
Toilmer, struggling in the water, aboat
$50 feet from him, and he did his utmost 20
push the raft toward her, but she drowned
less than 100 feet away from him. He was
hampered with gum boots and almos.
helpless.
The list of those lost is as follows: Miss
Annie Tollmer Sidney; ]. H. Norus, OF
the Norus Brickyard Company. Sidney:
Jack Simmons, a half breed fisherman
T. Smith, of Smith, Tay.or & Co, Colby.
A man and his wife whose names could
not be ascertained. The survivors also re-
ported another woman as beng lost.
The steamer was burned 10 the waters
edge and no doubt sank. Neither the
Skagit Chief nor the Mountaneer went to
the burning steamer as all hands had de.
serted her and she was enveioped n
flames. Both made efforts to saving life
from the water. The Ericsson was valued
at $4,000 and was not insured.
The steamer Skagit Chief. en- route &c
Tacoma, saw the fire and crowded on steam
to give assistance, and she succeeded il,
ressuing seven people.
Deadly Quarrel
DENIsoN, Tex, Dec. 25-YeSterday
morning near HorneyviIle, Chickasaw Ma
tion Seslev Mover and Dud IuttrelI cu.r-