Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-09-27
TWO STEAMERS BURNED.
Destruction of the Steamers War
Eagle and Carrier at Their
Moorings in St. Louis.
FIRE ACCOMPANIED BY LOSS OF LIFE.
Third Clerk Joseph Schultz of the
War Eagle Burned to Death. Hen
ry HOItra, Pantryman, Missing,
and Others InJured-TwO Wharf
boats Badly Damaged.


-
St. Louis, Sept. 22.-In the destruc-
ton, by fire, of the steamers War
Eagle and Carrier, at the foot of
Locust street, early Friday morning,
one man was burned to death, an
other is missing, a third was painful
ly burned, and property estimated at
$780, 900 in value was lost.
The wharf boats Eagle and Illinois
were badly damaged.
The Casualties.
Joseph Schultz, third clerk of the
War Eagle, was burned to death.
Henry Holtia, of Cincinnati, the sec
ond pantryman on the War Eagle, is
missing.
Robert H. Miller, Waterman on the
Wan Eagle, was severely burned about
the neck and hands
Starting of the Fire.
The fire started about 4 a. m, in
the sleeping DOM of the fireman of
the War Eagle, of the Eagle Packet
Co., which was lying at the wharf
boat waiting to take on cargo for her
regular trip to Commerce, No., and
way ports.
1t was discovered by Robert Miller,
the Waterman. He got a bucket of
water and threw it on the flames,
but saw hat efforts of this kind
would be useless. The woodwork was
perfectly dry. and, Miller says, the
flames were all about him before he
had time to get another bucket of
water. He sprang up the ladder and
--- 1911 az
GERS and crew.
The third clerk, Jospeh Schultz,
aroused, and it was thought he was
safe, but it appears that he was
smothered by smoke before he could
escaep.
Nobody seems to know anything
about Hotia. Henry Sherman, the
steward, says he was aboard, and has
not been seen since. Miller was badly
burned while he was making a second
round of h boat to make sure that
everyone was awakened.
Communicated to the Carrier.
The Carrier, a smaller boat, plying
between Mozier Landing, ILL.,. and St
Louis, arrived at two o'clock Friday
morning, and was moored beside and
d hltlC UClllu Tx wal GdSlC' III
board of her, asleep, were 90 passen-
gers, the crew and a large cargo of
wheat, apples and other produce. Be-
fore the Carrier could be cast loose
the fire had communicated to her up
per works, and the Waterman, Will
lam Criger, an once devoted all of his
energies to getting the passengers
and crew aroused and off the boat,
and notwithstanding many of the for
mer were women, he was, happily
successful.
The Fire Department Responded.
The fire department responded
promptly, but the whole river would
hardly have been effectual in the
quenchng of the flames. The best
the department could do was to save
nearby boats and wharves. Their eff
forts on this line were successful, the
only other damage being to the
wharfboats Eagle and Illinois
The big steamer Hill City escaped
by casting loose and drifting down
the stream out of reach of the sparks
and flames.
The War Eagle was put in service
a year ago. She cost 100000, and is
burned to the hull. Officers of the
Eagle Packet Co., which owned her,
believe the hull is not damages. They
estimate the loss at $4,000, with no
insurance.
The Carrier, a much smaller boat,
was worth $1,000. She was insured.
The value of her cargo is no known,
but it is estimated at $4,000. The car
GO was not insured.
Crews Lost Everything.
The officers and crews of the two
boat burned lost everything they had
on board. Most of the men slept in
shirts and overalls. Nearly all had
chests of clothing on board. None
made any attempt to save these.
Clothing, jewelry, tools, all the pos
sessions of those on board, were for
gotten in the rush for life.
Of more value than the clothing aud
property of those who slept on the
boat were the belongings of Capt.
Leyhe, Clerks Gates and Lawrie, and
half a dozen other of the higher of
ficials of the boat who had spent the
night at their homes in the city.
Some of the passengers on the Car
rier saved a few of their personal
effects, but the fire was too quick
for anything but the most hasty
gathering up of clothing and loose
baggage.
The tug Susie Hazard, which was
moored at the stern of the Carrier,
narrowly escaped destruction.