Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-04-21

sixty-six passengers aboard, Desloes
possibly five or six babies There were
about as many men in the cabin as
women.
Mrs. Mulkey told of her experience as
follows:
ut got on the boat at Metropolis to
take passage to Cairo. All the passen-
gers were asleep when I went aboard,
and / at once went to my stateroom
and lay down with my clothing on. 1t
must have been an hour or more when
1 noticed a bright light shining INTO
my stateroom. and / Immediately sat
up and opened the door and saw that
the front cabin was on fire. AT that
moment the electric light went out.
Il got a life preseryer and put it on,
and managed to grope my way by the
flickering light of the. flames to a door
opposite. 1t was the barber shop; then
groped farther down to another door,
which opened out into the guards. But
few passengers were around at this
time, and I. with others, climbed out
over the guards and down the railing
hand over hand over the lifeboat.
which was right below me. hung sus-
pended by my arms for while, and
in the boat.
"By this time others had crowded
into the boat and filled it to overflow
ing, but as If providentially the flames
reached the ropes that held the life
boat, and we dropped into the river be-
fore others could push their way
drowned If others had gotten into the
boat.
"The lifeboat began to drift back
toward the burning steamer, and we
thought we were to die after all. We
had no oars to steer the boat. and the
men used their hands for oars. There
were people in the liver all about U.S.
"Al er we has managed to get to the
shore fires we're lighted. and the peo-
pie. men and children and women,
many of them In their night dresses,
shlvering with the cold and from their
wet clothing, huddled about The fires.
Many Of the refugees had lost those
nearest and dearest to them, and their
cries and i,,oaMs we're pitlfll. Some
were burned, but more Were badly
bruised and cut coming In contact with
the Nreckage.
People chung to- shutters and any.
thing they could find to float to shore,
and only few succeeded. A physician.
who, with his Wife, was among the pas
sengers, managed to quiet the suffer-
| ings OF some by administering NOR
phine, OF which he had small guam
| Itity.''
Captain Dass. who was drowned, was
an old river pilot. He was making the
trip for pleasure with his son. Pilot
Harry Dass, and when his body was
found a mile or SO below the wreck
he had on all his clothing and life
preserver. It is believed that he died
from the shock.
h T. Gardner, Of Tobinsport, Ind,
who was one Of the passengers, said:
About o'clock I was awakened by
the electric bells and the screams OF
the passengers. My state room was
half way back. ] put on life preserv-
er and my clothes. and went out and
jumped overheard / was almost
caught under the wheel and saw one
mar, drown who was carried under the
boat by the swift current. was badly
bruised about the limbs. but am good
swimmer and managed to get ashore"
The case Of Mrs. Herman McCullum
is rnost pitiful. With her three children
she was going TO Caruthersville, Mo-,
to Join her husband. She jumped over
board and landed in the yawl, but her
three children struck the water and she
saw them sink from sight. She is fran
tic with grief The body OF the young
est of the little ones was recovered op-
posite Mound City.
Another sad incident was the lc1s of
one of the children OF Pilot Al Pritch-
ard The little one was tossed from
the burning steamer toward the arms
waiting to catch it in the yawl but it's
head struck against the side Of the
beat and 1t fell into the river and was
| Lost