St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-21
IN 50 FEET OF WATER.
State Of Missouri Strikes a
Rock and Sinks in the
Ohio.
STEAMER A TOTAL LOSS.
Conflicting Reports as to
Whether Any Lives We're
Lost.
ONE REPORT GIVES 35,
And Another Says All Of the
Passengers and Crew
Escaped.
ONE REPORT GIVES 55,

OwENSBORo, KY, Jan. 20.-The big
New Orleans packet, the State of Mis-
jouri, struck a rock on the Indiana side
If the Ohio, near Alton, Ind, about &
,'clock last evening, and went down in
ifty feet OF water. She gave heavy
uIch forward and rapidly sank. Four
passengers on the City Of Owensboro
passed here this evening, who were
picked up near the Kentucky shore.
They swan for life on plankS, and
reached the willows. One reached the
shore and the others remained in tree
many hours until rescued. They were
". c. Leathers, from Hopkins county,
Kentucky, and man named Gregory.
of Cavc-in-Rock, LII. The names OF
the other two could not be learned.
These passengers report that the boat
struck the stone near the stern and gave
lurch forward. A yawl was launched,
but it was soon sunk. The boat lurched
again, and a second yawl was put off
from the sinking boat, in which four
women passengers and some of the
cabin passengers managed to get
places. Leathers never swan be-
fore, but managed to keep afloat
until he reached the willows.
He saw four men drowned near him,
but was powerless to act. One cham
bermaid was picked up by boat from
farm house near by, and several res
cued passengers were picked up further
Oh and taken up to Louisville by the
steamer Tell City. One yawl that was
upset by frantic passengers was full Of
women and children, and all arc
thought to be lost There were fifteen
cabin and thirty deck passengers and a
crew of sixty OIL board. The surviving
passengers think that ct least thirty
five were lost. The cabin and upper
works of the boat t1oated away. The
Texas and pilot houses were towed
ashore. The City of Owensboro got out
part of the freight from the cabin deck.
Mr.. Gregory recovered mis- overcUat,
which he had left behind when the boat
sank. In less than ten minutes from
the time the boat struck she had gone
down. At Rockport and here, as we'll
as at intermediate points, the bank is
lined with skips picking up pieces of
furniture and watching for dead bodies,
but the current is too swift for small
crafts to get out far. No names Of those
drowned can be learned here. The boat
is a total loss.
CINCINNATI, o.. Jan. 20. 0.-Commed0re
Laidlow and Capt. Wise. officers of the
Cincinnati, Memphis & Orleans Packet
company, that owned the State Of Mis-
souri,, insist that reports from their Off
GERS on the wrecked steamer state that
the boat and entire cargo are total
loss, but they do not believe any pas
sengerS were lost. 1t is impossible TO
get track of all who reached either bank
Of the river, but they report that the
officers are of the opinion that all the
passengers Will be accounted for. One
of the pilots telegraphed his family that
they had hard time getting to shore,
but that 10 lives were lost. The State
Of Missouri left this city last Friday.
Most Of her crew are from this city. and
private dispatches from them to their
friends and families, as we'll as to Com
mOdore Laidlow aud Capt. Wise, say
they are safe, and that no lives were
lost. The Enquirer's special says FIVE
men were rescued tonight below the
scene of the wreck. They had been
cinging to trees. The Commercial
Gazette'S special says seven passengers
were picked up III bad condition at
HaWesville, Ky. Advices to both these
papers up to 10 80 indicate that no lives
were lost.