The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-01-21

-,Owensboro. Ky, Jan. 2O.-The big New
struck a rock on the Indiana side Of the
Ohio river near Alton, Ind, about
o'clock last evening, and went down in
fifty feet of water. She gave a heavy
lurch and rapidly sank Four of her pas
sengers were picked up near the Kentucky
shore by the City Of Owensboro which
passed this evening. They swan for their
lives on planks and reached The Willows.
One reached the shore and the others re-
manned in a tree many hours until res
caed. They were W. c. iLeathers, from
Hopkins county, Kentucky, and a man
named Gregory, OF Cave-in-Rock, Ill. The
names of the other two could not be
searned.
These passengers say the steamer hit
& rock near the stern and gave a sudden
lUrch A yawl was launched, but SO
many people crowded into il that 1t was
soon sunk. AS the boat lurched again a
second yawl was put off from the sinking
boat, in which four women passengers
and some of the cabin passengers man
aged to get places. feathers never swan
before, but managed to keep afloat until
he reached The Willows. He saw four
men drowned near him, but was pOwerless
to act. One chambermaid was picked up
by a boat from a farm house near by
and several passengers were picked up
further on and taken to Louisville by
the steamer Tell City. One yaHHl that was
upset by frantic passengers was full of
women and children, and all are thought
n be lost. There were fifteen cabin and
I tirty deck passengers, and a. crew of
{, /Nty on board. The surviving passengers
N ASNink that at least ten were lost.
i he cabin and upper works of the boat
neated away. The pilot house was lowed
ashore at Rockport. The City of Owens
boro got out part Of the cabin ffeight from
the cabin deck. Mr.. Gregory recovered
his overcoat which he had left behind
when the boat sunk. In less than ten
minutes from the time the boat struck
she had gone down. AT Rockport and
here as we'll as at all intermediate points
the hank is lined with skiffs picking up
pieces of furniture and watching for
dead bodies, but the current was too
swift for small crafts to go out far.
No names OF those drowned can be
learned here. The boat is total loss.
The State OF Missouri was built at
Madison, Ind. in 1920, by the Kansas
City syndicate for the Missouri river
trade, at a cost of $500 She was one
of a trio Of fine steamers built by the
same company-the State of Kansas
and The a. L. Macon being the others
She was $50 feet long, with a 44-foot
beam and six-foot hold. She was never
launched on the Missouri, but placed
on the Ohio and Mississippi, plying be-
tween Cincinnati and New Orleans
with occasional trips to St. Louis The
Kansas City syndicate was compelled
to sell TIE State of Kansas to enable
the company to continue business
Then followed the fatal loss by sink
tIS Of the A. Z. Macon and her cargo al
Ylf4rs Point, Miss, January 4, 1894
This misfortune, with the low rates
and Is per cent. insurance on the Ms
souri, river, forced the Kansas City
EyT.fEate into liquidation and shortly
s.Ihereafter the State of Missouri wa.
f5rd 10 the Cincinnati, New Orleans 6
* mphis Packet company for SIS. 600
or little more than one-third of he
cost.
See went down from overloadine
near New Madrid, last February, bu
was pumped out and raised
These misfortunes caused old rive
men ITO look on the State of Missouri
with superstition, and they have beer
expecting some such fate as tha
(which has overtaken her. She was il
charge Of Captain Joseph Coulton
Stth j. r. Wilnan as clerk.