Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1890-02-20
MARROW ESCAPE.

Pilot Gus Hiner Swims for Life
Loses His Boat With Six
Passengers-Interview
with Gus Hiner.
Port Eads, the steamboat of
which Gus Hiner was pilot, struck
q hidden pier at Memphis this
week and was wrecked, six persons
being drowned. The boat was .
freight and passenger boat, worth
t65, 900, not counting such freight
as may have been on board. The
boat, with freight, was an entire
loss. Gus was at the wheel and
stood to his post until he found his
boat was going to the bottom and
being among the very last to leave
came near being drowned, but after
. hard swim managed to reach the
shore. The owners placed no
blame on Gus, who is one Of the
safest pilots on the river, but gave
him another boat next day. Gus
is young pilot, but none stand
higher with the river men than he
does.
The following is what Gus says
about the wreck:
PILOT HINER's STORY.
Pilot Gus Hiner, who was at the
helm when the crash came, sat on
the side of his cot at the hospital
yesterday afternoon all the worse
for the terrible ordeal through
which he has passed, and gave q
reporter q detailed account Of the
whole affair as he saw it from the
pilot house as long a. he could
stay there, and as he saw it after
ward struggling in the water, and
perched on the last dry plank of
the hurricane deck anxiously
watching tho relief boats coming
toward him.
I'VE cut loose from our mooringe
at the island shortly after daylight
and started down the river, every
thing working nicely and the at
mosphere clear. When We got op.
posite Memphis we encountered q
heavy cloud Of smoke and some
fog. This increased in density az
We got further down, and by the
time We got to Union street / could
not see anything except . dim out
line of the shore on either side.
We were then about in the middle
of tn Q river.
81 knew the location Of the pier
and I intended to pass between il
and the shore. We were mere.
ly drifting down stream at this
time. When I thought We were q
sufficient distance from the bridge
work I turned her head quartering
and began to drive her for the
Tennessee shore.
| "The smoke was 90 heavy that
could not see thing ahead Of me
although I was straining my eyei
to catch q glimpse of something tt
steer by. I was looking hard fol
the signal lights on the pier or OF
1.-THE fiat moored to 1t but I could no
see them. I got q little uneasy
land turning her head more I sem
her for the shore az hard as
Icould.
j "All at once / felt the powerfu
current in which We had beer
caught, and saw that we
WERE SWINGING AROUND
broadside IN spite of the wheel.
i "In another minute the crasl
came, and / knew that We were OF
the pier and that the situation wa
q desperate one. I stuck to th,
wheel until I found ] could no
move the boat, and then I n,
down stairs to tell the others Q
their danger, and above all to war;
Townsend to wake up his wifi
whom I knew was still asleep.
"By the time I had gotten dow
stairs the boat had begun to careel
; and all was confusion.
"The fuel barge struck the pier
with her side and mashed in an,
sunk almost in an instant. Whel
the broken barge dropped out Q
the way the already disable'
, steamer was driven against the pie
and held there tightly by the fore
of the current. She seemed tohan
on the pier and 60 down on th
other side. The water came owe
? the deck from the other side.
:. WITH A MIGHTY RUSH
q filling the hold almost in aminute
this is what causedher to sink s
quickly and the dact that she wa
: hung on the pier caused her t
{ careen. It was lucky for US, toe
i that the boat stuck to the pier @
q she would have gone out of sigh
long before assistance reached VI
, The pier kept the little edge of th
9 hurricane deck upon which v
d were when the relief came out {
q the water.
"In three minutes after th
> shock came we were all in th
Q water. After I got down in th
+ cabin I hardly know what / did .,
q cept to tell those below the station
a We were all terribly excites
! Capt. Townsend
RAN BACK FOR HIS WIFE
as soon as ! told him, and I 90
him carrying her out in her nigl
, clothes, when he was thrown dow
: The current was running stror
,. and I thought they would both
u washed overheard. / saw men
1, the water, but cannot tell who ths
v were, as did not know all Il
e crew. managed, after beir
!" knocked down BY flying timbe
l. several times, TO make my way
" the upper deck. A number of otl
;. ers were already up there. ",
n knocked about 90 that my recolle
!, ton is somewhat confused abo'
:, !. the things that occurred while '
Z were all in the water"
~