The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-21
MANY LIVES ARE LOST.

CONCLUDED FROM FIRST PAGE)
crowded into the boat and filled it to over
flowing, but as if providentially the flames
reached the ropes that held the lifeboat
and we dropped into the river before others
could push their way into the boat.
would have all been drowned if
others had pushed into the boat. The life
boat commenced to drift back toward the
burning steamer and we thought tina we
were TO die after all. We had no oars to
move the boat, and the men used their
hands for oars. There were people in the
river all about us on every side.
after we had managed to get to the
shore fires were lighted and the poor men
and women and children with many of
them, in their night dresses, shivering with
the cold and from their wet clothing. hud-
died about the fires. Many of them had lost
those nearest and dearest TO them. and
their cries and means were heartrending.
Some were burned, but more were badly
bruised and cut coming in contact with the
wreckage. Oh. it was a horrible experience
and one 1 shall never forget. People chung
to shutters and anything they could find
to float on to shore, and only a few sue
ceeded. A physician who, with his wife,
was among the passengers managed to
quiet the suferings of some by administer
ing morphine, Of which he had a small
quantity"
INDIANIAN'S STORY.
II. T. Gardner. of Tobinsport. Ind, re-
lates his experience as follows:
About 5 o'clock | was awakened by the
electric bells and the screams of passen-
gers. My stateroOm was halfway back.
L put on my life preserver and my clothes
and went out and jumped overheard. /
was almost caught under the wheel and
saw one man DROWN, who was carried un-
der the boat by the swift current. 1 was
badly bruised about the limbs, but L am a
good swimmer and managed TO get ashore
Mrs. Sherman McCullom, with her three
children, was going to Caruthersville, Mo-,
to join her husband. She jumped over
board and landed in the yawl. but her three
children fell into the water and she saw
them sink from sight. She is nearly frantic
with grief. The body of the youngest OF
the little ones was recovered opposite
Mound City and was identified by the poor
mother.
Another terribly sad circumstance was
the loss OF one of the children of Pilot A
Pritchard. The little one was tossed from
the burning steamer to arms waiting tc
catch it I'm the yawl, but its head struck
against the side of the boat and it fell into
the river and was lost"
One of the surviving members of the crew
gave this account:
1.-The fire was discovered at 4:05 a. m. in
the forward hold. In a few minutes the
whole boat was a wreck. The front stair
ways burned. cutting off any avenue O.
escape. We alarmed the sleeping passen
gers. bursting open the doors TO awaken
them They ran out without putting OF
life preservers and crowded aft. The Off
GERS held them back while the one yaw
was loaded with women and children.
The scene was awful. About twenty o.
thirty were taken off in the boat, an thel
those in the water were rescued. TIL,
water was very cold and the passenger,
were in their night clothing. Those VIII,
were not burned I'D in the boat browne,
i'm the cold water. all except those who wer,
able to swim. I was one OF those.
"When we reached shore we were unable
to stand and had TO be helped out of tn,
water. Is seemed as though we were craze,
by fright, for we were screaming witt
fright even after we were safe ashore"
Captain Phillips says: 9Th fire caugh
in the mold. The night Waterman claim
to have been in the hold five or ten min
utes before the fire was discovered. TIL
pilot headed the steamer directly into tn
bank, and the sharp bow stuck in the mud
the boat lying quartering with the bank"