Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-13
Command to Hurry Caused Gangplant
to Tilt and Throw People.
CHrvALRY COSTS SIX LIVES
Men Permit Women to Go First and
Helpless Ones Are Lost
SURVIVORS REACH ST. LOUIS
Many Of Them Suffered from EN-
posure nnd Are Unable 10 give
Connected Account of wight
of Terror.

ST LOUIS. May E-Fedefa lhNesusH-
ton Of the sinking Of the packet Clty Oh
Saltilio in the Mississippi river at Ileh
pax. Mo. last night, which cost twelve
lives. will begin al soon as the crew OF the
Inflated vessel arrives here. The seven
passengers and five OF the crew were
drowned by the fitting Of the gangplank
when IT hit tree. That the loss of the
lives was due to the mistake of ordering
the passengers to hurry from the sinking
ooat when It was near the shore was the
assertion of Captain Crane.
ct was a bad mistake" he said. Had
we caused the passengers TO wait a min
ute befort trying to cross the gangplank
none would have been drowned.
't the time the order was given, however
no human power could tell that the boat
a vas not going to roll over into the river
and drown every sould on board. 1t is
easy to look back and see what we might
have done"
ChivnIry Costs Lives.
Testimony at the inquest showed that the
chivalry OF the men. who permitted the
women passengers to start across the gang
rlank first cost the lives OF five women
and a baby. Captain Harry Crane ordered
the men to stand aside until the women
left the boat
one OF the two bodies recovered was that
OF Mrs. Isaac T. Hhea Of Nashville, Tenn,
wife Of the president Of the st. Louis d
Tennessee River Packet company, owners
Of the boat The other was that of negro
porter, Daniel G. Taylor. Search for the
remaining ten bodies was prosecuted all
day.
Late today ID. J. Carrighan, second mate
said the alarm on the boat was greatly IN
creased by the cry of fire Flames were
seen to shoot up from the furnace but the
fire was extingulshed by the water when
the vessel listed.
Smoke from the lime kiln on the river
bank and the high water prevented the
pllot from keeping the channel. The boat
struck a rock concealed by the water. In
,acking off me Vessel turned completely
lround. The steamer tonight Is on its side
almost against the bank
Nineteen survivors arrived here today
with little baggage. Many Of them suf-
tered from exposure and were unable to
give an account of the night of terror
which they passed through
The dead;g
MRS ISAAC #. RHEA, Nashville Tenn;
SC. BAKER, first clerk Of the steamer.
MRS JOSEPH HARRIS. Nashville,
MRS. ARCHIE PATTERSON, Savannah
Fem. . - n - -,
WILLIAM J. PICKETT, salesman, St
'TS.I Fowler POST third clerk;
pANiEL c. TAYLOR, 81, Louis Negro
porter; body recovered.
LEE COLLINS. St Louis, negro cabin
DANIEL HOGAN, st, Louis, negro roust.
about.
The witnesses all paid tribute to the
heroism of S. c. Baker, clerk of the Sal
srowncd The coroner adjourned the in
quest until tomorrow.
The boat carried twenty-seven passengers
most Of whom were women mad children
md crew OF thirty. 1t left st. Louis a
! O'Clock with heavy cargo, including
Aumber of cattle and live stock. and the
kwage was considered precarious becsus
w the great amount of driftwood floating
In the river, due to the annual spring rise
Mrs Rhea was dragged from the wate
alive but died within an hour. The bod,
of Miss Ann Rhea was not recovered Mis-
louise Rhea, another daughter. escaped
Afhey were enroute to their home in Nash
vile after visiting frier ds h St Louis.
Glen Park, the scene OF the accident, 4
river landing, the chief buildings o
which are a general store. boarding hous
ma q cement plant. The place is almos
inaccessible to telegraph lines and the new
Of the disaster came TO ST. Louis in
roundabout way from Kimmswick and Sui
phur Springs
Vessel Driven Rock.
Shortly before reaching Glen Park tn
Saltulo encountered a shoreward draw
which was fought frantically by the pilots
The engines were reversed, but the effort
10 prevent the collision were unavailinl
As the big boat swung from the currer
inshore despite the reversed engines an
the ruddtr thrown hard over, It wa
driven with increasing speed toward Ian
and turned completely around.
with the noise OF rending timbers an
the shrleks OF women and children pas
sengers. the cries Of the crew and N
believing OF the cattle, the vessel struc
hidden rock and sank almost In reac
Of land, at a point where the water va
twenty feet deep.
Passengers and members OF the ere
clung TO the timbers. while those mol
fortunate lent their aid Immediately to Il
rescue OF the helpless. The majority
the passengers were in their cabins. tt
collision came so suddenly they wei
n plunged into the water before they kne
y what had happened.
Some Of the survivors Of the wreck
~ City OF saltlllo arrived here this morI
NE by train. They were without baggsl
and some had few clothes. They were sci
TO hotels and their homes
Miss Louise Rhea, who lost her moth'
and sister, could not walk unsupporte
Coroner Hensley OF Pevely Mo, bega
an inquest into Mrs Rhea's death toda
Several OF the survivors remained at Gle
Park TO testify.
The city OF Saltillo was built at Jeffe
sonville. Ind, in 1892 and was 90 feet lon
thnty-scyen feet wide and drew ak al
a half feet The tonnage was s72 III
4 vessel Is entered in the government bures
Of navigation as passenger boat 1t wa
bound fpk Waterloo, Ala. on the Tennsss
"va