The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1895-01-24
VESSEL SINKS.
Over Thlrsy-Five Of hers Passengers
- and Grew / oss.

.rs,a disaster Occurred aS Well Cresh, Thir-
ss.Ftye Mgles. Above Hasfesvaiio, Ky.-
| A9ser ssnklng the Bose Broke IN I've
and cha Top Fart Fioated Away.
HAyEsvlrLE, Jan. ei.-The great
Cincinnati and New Orleans steamer
State Of Missouri went to the bottom
of the Ohio at Wolf Creek, P. o., thirty
Ave miles above this city, at s o'clock
Saturday night and forty people met
death. The post Office ut Wolf Creek,
1 Ia twenty-five miles from the railroad,
and it was with great difficulty that
your correspondent secured the facts
/ that follow. Tlfers was no Geographic
connection to the scene OF the disaster
and no way could be found to reach
there.
| As 3 O'Clock Sunday Tnofnfnsg the sesr
end Of the null Of the steamer was
caurhS as Troy, Ind. seven miles be-
low here, and thirty drowned mules
/ securely tied to the guards, were found.
1 At CloYersport, Ky, c. c. White
head, an old fat.boat pilot, who was
on the Inflated Missouri, was seen by
g reporter. Capt Whitehead was IN
iured and almost exhausted, but he
undoubtedly was the hero Of the dis
sster. and the following interview
with him will prove interesting to
thousands OF people who had friends
or relatives aboard. Capt. Whitehead
said:
I'VE were coming down the river and
having good time. was in the pilot
house and was just starting down to
supper. When reached the cabin
| deck / noticed the boat heading too
much toward the shore, as thought,
and stopped to see what the matter
was. At this time 4 Mr.. Garland, OF
Cave-in. Rocks, H., came up, and l told
him the situation. lie said: can't
swim, how can l be saved?' told him
to catch plank and jump when the
boat struck.
"At that moment the pilot seemed
to realize where he was and the steam.
| er'a bow began to turrabout. He was
about half a second too late. The bow
missed the rock, but the stern struck
and was completely torn off from the
other part. Garland jumped and was
the FIRST man of the boat. -
"1Yhen tho shock came brave Ne
gro jumped ashore with line and tied
il, but the Roadway of the boat parted
the line and ahe swung into the river.
saw the boat was sinking, and as
there seemed to be no one in command,
helped lower the boats and helped
all the lady passengers in, and all OF
them were saved. The steamer was
then rocking and I went to the upper
deck, expecting to stay there until help
came. -
I'm less than four minutes the boat
had gone down over her upper decks,
and when was knee deep in water
jumped and began swimming in the
dark.
"a Negro who was frightened and
fighting for life caught me by the hair
for support, and had terrible strug-
gle In the water, but finally fought
him away and saw him go down to rise
no moro.
| Just as reached shore heard a
loud report, Jaw q great fame and the
cabin Of the boat rose high in the air
and then knew that the boiler had
burst. When looked around saw q
yawl with people who had boarded 1t
before left the boat go down, end
none of them were saved"
"Mr. Bush, from Rarres Point, Ark.
was my roommate. He had thirty-five
mules on board which he was taking
to his plantation. He was drowned,
and so were all his mules, Second
Clerk Charles Howard, of Paducah,
KY, was saved. Capt, Gopher was
saved, but the passengers scored him
bitterly for not attempting TO save the
boat. There was q passenger en- route
to Cairo who was injured.
'Pell and son, Of Newport, KY, were
| the pilots, aud bothTwerc saved. The
young man was pt, the wheel, and it Is
said that his carelesspess caused the
trouble. One Of the. engineers was
saved. s
1.-THE mate OF the steamer, by fight.
ing drowning men: with an oar man
aged to save every woman IL the boat
md when he was found he was waist
deep in mud and almost dead. The
boat was only eight minutes in sinking
out Of sight from the time she struck
the rock.
III there was o command given by
any body ! did not hear 1t,
"One lady named Ong,, Of Philadel'
phia, got ashore by swimming on q Ne
gro ibsck. Hound. when l got ashors
10 Negro hanging to willow: BUSH by
his teeth dead He had strnggled.lone
in the water.sand died just when he
was about saved. fF2>SS ~, - ~, - -
I THE frstcIerk OF the, boat is now
! ut Alton, hid, insane lie was one o.
fthe few ID The boat,wHo seemed TO try
10 do anything. and he was found hall
buried In the ulnd on the Indiana shore
below the wreck. He had swan clear
across She river, and it isgthought hi
yeason will nerer return"
GA woman named Thompson. OF Mari
i eta - was found at a Kentucky
farmhouse unconscious batssshe' vii
\ recover. ssaie ~. x
| Out OF twenty-five passengers. onlj
nine were saved There WIS a young
married couple from Louisville whose
names could not be learned The huS