The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-06-23
THE NELLIE SINKS
IN CLARK'S RIVER
STAUNCH LITTLE TOWBOAT Is
LOST A FEW MILES ABOVE
PADUCAH.
HEROISM SAVES LIVES
OF Members Of the creW--Engineer
Has Arm Crushed Almost OF
In Escaping and May
Di, ac Result


Paducah. June 22.-Heroism of the
farest sort vas shown by Captain j..
b. Smith, OF the towboat Nellie when
l4ag aoat sank this morn ng at 3
o'clock at the Ben Frank mill on
Clarks river, with four white men and
one white woman on beard and sever
al ronstabouts. Through Captain
heroisIn, he whole crew escaped;
but Isaac Hawkins. the engineer Of
the boat, living in Metropolis, had his
ilght arm so badly crushed while
swimming from the boat to he bank,
that it had to be amputated.
When the w-lo:e creT mad escaped
in safety. Captain Smith had to throw
himself frcm the nearly submerged
boat and swim to the hank.
Captain Awakened.
Awakened by vague intuition
that something was wrong Captain
Smith sprang from his berth on the
towboat Nellie at o'clock 10 find that
he boate was rapidly filling with
water, and that enough already hal
been taken abroad to make the es-
cape of the crew and himself mat
ter of probability.
Without attempting to find the
souce of the danger or taking the
time to dress. he aroused the crew
by shouting and jerking them out OF
their berths. Drowsy from hard
days work in the Timber camps, the
crew were not readily brought to
8 ate OF consciousness, but vigorous
action soon showed them their dan
ger and they ignored personal prop
eias and the boat TO make their es-
caps. "a @NM
This was not difficult for those
i.rst awakened, and the white crew
with Miss Mcintyre, the stewardess,
managed TO jump to barge nearby.
The rousters next were routed our
by CAPTAIN Smith, who saw that his
own chances of escape momentafliy
were growing slighter.
In his anxiety to get to the barge
and & safety, Isaac Hawkins, the
engineer. fell between the barge ana
the towboat, and a sudden lunge OF
the sinking boat threw that boat
with frightful force against his right
arm and the barge. 1t was crushed
to a pulp Assisted by the crew. he
was pulled up on the barge.
Having seen all the crew to safety
Captain Smith had no time to con-
slider the best method of reaching
safety himself, and as the space De-
tween the towboat and the barge hau
widened as the boat sank, he threw
himself overheard into the deepest
river in this section of the unitel
states and swan TO the bank. The
excitement of aiding the crew to es-
cape. With the physical exernon IL
had required 70 accomplish II, com
n,etelv exhausted Captain Smith. and
he lav on the bank watching the boat
90 under until only the top OF the
nilot house could be seen.
May Save Boat.
Tied as il was to the barge near
tho hank. the river was only 200 fee
deem where the Nellie lay. 1t VIII
be possible to raise the towboat.
Every member OF the crew lost per
sonal property, Captain Smith lost
6ne gold watch and apurse with $40.
His shoes and other outer garments
also sank with the boat. The crew
made little effort to save their person |
al effects. and all sent to the rity early |
This morning to replenish their ward.
robe. Captain Smith was bareiooted
until 3 o'clock this morning.
The rousters sleeping around on
the decks aad the barge. escapea
without serious difficulty. They were
not as excited as the white crew.
beine accustomed to be rudeiy awak
.,na5 at all hours of the night The
hoat had been tied to the barge IT
supposed security last night at
O'Clock. No evidence OF leak was
seen or any other indication of Dan
ger when he crew went to bed.
The towboat Nellie is the property I
NJ Henry Rampendahl of Metropois'
a large mill man of that town. lts
principal bu sness is to tow rafts rom
the uearbf rivers to the mills and u
had gone to the Ben T. Frank mill
On Clark's river yesterday after a TOW.