Year: 1870

The Late Disaster on the Mississippi.


THE boat Emma No. 81, when about 30
miles from Memphis, left the regular chan
mel of the river, to pass through the chute
or cutoff of Island No. 35, thus saving in
her course five miles. This chute is
known to abound in ugly black snags,
dangerous to shipping, and its passage is
never attempted down stream; but going
up, steamers drawing six feet of water or
less often attempt it. 81 @


The Emma entered this chute at about
10 o'clock on Saturday morning, passed
up 100 rods, when she struck snag-a
huge cypress tree, the roots of which were
firmly imbedded in the bottom of the
river@that wrenched terrible hole in
her starboard side The boat began to fill
so rapidly that the steam pumps had no
effect whatever in keeping her afloat.
Cotton bales were crowded about the leak,
but the rush of water forced everything
back. Threequarters OF an hour were
consumed in efforts to keep the steamer
affoat. Soundings were taken, showing 7
feet Of water on one side, and Is feet on
the other side of the sinking steamer.


The passengers up to this time were not
UluCIl didi luCu, 40 tuC OIlCClc VI UuC UOdt
exhibited no signs of fear, or made any
preparation to remove the passengers,
thinking that at the worst, the steamer
would sink, leaving the hurricane deck
above water, from which all could be ca
silly taken ashore. .>f


In the efforts to head the boat toward
shore, which was but 100 yards distant, it
was discovered that the boat was spiked
to the snag, and that it was impossible to
move it in any direction. The water by
this time had entered in such body that
the boat rolled to her starboard side, max
ing it impossible to walk on decks without
support, and moving the whole cargo on
deck into the stream. Smoke was seen is
suing from the cabins, where the stoves
had tumbled down, scattering their red
hot Goals ON the floor, which had lighted
into fierce blaze by the aid of the oil
from the broken chandeliers that hung
near them.


The terrible cries of " fire." "fire," "
spread rapidly, psralyzing with fear those
who until this moment had made no
preparations for escape, chilling their
hearts blood, and depriving them of the
selfcontrol, the nerve, and the prudence
given by nature.


Captain Marratta took charge of the
yawl-boat, had it lowered to the boiler
deck, where all the ladies, five in num-
Der, were securely seated. Then it was
still further lowered to the water, where
it was filled by those who stood nearest
it, AS soon as the captain gave orders to
unhook from its tackles and pull for
shore, the roustabouts and the crazed
passengers from the hurricane and boiler
decks leaped in and toward the yawl in
one indiscriminate mass, sunk the boat
in q moment, and thus, side by side, passed
into the dark valley together. Nothing
was afterward seen of this boat, but it is
supposed that it passed under the guards
Of the steamer and lodged near the wheel,
as the only survivor Of those who entered
this boat, Cap ain Marratta, came to the
surface near the wheel, and was seized by
the porter, who was securely seated upon
it, and drawn up. .


This example, and terrible loss, so
frightened the survivors that no attempt
was made to launch the life-boat, which
burned with the cabin.


There was but one child aboard, girl
of 10 or ~ years, who appeared on the
hurricane deck between the fires created
by the stoves in the fore and aft cabins.
Unable to go one way or the other, afraid to
spring into the water, she threw up her
hands as if in prayer, and sunk in the
remorseless flames. Although the boat
was but 100 yards from shore, it was
noticed that all attempts to reach land
there was useless as very strong current
ran directly from the shore to the mid
die of the chute and thence into the river.
Men launched out on doors, boxes, beer
barrels, floats, cotton bales-everything
within their reach that safety could sug-
h11t NO Unll the
stream than the high wind rolled them
over and over. Six men-three white
and three colored-shoved out on The
staging, which was about four feet wide,
and twenty five feet long, and the wind
turned even these huge planks twice
completely over. In despair, one of the
white men bent on his knees, uttered
cry OF the deepest anguish, and plunged
from the staging to reach passing plank,
on which he 1oated for few moments,
making useless grasps in the air and water
as if crazed. His eyes became fixed, and
exhausted, he rolled off and sunk for
ever.


The first engineer reached shore on A.
box, and was about climbing the bank.
when the cold wind struck him, and so
stiffened and benumbed his joints and
chilled his blood that he fell in clump OF
bushes, dead.


Many, in emerging from the water, fell
on the bank, their struggles ending in
death


Two horses, thrown from the boat, were
straddled by negroes, who were safely car
ried ashore,-the first tCGescape from the
wreck


Most of those who could not swim
crowded to the forecastle, and immersed
themselves in water, up to the head, tc
escape burning.


A neighboring planter, seeing the flames
hurried to the wreck with his skiff, anG
removed all those on the wheel and on the
forecastle, the only ones who did not leave
the steamer.


One man managed to swim to snag II
the middle of the stream ard perch HIM
self on top of it. From this he kept up {