Steamers Burned

TÍIE KAÏlï AHAMS BURNED. Memthis, Tenn., Dec. 25.- The elegant passenger steamor Kate Adains, running as a semi-wecklv paetcetbetween Memphis and Arkansas City, was burned Suuday morning near Commerce, Miss., iorty miles south of ttiis city. She had on board about 200 or more people, including twenty-iive c;ibin and sixty deck passengers, twenty-five colored cabin passengers rad a c-bin crew of eighty. It is impossiblo to learn how many lives were lost, but a conservativa estímate places the number at not less than thivty-flve and it may reach fifty. Fiiteen deck passengers, four oí wiiom were white, are among tüe lost. in me number of the unknown lost were tl;ree colored women and two childreD. They were coming to Memphis to spend the holidays. The whites h..d been working on ti. e levees and their ñames and destina tion are uuknown. ïhe steamer was en route to Memphis. The fire, which caught in some colton near : the forward end of the boilers, was discovered about 8 o'clock. The passengers were at breakfast and when the alarm was given they all mado a rush tor the forward deck. At ths time the steamer was about 800 yards from the Mississippi side oï the river and her bow was at once headed for the shore. Pilot Joe Barton was on watch and he remained heroically at his post until she was safely landed. Harry Best, the second clerk, who was eeated at the table when th nlnvm was eiven, had brougttt all the women and children forwari and assisted them asbore. Captain Mark R. Cbeok, who was on the hurr cane deck, remained there, giving nis commands until the stage plank was safely lowered. Colonel J. M. Hunter, solicitor ior the New York Mutual Life Insurance Company, bwam ashore. He says that before leav ng the boat be sawa colored woman throw her three children into the river, then jump in herself, and all four were drowned. When Mra Harry FieUls, of Friars' Point, Miss., saw smoke fllling the cabin slie ran to the bow of the steamer, wnich by this time had touched tho bank, and tried to jump ashre. Bhe faileJ and feil to the lovver deck. A negro man who wai close bebini her followed her pie and, liko her, fuiled to reach the shore, but feil near her. The fire was scorch ng hot where they feil, but the negro gathered her in his arms and carried her totbe bank and thus saved her from being burned to death, as she was unable to movse after having fallen írom tle boiler deck. Mrs. Field is posif.ve that W. A. Covington, a planter and merchant of Rosedale, Miss., perished in the, flaraes. She think- he must have been Buffocated in his stateroom, as he was aboard and nothing has been seen or heard of him since the disaster. It is reported that a negro murderer who was being brought back for trial perished on board the steamer. He was handcuffed, and the offlcer in charge made his escape and left the negro in nis helpless condition, and ne was burned to death. [The KateAilams wasownedby tbe Memphis & VtcksDurg Packet Compnny, of whleh Major John D. Adams, of Little Rocli, is president. Captain M rk K. Cbeek, superintendent, and John M. Peters, secretary and treasurer. She was built by James Reese & Sons,of PíUsburgh, In 1883. and cost Ï1O2,G6Ü. She was the ilnest and fastest steamer of her type. Her owners this sommer spent 120,000 in repairing her at Paducah. She was insured for 3S,750 in St. Louis, Cincinnati and oiher offices. This I would have been lhe completion of herOOSd trip in the Memphis and Arkansns City trade. Her cargo consisted of 1.161 bales of cotton, 1,900 sacks of cottonseed. 87 bags of seed and a gooti list of sundiies. The cotton was con&igned to Memphis merchiints and fully in3ured in theT open pollcies. Fader. Frank & Co.; HUI, Fontaine & Co., and Thomas H. Alleu & Co. were the largest consignees. The steamer's safe oontained about f5,000, about B.0U) of which belonged to passcngers who had given it to tho clerkfor safekeeping.l THE JOIIS H. HANNA. New Orleans, Dec. 26.- The steamboat John H. Hanna, from tlie Ouach ta river with a large number of passeiigeis and a cargo of 3,001) bales of cotton on board, was burned M mday niprht near Plaquemine, La. Cjnflicting roports have beea received reg irding the loss of lifo. The flrst accounts suid that only fourteen of the 100 persons on board were known to have been saved. The latest report from the Pieaywte'i correspondent, however, places the loss at flve whites and sixteen colored. As soon as the smoke and flames began to start up the sides of the boat Captain Jolles, the pilot, swung the wheel around and headed the boat for the shore. A full head of stuam was on at the time and the boat was soon run into the bank. Before she was, however, she was doomsd. All ol her timber was then furiously burning. When she struck the bank she bounded away again and swung around, drifting down as she burned. Then Captain Jolles jumped out over the cotton bales and spring. ng into the river swam ashore. The siglit was a wlerd one, viewed from the bank, and the town vas arousei. Ficating cotton, charred timber anrl otner lebris fllled the rivar, and many peoplo were strugling de-;perately in the water for thcir Uves. Borne of them were so badly burned or so thoroughly exhausted that they struggled but a íew moment and sunk to rise no m"re. As the turning boat struck the bank of the river the crew and passengerst who had been able to reach the forward end of the bout spruni? ashore, somc of thera with scorched f. ces and bruised umus, ana many of them with scarcely any coverin. The bo.it was about fifieon yards f rom the Bhore vvhen a great m ny people plunged intothe ï-iver and Beveml who reactied the bank ia Sftfety became boegcd in the soft unid, and so intense wvs the heat ol the burning craft that they bui-ned to death beforo thi'y couU clirub up the steep bank to the levees. The John H. Hanna was built in MsvliBOn. Ind, in 1ST6, and hniled from Louisville, Ky. She was of ÖTÏ ton-, and was owned by the Ouacblta River C nsolidated line. She was valued at f18,000, and was insured for f12,000 in local and foreigu companies.