Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-06-29
STEAMER 81. S." BuRNS.
Two Dead and Many Injured i'm De-
struction of Crowded Steamer
on Mississippi.

At $3.50 O'Clock Saturday night,
the palatial excursion steamer -.
S. the finest boat on the Missis-
sippi, was discovered to be afire,
while, conveying an excursion party
OF 1900 passengers near Victory,
Wis, and burned to the waters
edge. In the party were many resi-
dents of the northeast corner of
Iowa. Two are known to be dead,
Mrs. Emma Randall of New Albin
and John Plein of Lansing. Among
the injured were Joseph Coyle,
Lansing, Mrs. DR.. C. S. Meyer, Lam
sing, Mrs. John Joseph, DeSoto, Mrs.
Archie Bailey, Victory, Mrs. Gus.
Kaepplef, La Crosse, Mrs. Andrew
Darling, New Albin, James Thomp-
son, Waukon, George VerdOn, Lam
sing, jos. Confer, Lansing, Miss
Anna Peterson, Center township.
Allamakee county. About fifty more
were injured more or less, nearly
all the injuries resulting from leap
ing from the boat.
The channel is narrow at the
point where the fire broke out, and
accounts generally agree that the
j. S. was proceeding slowly in or
der to permit the raft boat, North
Star, and bowboat, Harriet, to clear
the way with a raft A man had
just come aboard with a skiff from
the North Star to give the pilot of
the j. S. report of up-river chan
mel conditions, customary pro-
ceeding, when the alarm was given.
''Firei"
The warning came from the
stokers' room, where it is said
flames had burst from the hold be-
low and flashed up on each of the
firemen. This man, one of the heroes
of the incident, sent word to the
captain that he would hold his post
until the boat was landed. The
next instant the big frebell on the
upper deck doomed forth. Pilot
Nichols began to execute a quick
turn to put her bow up stream,
making for Bad Axe Island, antici-
pating the orders that came from
Captain Streckfus a moment later
The maneuver was executed with
swiftness and precision, and two
minutes after the sounding of the
alarm the big steamer was alongside
the bank with the gangplank
stretching away to safety
Meanwhile scenes of intense eX-
element were being enacted. There
was the word of command from Of
ficers and level-headed passengers
whose vigorous efforts to calm the
frightened mob doubtless saved
many lives; there was the cry of
frightened people, the screams of
babies; there were fainting women
and an occasional maddened, riot
ing man of whom terror had made
nuisance and a menace. The dis
embarkment, which came in a mad
scriptions of it are conflicting and
confusing.
Sifted down, the fact seems to be
that one-third of the 1900 passen-
gers hurled themselves from the
boat from whatever dock they hap
pened to be on, and all the injuries
were sustained by those who jump
ed or were pushed overheard. Mean
while the gangplank was doing its
work, the first cargo of frightened
refugees being made up of scared
men, who, taking no thought of the
weaker ones, had hurled themselves
upon it.
Save the passengers, never mind
the boat" was the clarion order of
Capt. Streckfus TO his crew, and the
men acquitted themselves splendid
ly. The minute the boat touched
and the gangplank was thrown out,
all but the engineers and firemen,
plunged into the water and dragged
from the river the victims precipi-
tated into the rushing torrent from
the doomed boat. The water at the
side of the j. S. was ten feet deep,