The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-19
DECKS OF THE OLD BELLEVUE.
HAVE BEEN THE SCENE OF MISERY
AND OF HAPPINESS.

As the John Rourke, She burned to
the Waters Edge in a Georgia
River Meath waving Rice-BuiIt
in New York i'll go for Carrying
Prisoners to BIaclSweIFs Island,
She Afterwards Became a Pleasure
Deadbeats and Pleasure Parties
Have Been Her Passengers.
| The Savannah steamer John Rourke
was destroyed by fire yesterday morning
at Clinch's plantation on the Satilla river.
about four miles above the bridge of the
Florida Central and Peninsular railroad.
| The Rourke left here last Tuesday for
the Satilla river TO tow several lighters
of rice to Savannah She left Darien
Thursday morning and arrived at Clinch's
| plantation at night and was waiting for
a lighter to be loaded.
About l o'clock yesterday morning fire
was discovered by the Waterman coming
| out of the boiler room. He aroused the
crew at once, who barely escaped with
their lives. In a few minutes the entire
boat was enveloped in flames. The crew
got away in a row boat, leaving their en-
tire effects to be consumed by the fire.
The woodwork of the steamer was built
of white pine, which burned rapidly. In
a short time the boat was burned TO the
waters edge; then she filled and sank
under the heavy weight of the machin-
cry, in twenty feet of water.
In the meantime the wharf at
| hfoh 1vyiV
| took fire and burned. The fire communicat-
ed to a small warehouse on the bank of
the river. 1t was filed with merchandise,
which was consumed. Two kegs of powder
in the warehouse exploded. The shock was
| felt for miles around. The people at the
bridge, four miles away, thought that the
explosions were the firing of canon.
After Capt. w. c. White and the crew
| got away from the burning steamer they
| went to the nearest telegraph station, and
| notified Messrs. John Rourke & Son of the
| fire. Mr. Rourke at once arranged to have
| the men come to Savannah, and they ar
rived here at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon.
| The steamer John Rourke was insured
for $500. The policies were $3.50 in the
! st. Paul Fire Insurance Company, repre-
sented by A. G.. Guerard & Son; $1,000 in
the Phoenix of Hartford represented by
bearing & Hull; $1,000 in the Orient, repre-
scented by M A. Cohen & Co, and $1750 in
a company represented by ]. F. Wheaton
& Co Mr.. Rourke valued the steamer at
$4,000. The boat is a total loss. Her ma
! chinery may be raised, but it will be with
| difficulty as it is twenty feet under water
The steamer John Rourke was formerly
! the Bellevue, one of the most noted steam
ers of her day. She was built at New
| York in 1865, and was used by the city
| government of that city for a number of
years to transport prisoners from New
! York to Blackwelps Island Every morn
| ing she left Bellevue hospital for the
| island, taking the "back Maria" loaded
with convicts from the police courts She
had the distinction of furnishing passage
to more dead men, dead beats, lunatics
and criminals than any craft in the world,
during her service at New York.
About 1882 she was sold by the city of
| New York but her purchasers found it
difficult to make her pay in northern wa
ters as a passenger steamer. Her reputa-
| ton was against her. She was soon after
sent south for the purpose of being sold.
On her way down the coast she stopped
at Wilmington for few days, and ran an
! excursion to Southport, at the mouth of
the Cape Fear river. She afterwards went
to Charleston, where she remained about
two years, being engaged in the excursion
! business around the harbor
In 1889 she was rebuilt and put on the
Savannah and Beaufort line, under the
management of Capt w. r. Gibson. About
four years ago she broke her shaft and as
her hull and machinery were about worn
out, after nearly thirty years of service,
she was condemned.
/ Three years ago she was purchased by
John Rourke & Son. who practically re-
| built her. New boilers and shafts were
placed in her and her engines repaired and
new parts added. Her hull decks, and cab
ms were made new, and, in fact, when
| completed, she was a first-c.ass passen-
ger steamer. Her name was changed to
the John Rourke, and for the past two
years did a successful excursion business
around the Savannah river in the summer
time and a freight traffic between Darien
and Savannah during the winter
The John Rourke was a sidewheel
steamer, 134.7 feet in length, 23.6 BEAM and
feet depth of hold. She was 261 So gross
and 2OS.Sl net tons register After thirty
and E0S.S1 net tons register
After thirty-two years of service.
having been rebuilt twice during that
time, she ended her eventful career yester-
day morning, under the raging flames of
an uncomfortable fire. Her decks and
cabins, which have held thousands of all
classes of people, either on pleasure bent
or in the clutches of the law. where
scenes of happiness and misery have been
| experienced, and where dead bodies have
/ taken free rides to their last resting places
went up in smoke, while the old faithful
hull sank to the bottom of a Georgia
river leaving a field of waving rice above
to mark the spot where she lies, never
again TO rise to repeat her faithful service.
-e-e-S-