The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-21
HOLOCAUST ON RIVER
.,rv OF PITTsBURG BURNED WITH
FEARFUL Loss.
sFvENTY-FlvE ARE MISSING.
law WE'RE BURNED AND OTHERS
DROWNED.

,+oritv Were in Their Berths ana
r.se who Escaped Did So in
rheir Night CIOthes-The steamer
,,..ded for the bank, but Flames
,,o.oed Many TO Jump From Stern.
,,o+bers saw Their Children
Drown.
coiro ILL.,, April 2O.-The side wheel
..oorer City of Pittsburg, from Gin
oirnati to Memphis, was burned to the
..oter's edge early this morning at
q runners Landing, twenty-five miles
4 f-on this city. The early reports stat
- rbat sixty-five lives were lost and
.ho+ MANY were badly burned and
otberwise injured, but the list of cas-
,,o,ties is not yet definitely determined.
q rruro boats and all available craft from
This city went to the scene for relief.
Fforts we're made to catch the New
h south of the same line, at Paducah
and have her steam back for relief.
& brt the steamer had passed Paducah
4 inward bound before the telegram
was received.
he'd when Second Clerk Oliver Philips
gave the alarm. The engineers at
once started all the pumping engines,
while the crew brought all the hose
into play Amid streams of water on
all sides, the flames from the lower
deck and dense clouds of smoke. the
i passengers rushed from their state
rooms and a frightful panic ensued.
The appeals of the officers and crew
could not appease the terror-stricken
crowds that interfered with those
throwing water on the flames. as well
as with those working with the life
boats. Few could adjust life preserv-
ers or do anything for themselves.
The smoke was sitting. Great
clouds floated through the blazing
steamer, choking the passengers and
adding to the terror Children cried
pitifully, begging that they be saved.
Lifeboats were manned and every
effort was made to save the passengers
from the floating furnace of flames.
Fearful Spectacle.
From the river banks the sparks
from The ctlQ Tic QCISC
clouds of smoke, tinged with flames,
made most impressive and weird
spectacle.
Boats we're sent from shore to help
in the work of rescue. The steamer
was quickly headed to the bank, but
passengers were forced to jump from
the stern, and trying to swim ashore
through the swift current many were
drowned Many also persisted in the
flames Only one yawl was saved, with
out oars, and about twenty or thirty
women were taken off in the yawl. The
rest were picked up out of the water.
Help, except from people living near
by, did not arrive until 2:30 O'Clock
this afternoon, and passengers with
only night clothes, and without food,
suffered terribly.
William Ballinger, Steward.
Among the missing are child of
Pilot Al Pritchard and Clay Breeze,
his wife and son, and son of Archie
NJ Allen of Pittsburg.
Capt. Phillips says 20 or rs of the
passengers are missing and the same
number of the crew. Two women pas
sengers We're severely burned, but will
recover. They are Mrs. S. R. Leach of
Bridgeport, o., burned about the hands
and Miss Ellen Kenmore, Arbckle, w.
Va, severely burned about The face.
Partial List OF Lost.
Mrs Fannie McCullum of Leavens-
worth, Ind, lost three children.
Pat Burt of Greensboro, Ky, wife
and six children were all lost.
The body of child, dressed in night
clothes, was taken from the river at
Mound City.
Among the first bodies recovered
were those of Capt. Wesley Doss of
cincinnati and Miss Marie Tissim of
Cannelton, Ind.
The fire was discovered at 4:05 a.
H. There were sixty passengers and
seventy in the crew.
MISS Marie Lisler. Carrolton, o., died
AFTER being brought on shore.
sylvester Doss died after getting on
shore.
Inc following is a partial list of
this lost.
Mr.. Adams of Ohio, bound for st.
louis; MIR. Downs, Memphis Tom
smith steersman, Memphis; Patrick
DDurt, wife and six children. greensboro,
N.Y. bound for Moorehouse, Mo-; Joe
Kidding and Lud Jones, strikers en-
eeheers, Cincinnati; William B. Stuart
Cotmclnnati; little girl named sweeney
u OWensboro; L. L. Hunter, Litinti,
"a two cooks and two chambermaids
anu H. most of the deck hands.
Inc fire started in the forward hatch
'arooard and burned fiercely.
Sixty Lost or Missing.
When the steamer ran ashore es-
apes were made over the cabin rail-
ns u.s. very few passengers or members
III III lhe crew were aware of the fire un-
%i II was too late The captain and
r ih late tonight claim in all eighty
fN'sohS have been accounted for, leaY-
for. PPie i0s' Vi uii''O -
me steamer Maud Kilgore, Capt.
cole' brought the survivors to this
t tiaee at 8 p. m. and the several socie-
i, Oh the city rendered all assistance
-, me way of clothing, ETC.
JoL me Plttsburgs officers consisted of
SIN Sun NJ Phillips, commander; Dana
h purser; Oliver Phillips of Pitts
tbirss' clerk; Ben Bridges. Louisville,
sri. clerk; Arsh Shriber Moscow, o.,
bar mate; Tom Whitney, New AL
ca ma, second mate; Harry Doss,
n5i1 innati, pilot; AL Pritchard, Mem
aro plot; Clate Crawford, Ironton, o.,
so,7lueer; Harry Chosen, GAINESVILLE,
Gnu engineer; William Bollinger,
nl'r, matt, steward; Fred Rentz, New
co. ny, barkeeper; Harvey Brown,
,r, matt. steersman.
h,. following are known to have
einoote,ul the City of Pittsburg at Gin
ggohn Allen of Pittsburg. Mrs. John
49, and their l0-year-oid son; Syl-
os Sster Doss, Cincinnati; Joseph Craig
II paud View, Ind, grain merchant;
A. runen of Glover Port, KY; Mrs.
pr,,na, snriber Of Moscow, o.; Mrs. Al
puonard of Memphis. Tenn. Sarah