The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-05-09
STEAMER GOES
TOBOT'TOM OF
MISSISSIPPI
Men, Women and Children
Trapped Like Rats When
Ship Capsizes
DIVERS HUNT BODIES
u. S. Government Craft Lies
in IS Feet of Water at
Coahoma Landing
(By The Associated Press)

Memphis, Tenn, May 9.-Caught
in the whirling muddy current Of the
Mississippi as she attempted to stag
ger ashore, the U. S. S. Government
steamer Norman, newest of the en-
gineering corps fleet here, today lies
in IS feet of water just below Goa
homa Landing. Miss, and with her
in her watery grave lie 20 of day
excursion party thet yesterday went
for an outing on the broad expanses
of the big river.
Among the men, women and chill
dren who were catapulted into the
stream and who remained there or
were fished out with life extinct
were some of the best known men
in the engineering profession of the
south. The trip had been taken as
a side issue to the first annual con-
vention of the Mid-South Associa-
tion of Engineers. just formed here.
The Chisoa and Monitor, together
with other steamers and number Of
motor boats. today we're combing
the banks of the river between Goa
homa Landing and Bruins in an eff
fort to find bodies or to locate any
living who may have made their way
to isolated places.
Meanwhile government officials
planned to send divers down into the
hull of the capsized boat and il nec-
essary cut hole through her bot
tom in an effort to reach any bodies
that may have been caught in the
cabin. The boat is lying bottom up
200 yards below the point where she
capsized. The Norman along with
the government steamer Chectaw of
the army engineer corps fleet here
had been put at the disposal of the
engineers for trip to Cow Island,
rs miles south of Memphis.
The Norman was being headed for
the Tennessee shore when she went.
down. When just opposite Josie
Harris island, survivors said, Major
d. H. Connolly noticed that the boat
was shifting. He spoke of this to
Captain Howard Fenton, command
ing. Major Connolly went about tho
boat scattering the passengers bat
the vessel continued to careen.
Sensing danger, Major Connolly d.
rected the captain to head for the
shore. The boat was started in that
direction but when 800 feet from the
Tennessee shore she started to list
sharply. Cool headed passengers
quickly tore away the screen doors
and equipped all passengers possible
with life preservers and planks.
Captain Fenton said the rudder
failed to respond when the Norman
began to list.
The steamer had on board about
fifty persons.
The steamer sank at exactly $40
p. m, according to survivors. At first
she began rocking from side to side,
careening so that persons on board
were forced to run from one side to
the other in an effort to remain on
the high side of the boat. Finally
she careened so far that she could
not recover. Survivors said, however,
that there was no panic.
Tom Lee, operating a motor boat
for the Tennessee Construction COM
pany. who happened to be passing
the Norman when she turned over.
saved the lives of most of those
rescued, w. w. Deberard, of Memphis
told the Associated Press. He said
but for this fact virtually every per-
son on board would have been drown
ed. Few persons managed to swim
ashore.
There was no explosion when the
boat sank, the survivors said. Jack
Cothran. engineer, having turned off
the fuel oil under the boilers when
the boat began to misbehave.
Graphic stories by persons who
were precipitated into the swift cur
rent, said to be the worst stretch of
water in the rivet between Memphis
and Helena, Arkansas, told how the
boat overturned too quickly for life
boats to be launched. Grasping bits
of wreckage, loose life preservers and
mounting overturned lifeboats, the
victims we're swept down stream.
But for Tom Lea, a negro who was
passing in motor boat, virtually all
of the sixty or more persons on
board the boat would have perished.
survivors were unanimous in saying.
He first rescued the women and then
turned to the men, going about his
task coolly, and without undue haste.
How many he pulled out and carried
to safety on q sandbar, none could
say. The disaster occurred SO fast
that few bad time to obtain and ad-
just life >preservers.
w., W. Deberard Of Chicago. west
ern editor Of the Engineering News
Record said:
There was no screaming or yell
ing OF men except to call, for life
preservers and to throw them out" |"