Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-04-21
Three Score Perish in Flames or Leap To
Watery Graves.
PASSENGERS STlFLED BY THE SMOKE
Passengers Asleep When Fire Breaks Out
0raged with Fear Hinder Rescue,
HUNDRED AND FORTY ON FATeD cRWT
ImpOssibIe to Tell ut the Present
Time just How Many of Them AS
Victims of the Fire aud
Water.

CAIRO, ILL.,, April 2o.-The side wheel
steamer City of Pittsburg. enroute from
Cincinnati to Memphis, was burned to
the waters edge early this morning at
Turner's landing, near Olmstead, ILL.,,
eleven miles from Mound City, ILL.,, and
twenty-four miles from this city.
The early reports stated that sixty-fve
lives were lost and that many we're badly
burned and otherwise injured. but the list
OF casualties is not yet definitely deter
mined.
Two boats and every available craft from
this city went to the scene OF the FIRE.
Efforts were made to catch New South
of the same line at Paducah and have II
steam back for relief, but New South
had passed Padusch upward bound before
the telegram was received.
Most of the passengers we're stlll in bed
when Second Clerk oliver Phillips gave
the alarm. The engineers at once started
all the pumping engines, while the crew
brought all the hose into play. Amid the
streams Of water on all sides the flames
from the lower deck and dense clouds OF
smoke, the passengers rushed from their
state rooms and a frightful panic en-
sued.
The appeals OF the officers and crew
could not appease the terror stricken
crowds that interfered with those throwing
water on the flames, as we'll as with those
working with life boats. Few could ad-
just life preservers or do anything else for
themselves.
The smoke was sitting. Great clouds
foated through the blazing steamer. chok-
ing the passengers and adding to the ter
ror. Children cried pitifully, begging that
they be saved. They knew as we'll a.
their elders that death confronted them
and clung to their mothers as though they
alone could save them.
Heroic Work of BOatmen.
Life boats were manned and every effort
was made to save the passengers from the
floating furnace OF flames. Sturdy boatmen
rowed as they never rpwed before In their
heroic work Of rescue.
From the river banks the sparks from
the burning craft and dense clouds or
smoke tinged with tongues of flames from
the vicious bed OF fire, made a most im-
pressive, ye. weird spectacle.
Boats were sent from the shore to help
in the work of rescue, but the flames were
only too surely concentrating their work
Of destruction to save all from the inferno.
Boats laden to their limit with passengers
in the scant attire they were able to
gather, were landed at the river banks.
returned to the Inflated steamer, the
heroic rescuers not waiting to catch
breath of rest.
The burning steamer was quickly headed
to the bank, but passengers had to jump
off the stern, and trying to swim ashore
through the swift current many were
drowned. Many also perished in the flames
Only one yawl was saved without oars
and the women we're taken of About
twenty OF thirty we're taken of In the yawl
The rest we're picked up from the water
help, except from people living nearby, did
not arrive until 230 this afternoon and
passengers with only night clothes and
without food suffered terribly.
Long List of Missing.
Among the missing Is a child of Pilot Al
Pritchard, and Clay Breeze and wife and
son, and son Of Archie NJ. Allen OF Pitts
burg
Among the crew missing are:
Joe Redding, Cincinnati. engineers
stoker.
Fred Jones. Newport, engineers stoker.
Tom Smith Memphis, pilots stoker.
William Bollinger Cincinnati. first stew
ard.
Henry Thomas. (colored). Cincinnati, Sec
ond steward.
John Bolts, Cincinnati, cook.
Tony Gllfoile. Cincinnati, baker. and the
following members Of the crew whose names
are unknown.
First pantry man.
Three colored hremen.
Six cabin boys.
Two chambermaids.
Six or eight deck hands.
Captain Phillips says twenty or twenty
Ave of the passengers are missing and the
same number OF the crew.
Two women passengers we're severely
burned. but will recover, they are:
Mrs. s. R. Leach OF Bridgeport, o.. burned
about the hands.
Mrs. Ellen Fenmore, Arbuckle, w. Va,
severely burned about the face.
Mrs. Fannie McCullum OF LeavensWorth,
Ind, lost three children.
Pat Burt OF Owensboro. KY. wife and six
children. were all lost.
Few Bodies Recovered.
The body OF a child, dressed In night
clothes was taken from the river at Mound
city.
Among the first bodies recovered were
those OF Captain Wesley Dosse OF Cincin-
natl. and Miss Marie Tissim OF Connection,
Ind.
The FIRE was dicovered at lO5 a. m. There
were seventy passengers and seventy all
told in the crew. A partial list OF those
saved is as follows:
James Neville, Dayton, KY, boat carpen-
.e=.
Emma Smith. Paducah. passenger.
Ardue NJ. Allen and wife. PSI Fourth
avenue, Pittsburg
L. NJ. McGraw, Louisville, Ky.
Mrs Judge Mulkey OF Metropolis. III.
Arthur Shelley. Buckner, Ky, watch-
man.
Mrs Tuny Myer and daughter. Point
Pleasant. w. Va. badly burned.
Margaret Brindges. Louisville. Ky.
Jennie Ressiek. Lexington. KY.
C. X. Stations and wife. carrisyiils. Ky.
Head Mate SINNERS and wife.
Miss Leeeh. badly burned.
Pilot Pritchard. wife and child.
Sylvester DOss also died after being
brought ashore