New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-21
A RIVER STEAMER BURNED.
DESTRUCTION OF THE ROSA LEE AT HER
WHARF AT MEMPHIS.
IT Is THOUGHT THAT SIX LIVES WERE LOST
SLEEPING PASSENGERS ROUsED
NONE TOO SOON.

NONE TOO SOON.
Memphis. Tenn. Nov 2O-The steamboat Rosa
lee was burned to the waters edge at the wharf
NJ o'clock this morning There were about
thirty cabin passengers aboard. Among the num-
Der were three women. They, together with about
forty deck passengers and the officers and crew.
were saved. II is thought, however, that sin deck
passengers lost their lives They were drunk and
asleep on the lower deck in the engine room, where
the fire started, and the suppositon Is that they
were cut of by the flames and persisted.
The steamer was owned by the Lee Line and
ran as a tri-weekly packet between Memphis and
Ashport Tenn. 90 miles north of this city Oh the
Mississippi River She four years old, valued
at $40, 900. and insured for $4,000 in the Louis
willie Underwriters Her cargo consisted of 391
bales OF cotton and 200 sacks OF cottonseed HE
cotton was consigned to Memphis factors and In
sured in local companies About 90 bales, which
were on the forward deck of the steamer were
saved In a damaged condition.
The Rosa Lee arrived here at 4 80 a. m. and
after all fires had been extingushcd and the
boilers cooled down, the engineer, seeing that
everything was safe, started for his home In the
southern portion Of the city. The night watch
man, who went through the dec&room twenty
minutes aftcIward, discovered several bales OF
cotton on fire. The bell was rung and Clarence
VUlller, the cOlorcd cabin waterman Oh duUN, went
through the cabin arousing the sleeping passengers
The fire spread rapidly and the upper part OF
the boat was soon in flames. Many OF the pasSen-
gers and the officers in the texas hao narrow
escapes. and all lost their clothing and effects
Mrs Chapman ard her daughter. six years ola,
who We're In one Of the staterooms, were so badly
frightened that she had 10 he carried downstairs
by clerk, Charles Leftwich and Vulker, the
cabin watchman. Mrs. Cook and Miss Freeman
escaped from the burning steamboat In tneir night
clothes Tabbio Bradley. the coored chamber
maid, also had a narrow escape.
Captain Henry Cooper who was asleep IN me
texas. was awakened by the ringing OF the bell.
He remained 70 put on his shoes and was COM
palled to slide down one of the iron stanchlons
of the boat. Tila flames had cut hun OH rom
tbe stairs leading down 10 the boiler deck.
The Rosa Lee was lying between the kowena
Lee and the Ora Lee, Two steamers owned by the
same COMPANY both Of which were In danger OF
burning They were cut loose from their moor
ings and towed 10 places Of safety by harpoi
heats. The fire department OF the city answered
the alarm that was sent in and succeeded in saving
the hull Of the boat.
The men supposed 70 have been lost were I,apor-
ers employed al the Government works in Ashport
Pend. The exact number of lives lost Is not known
Tom" Bailey the neer on watch when the
boar landed here said that there were c0lorcj
woman and child who deck passengers
Nothing has been seen or heard Of them since
I1ev. too, may have logf their lives.
The fire. it Is thought, was s'nrted by sparks
from the pipes of the deck passengers.