The Green Forest tribune., 1908-05-01
BOAT CAPSIZES; F DROWNED.
Steamer Miriam Struck By Storm in the Mssissipp ppi-Sixty-Thr of 75 Passengers MiracuIousIy
 Escape.

Helena, Ark.-TWelye people lCS' their lives when the steamer Miriam capsized in the Mississippi river eight miles abovee the mouth of the St. Francis, in a furious windstorn Sunday afternoon. News of the trage dy was brought here Monday by Capt w. A. Joyce of Newport who was III charge of the vessel.
 The dead, most of whom were con- nected with the Wright Carnival Com pany, are:
 FRANK BERG, Chicago. ANNA GOLDEN, St. Louis. FRANK FISHER, Memphis. ALBERT JORDAN, Memphis. "BLINKIL" DALE, St. Louis. WILLIAM BERRY, engineer, New port.
 DAN THOMAS, Marion, O. HIRAM WRIGHT, Negro. WILL SMITH, negro. CHARLES WEBB, negro. THOMAS BOYD, negro.
 IRENE FLEMING, negro. UNIDENTIFIED GIRL, negro.
 LAWRENCE MARTIN, negro.
 The survivors were in extreme per il for hours, but finally the overturn- ed craft drifted to shore, and the survivors were rescued by Capt. B. survivors were rescued by Capt. c. E. Schaffer, who made three danger ous trips in his little gasoline boat Home Run," and transferred all who had not been swept off when the storm first broke, or dropped into the water and safety.
 The Miriam left this port Sunday afternoon. At 3:30 o'clock she was five miles past the mouth of the St. Francis river, and had entered the widest stretch of water in the Mis- sissippi between this point and Mem phis, when her captain saw the ap- preaching storm and attempted to run to the bank, but while he was still in midstream the wind struck. With hurricane force the wind lifted the steamer and whirled her completely around, throwing her living freignt into the stream. The steamer capsized the moment she settled into the wat CT, and her terrified and dazed passen- gers had barely time to climb upon the rail that was above the surface
 Captain Joyce was in the pilot house when the storm picked his craft from the water, and when she capsized he found the door jammed Break ing the windows of his prison he fought his way to the surface of the water, and was hauled in after a hard struggle.
 Clinging for two hours to the wreck of the steamer, with huge waves wash ing over them repeatedly and fearing that at any moment the boat might go down leaving them to drown h the storm-whipped waters of the Mis- sissippi, the passengers saw one af- ter another of their number give up the fight for life, and heard their cries for assistance as they sank. Men, women and children alike, irrespective of color or occupation, clung to the common support, each one fighting desperately for life. Not a man could move to aid a neighbor
 Each moment the waves threatened to engulf them all. But when one woman, weakened by the strain and chilled by exposure, cried out for help, heroic effort was made to give her needed aid, but too late came the rescuers, and before their very eyes Anna Golden of St. Louis released her hold, threw her hands upward in last appeal and disappeared.
 Sinking lower and lower, the steam CT grounded on sandbar just before dusk and with night coming on and no prospect of relief, the remaining members of the passengers and crew lost hope, when the little gasoline boat Home Run," with its captain, c. F. Shafler, appeared. With his frail boat Schaffer battled through the stretch of water between the shore and the wreck, daring what seemed to be certain death to rescue the wom- en and children. The weakest of the men were taken off and with the fall ing of the storm and night came other rescuers who brought the remainder to land
 Left destitute, with nothing but the clothes on their backs, the passengers huddled on the river bank in the marshy ground for almost 24 hours before they could be relieved and brought back to this city News of the disaster did not reach here until 20 hours after the tragedy, and many of the unfortunates were so weak that they were placed under physicians care Monday night.
 The storm swept for go miles a strip five miles wide, wreckmg church. es and residences and destroying crops
 The launch which did such valiant service in the work rescuing the help- less ones brought Captain Joyce to this city at noon Monday, and the Zehar Jr. was immediately dispatched to their aid.