A STEAMER BURNED.

Auckland Star, Volume XVI, Issue 3825, 13 November 1882, Page 3

A STEAMER BURNED.

Ttventy-one Lives Lost on the Mississippi. ViCKSBURO, September 30.—This morning at 3 o'clock a fire bsoke out on the steamer K. K. Leo, while on a trip to this city, about thirty miles below here, result* ing in the total destruction of the boat with terrible loss of life. Eightc.n people are known to ba lost. All tu'C:O are from l oui-iunu, and more than half of them belonged to the boat. The United States mails and all the books arc 1 st.

Later. The Lee had just been overhauled and newly painted, and was on her fust trip this season. Sue left Vicksburg yesterday evening for .New Orleans with 500 bales of cjtton and a good list of passengers. While opposite Point Pleasuut, at 3.35 a.m., she was discovered to be on lire and was immediately headed for the Louisiana shore, and landed a' Yucatan p'aatntion, thirty-five miles b:low Vicksburg. In a few mmutcs she was comp'etcly enveloped in flames. Twenty-one persons aro believed to bj lost including many of the crew. ' The steamboat J. M, White pas cd the wrtck about 6 a.m., and to ik the remaining passengers aod crew to I Yicksbutg, *. C. Kowlings and Kobort Smith, pilots, were b >th. burned and otherwise hint, The fire is suppose-i to ha^e origioated in the pantry-room. So rapidly d^d the flame* spread that it was impossible tor the passengers or ollkcra to save anytbing except what they had on at the time. Captaia W. S Cannon states that the ■ steamer was owned by the estate of his father, John W. Cannon, and her com. m-inder, Captnin William Campbell. She wn» vulaed at find insured for ' 850,000, mostly in local companies. Tbo crew was compose 1 almost eutinly of men wbo have been on the river twenty or thirty years. The but, besides tuo supply of pumps, had a new fire-pump with a 1-t-iacti cylinder and seventy feet of hoso. There ■were always three watchmen on deck. ■ STORIES OF SURVIVORS. Whenever a survivor was seen on tho ' street immediately a largo crowd tvould I pather around eager to learn whatever he ' knew of the sad occurrence. A number

were seen with beads and arms bound up, come of thorn in considerable pain, while osbcra were not so seriously hurt. Price Bell, second clerk of the Leo, who was up attbotiino the accident occurred, said : ''I never Eaw anything burn so quickly. 1 was aft at tho time, and when I heard the alarm, knowing my partner, who sleeps soundly, and other officers were in the Texas, and in danger, I rushed up to awaken them. The fire followed me so fast that by the time I had them all up my partner bad his hair singed in getting down stairs from tte hurricaDO roof, and I was forced to climb over Ibe rail, The boat bad just been freshly painted, and she went like gunpowder," Mr tell and a passeDger who was interviewed thinks the fire originated in tho pa>try room of (he cookhouse, though the former did not see what a fire was doing in there so early, as tho cooks are not called before 4 o'clock. Mm Daniel Seaile, with heroic presence of mind and motherly devotion, grasped her sleeping inrant, and, arranging a life-prejerver in her state-room about her person, jumped boldly into the water. By the disarraDgcment of her lifepreserver she was thrown uptn her back, and lost her grasp upon the child. Captain Campbell and hi* surviving officers all have by to-night's train for New Orleans, and will bring out the hichardson, in place of the Lee, on Tuesday. HEROISM OF THE PILOT.

At the time the alarm was given the boat was under way. She was immediately headed for shore, and struck the bank iv three or four minutes. William S. Perkins, who wiw in charge of the engines at the time of Ihe disaster, stood nobly at his post until the boat landed and Pilot Stout to.d him Ihe could go. That more lives -were not lost is duo to the admirable courage of the pilot. John Stout. He stood at the wheel and gave bope to all by his firmness. As the steamer grounded at Yucatan Landing the flames wore fast enveloping tho bravo man in the pilothouse, who, despite the firo around him, with almstt the Inst hops of escape gone, remained at his post until he gave the word to the engineer that the boat had made the shore. Not until this was done did he for one moment take his hand from the wheel. He made his escape by the hurricane roof down the hot chain to the lower deck and from there ashore. CAUSE OF THE FIRE. Fome think the fire was the work of an in cendiary, while others believe it' was accidental. Eogineer Perkins first saw the flames issuing from the pastry-room, iv which tLerc were no lamps at the time. ! The steward, Henry Carnahan, states that [ co corabuttible material was ever keptin the kitchen, the pantry, or tha pastiy-room. He thinks it was incendiary. Engineer Perkins, after discovering the fire, ins^antly notified .Jhe pil»t, and the boat was headed for the Missiesippi side, and pluDged with such force against the b*nk as to become firmly fastened. Tho passengers not cut off from the bow e-caped to the shoro. Tha cafualties occuirsd among thorc having berths nf t, Some_ of them, howev*r, were rescued after jumping overboard. Tbosc who succeeded in getting ashore were, many of them, half-clad, some hatles*, others shoeless, and others, still, with scarcely enough clothing to cover their nakedness.

The total loss on vessel and cargo is $175,000. The merchandise is fully insured.