Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-06-27

children ashore first, even though the
flames at this time were rapidly lick
ing up the steamer. and TO remain
aboard longer imperiled their lives.
In the wild panic women rushed to
the rail with babies in their arms. IN
mid-stream they were prevented from
throwing the children overheard. Once
the steamer had been beached and
while confusion reigned these mothers.
unmindful of their own danger. threw
babies and little boys and girls into
the water.
In all cases, so far as is known, the
children were picked up and brought
safely to shore
The list of dead follows:
MRS. ANNA RANDALL, New Au-
burn, Iowa, jumped overheard in mid
stream at the first cry of fire; drowned.
UNKNOWN WOMAN, who leaped
overheard and was drowned.
JAMES PLANE, Waul1on, Iowa,
burned to death in the hold Of the
steamer. Plane is held by the captain
to be the cause of the disaster.
UNKNOWN MAN, burned to death
with Plane.
Woman Suffers Broken Leg.
Some of the injured are:
| Joseph Coyle. burned.
/ Mrs. John Meyer, Lansing, Iowa,
/ leg broken. Mrs. Meyer was at first
reported fatally injured.
/ Mrs. Arthur Bailey, Victory, Wis,
ankle broken.
Mrs. August Kipler, Victory, ankle
broken.
| Cigaret smoking is supposed to have
set the steamer afire.
/ Soon after the trip of the J. S. from
/ Lacrosse to Lansing was begun late
/ Saturday afternoon, James Plane and
! two other men became unruly. They
| created much commOtiOn among the
women and children. They were
warned TO behave themselves several
! times.
| Finally Captain Streckfus ordered
the three men confined in the hold in
the forward part of the vessel. In
/ the hold. il is said. there were large
quantities of oil turpentiue and other
| infammable material The men are
!
/ hold.
Blaze Starts at Dusk.
| The J. S was returning to Genoa, De
| Sofa and Lansing with the excursion
party that had spent the day in La
/ Crosse. The river is wide. Darkness
was just falling.
/ The smoke was seen curling in tiny
rings from the lower deck. Some one
reported to the captain. He investi-
gated. 1t was found the flames were
roaring in the hold. The steamers
timbers were dry as parchment and
offered splendid food for the fire.
Captain Streclfus saw all efforts to
extinguish the fire would be futile.
/ The alarm was not yet spread. Pas
sengers were laughing and singing.
/ A few minutes later the sharp clang
/ ing of the fire gong was heard by
every preson on the boat. Instantly
there was a rush of passengers. Cries
/ of Fire, Fret" resounded throughout
/ the steamer.
/ Everybody put on life preservers!
/ Keen quiet There is no danger.
Well get ashore all right" shouted
/ CAPTAIN Streckfus.
| The cry was taken up by members
of the crew and by the cool-headed
passengers.
! But pandemonium reigned on the
boat for a time. Mothers grabbed
their little ones in their arms, rushed
TO the rails. and would have thrown
! themselves into the river had they not
been restrained by stronger hands.
Some were praying; others were cry
ing: others held frantically to their
| husbands and brothers and sweet
| hearts.
River Lighted by Flames.
The roar of the flames could be
heard by this time The smoke rolled
I'D from the hold in great volume. The
dark. muddy river was lighted up by
the glow of the flames.
/ Captain Streckfus headed his vessel
| for the Iowa shore With every min
ute the panic increased. The noise
| of cracking timbers. the shouts of the
/ boats crew, striving vainly to check
/ the spread of the flames, the changing
/ of the bell in the engine room as the
/ captain urged the engineer to make
/ more speed-all these added to the
| terror of the fear-stricken hundreds.
/ A number of brave men formed
/ Gordon about the rail of the burning
vessel. There they stood, backs to the
rail. facing the rush of passengers.
/ They restrained hundreds from throw
| ing themselves or their little ones
/ overheard
Logs Prevent Landing.
On the Iowa shore the captain found
that there could be no landing made
A big raft of logs was in the way. The
list of drowned would have been great