Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-04-30
A RIVER ]EI!'Rl: DISASTER.
Scores Of Lives Lost by Burning of
Steamboat.
Cntastrophe Occurs ON the Cftv NJ
Ptttsburg, Near Cairo, Il.-Lat--
est Report Says Death List
May Reach seventy.

PtttsburE, Near Cairo, ul.-Lat--
est Report Says Death List
May Reach seventy.
Cairo, ILL.,, April 21.-The side-wheel
steamer City of Pittsburg, en- route
from Cincinnati to Memphis, was
burned to the waters edge early
Sunday morning at Turner's Land
ing, near Olmstead, ILL.,, II miles
from Mound City, ILL.,, and "a miles
from this city. The early reports
stated that IS lives were lost, and
that many were badly burned and
otherwise injured, but the list of
casualties is not yet definitely de-
termined.
Passengers in Panic.
Most of the passengers were still
in bed when Second Clerk Oliver
Phillips gave the alarm. The engin-
GERS 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 passen-
gers rushed from their staterooms
and frightful panic ensued The
appeals of the officers and crew could
not appease the Reconstruction
crowds that interfered with those
throwing water on the flames as well
as with those working with the life
boats. Few could adjust life pre-
servers or do anything else for
themselves. The smoke was sitting.
Great clouds floated through the
blazing steamer, choking the passen-
gers and adding to the terror.
Drowned or Burned.
The burning steamer was quickly
headed to the bank, but passengers
had to jump off the stern and try to
swim ashore through the swift cur
rent. Many were drowned. Many also
persisted in the flames. Only one yawl
was saved without ores, and the wom-
en- were taken off. About 20 or 80 were
taken off in the yawl. The rest were
picked up out of the water. Help, ex-
cept from people living nearby, did
not arrive until $3.50 Sunday after
noon, and passengers, with only night
clothes, and without food, suffered ter
ribly. Among the missing is a child
of Pilot Al Pritchard, and CLAY
Breeze and wife and son. and son of
Archie NJ. Allen, of Pittsburg. Capt.
Phillips says 20 or IS of the passengers
are missing and the same number of
the crew.
Death List Grows.
Cairo, ILL.,, April 22.-After search
ing two days the death roll of the
burned steamer City of Pittsburg
has not been reduced any from the
first reports. OF the 145 people on
the boat when it burned Sunday
morning about half are still missing,
and no further hope for them is ex-
pressed. The books and valua bles
of the boat, crew and passengers are
above water and still smoldering.
Owing to the heated condition of the
hull, search for those cremated in it
has not beenNbegun and very few of
the bodies of those who are drowned
have been recovered, owing to the
swift current at the scene of the
disaster.
Death List May Reach 100.
a careful estimate by those who
were aboard the City of Pittsburg puts
the loss Of life at 63 as the lowest and
the opinion of some who have kept a
tab on the missing is that the list will
approximate 100. There is no means
of obtaining the exact figures, as the
register of passengers and the list of
the crew were burned, and Purser
Dana Scott and others rely on their
memories in making the estimate. OF
this appalling death list only three
bodies have been recovered and identi-
fed.
The River Disaster.
Cairo, ILL.,, April 23.-The insurance
men. wrecking crew and others have
been Investigating the ruins of the
burned steamer City of Pittsburg,
but owing to the heated condition of
the hull, nothing special has devel-
oped and very little has been done
towards recovering bodies from the
river. At the end of the third day,
those who have been keeping men,
orandum of the people who were on
board the steamer, report that so are
known to be saved, 81 are known to
be lost, and over 20 are missing. 1t
is believed that the death list will 90
as high as 70.
Reeves PardOned
Havana, April 23.-Gov. Gen. Wood
issued an order Tuesday pardoning
w. H. Reeves, who was recently SEN
fenced to ten years imprisonment