The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-05-17
FIFTEEN LIVES LOST.
Six White People and Nine Me-
groes Went Down with
City of Paducah.
MORE DETAILS OF THE DISASTER
Enormous Hole Torn in the Hull Of the
Vessel, which Sank at Once
Officers Were Cool.

st. Louis, May 1.-THE first au-
thentic information concerning the
wreck Of the steamer City of Padu-
cab of the st. Louis and Tennessee
River Packet company, which oc-
CURED at BrunkhOrSt Landing, Ills,
was obtained upon the arrival OF the
steamer City Of Clifton at this port at
2:3O o'clock in the morning. Fifteen
persons lost their lives in the disaster,
six whites and nine blacks.
The dead are: DR.. ]. w. Bell of
Cuba Landing, Tenn; Miss Mabel
Gardner Of st. Louis; Charles John
son. aged 81, dock watchman; Frank
Gardner, texas tender, of Puducah,
KY; two white firemen, names I'M
known; Grant Woods, colored, boat
baker; eight colored roustabouts,
names unknown.
Snag Tears Hole in Hull.
The City of Paducah stopped at
Brunkhorst Landing at $50 o'clock at
night and took Oh a load of corn.
When IN the act of backing away
from the wharf the boat swung
around and struck the bank heavily
with her stern. A snag imbedded in
the bank tore an enormous hole in the
hull, through which the water rushed
with frightful rapidity. She at once
began to settle and at the end Of three
minutes nothing but her roof, texas
deck and pilOthouse remained above
the surface.
The impact with the hidden snag,
accompanied as it was by the awful
nOise~caused by the shifting of the
cargo, aroused the passengers to a
realization of their danger. The Off
GERS acted with great GOODNESS and as
the boat settled helped the startled
passengers to the cabin roof, from
which the boats were lowered and
their charges carried ashore.
Death of Mabel Gardner
Miss Mabel Gardner of st. Louis
was asleep in her stateroom when the
shock came and probably lost her life
by remaining to dress. Her body was
found in the forward part of the cabin.
The body of DR.. Bell has not yet been
recovered. and 1t is supposed he was
drowned in his stateroom
THE crew ,2nd their roustabout help
ers, being On the lower deck in the
| midst of the cargo when the vessel
| struck, were placed in a position of
awful peril. AS the steamer careened
in settling, the big cargo, consisting
chiefly of sacks of corn, shifted, amt!
before the men could escape half of
them were pinned down and either
crushed to death or held until the
water brought about their end The
passengers lost all of their belongings,
and had to be supplied with cloth
ing by those on shore. The City of
Paducah lies in about thirty feet of
water and the loss will be total. She
was valued at $4,000.
STORY OF ONE OF THE SURVIVORS
Boat Strikes Snag That Tears a Big Hole
in Her Hull.
Frank White, whose home lis i'm
Kansas City, and who got aboard the
boat at landing IS north of Brunk-
horst was seen by an Independent rep
resentatiEe yesterday morning and
told the following story Of the disas-
ter: Il got on the boat at landing 16
to go to Cairo. The boat stopped at
Lake Ditch landing and took on sew
eral sacks Of corn. We landed again
at BrunkhOrst, which is only a few
miles below Lake Ditch, and took OH
corn. At both places about seventeen
sacks were loaded. After the corn at
Brunkhorst had been placed on board
the boat started down stream and
just as she put off struck a snag, tear
ing a big hole in her.
The crew then tried to place the
stern of the boat toward the river. and
WhlAe turning her around she sank
She lis about thirty feet from shore
and her cabin and pilot house are
above wafer l jumped into a skiff
and made to shore. A Jewish rabbi.
his wife and daughter, got into skiff
and went to Grand Tower.
Il don't know how many were