The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-02
One White Man and Eighf
 Negroes.
lNE OF PARTY SURvTvnS|
Tells Horrible Story Of c.
 paniOns' Cremation.
Flames Bresk Out h Early Hssrs = the Morning, a.S onIy the vcssers Csok Es-
 e.pes Death.

Powers, white. and eight negroes vver3 burned to death at clock this morn@ ing on Middle River, twenty-four mif<1 from Mobile. Ten men. engaged in 6p- erafing 'puilboat" for stewart ana Butt. this city, were aboard tho. cr1ft The boat. equipped with heavy ma- cninery. was used to draw logs from the swamps Into tho river where onIt malls and wagons could not be used. or railway tracks laid.
 Sidney Wheat. coiored. the only ono to escape. came to Mobile, reaching herS by raii, after pulling nearly twcnfy miles to the Hurricane Bayou brldx4 news. 7 71
 Wheat. who was employed as cool. related the terrible fate of the men.
 Ills account was as follows:
 story of Wheat.
 was sleeping next to the enxjns room and close to the boiler. heard the fire popping this morning ri o'clock. and knowing there ought moi 70 pc any fire on the boat at that fima of the night. quickly got up. rot All the fellows up about the time the fire had pretty well started. I tsood nxxs to the boiler and told the fellows "a jump overheard. They started to df so, and ran by me to the stern Of fhs boat. Then they followed Mir. Powers the foreman, aft.
 T told them to hold their breath Jump overheard and get Tn one of fhd skins alongside. The first thfnr [ knew the whole bunch crowded inta the Kitchen, and the boat burned ir two. The top part fthe boat fell irs on them and l never saw them any more. They never said a word nl3a must have all burned up, because looked around and couldn't sec auxs thing of their bodies.
 As soon as the boat feIl in. I jumped oVorboard Tho water was about cis<hk faet deep and cold Our bont drew about i've feet. I swRnl around ths beat and called for Mir. Carter. foreman on MT. Cameron's boat. a short disf- ance from me. Sam williams and M3n@ roe James. two negroes working under took mo in their boat to the blz p,,1isns boat. If Mir Carter hadn't given f,se some clothes I would have frozen.
 II stayed on their boat aII night padded this morning to Hurricane Bayou. where I took Louisville and train for Mobile, reaching the city about noon today.
 Cmuse of Fire UnIxnowm.
 T don't know how came the boat fa catch, but the fire started about the furnace. We quit work yesterday even. ing at half past 5. None of us had been drinking. Some of the boys smoke cigarettes generally. but they we're mighty particular about that The men were m the habit of sleeping on th@ boat. We have never had any trouble before.
 T can't see why the fellows didn't jump overheard. They must have been afraid the water was too cold for them. knew all the men we'll excepting two strange negroes. Mir. Powers took them them up this week on the launch Wolfrin, l believe they have soma
 Wheat, immediately on arriving. went to Stewart & Butts milt on One Mile Creek and told his narrowing story. Mr. Stewart at once notideA his partner, who is city tax collector, and the two notified friends of Al Pow CTS. Tho firm chartered tugboat, se- cured the services of Thomas Roche and T. Murphy, local undertakers, and sufficient collins, and, with PheIan B. Dorlans John T. Bauer. J. Nat Pollard. the last three intimate friends of Pow- CTS, left at o'clock for the scene. With them was a newspaper man and helpers. to secure, if possible. the bodies and bring them to the city.
 Al T. Powers. tho white man, was d native of Saginaw, Mich. but had re- sided five miles west of Mobile. in Red Store precinct. He was most exeni- plary in his habits and was held in high esteem
 The terrible news was broken to him by friend. who. tonight. said 1t was a hard task to perform
 The pullboat was built a few years ago and cost $21,000. Stewart and Bufe purchased the vessel. paving I11.000 for it. Only slight insurance was carried on the vessel and machine ,ry.
 Return of Rescue Party.
 The rescuing party returned to Mo- ,ile at 9:15 tonight. Only the body of Powers was recovered from the hull if the boat. which had burned to the vater's edge and sank. The bodies oe he negroes. it was stated, were con- 'IateIy incinerated. Only a portion of he body of Powers was found
 A white man, in charge of Cameron'a stated that when the fire was t its height he heard one scream and hen the cabin collapsed.
 Besides his wife. Al T. Powers Ieaves is mother. Mrs. Goodwin. residing in he western part of the city. and a s tep sister. He was member of tho voodman of the World. The remains yere lifted from the boat and carried Q the hearse. which was awaiting ae he landing, foot of St. Francis Street. V w, & Stewart. Cary w. Butt the wners of the pull boat; J. C. oCon- ell. J. N Pollard. Phelan B Dorian nd John T. Bauer. The remains were