Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 March 1887 — SOUTHERN. [ARTICLE]

SOUTHERN.

Mobile dispatches give some details of the burning of the steamer Gardner, on the Tombigbeo River, by which twenty human lives were sacrificed: The fire was discovered in a bale of cotton by Capt. Stone. A negro deck hand, in throwing ■water on the burning bale, set his clothes afire. Panic stricken he ran from place to place setting fire to cotton bales, and in a few momenta the boat was in flames. She was in midstream and in motion. The pilots were driven from the wheel,and the crew and passengers jumped overboard. It is not thought that more than one or two were burned. Capt. Stone saved himself by swimming ashore. The steamer Tally was behind the Gardner Wait ng to pass. As soon as the flames broke out the Tally lowered her boats and threw over bales, seed sacks, and planks to help the people who were jumping from the Gardner. Tne heat was so intense that the Tally did not dare to go ne r, but her boats pickod up a number of people. When the fire broke out the Gardner was ordered to be run ashore. She i backed, and bells were rung for going ahead, but the engineers were driven from their post by the flames, and the boat drifted into the woods on the opposite side from the place where there was a practicable landing. Pilot VV. H. Wilson remained in the pilot house until ho found that his signals wore not obeyed and that the flames were licking the side of the pilot house, when ho fled for his life. He is much praised for his heroism. The cabin-boy of the Tallj, named Barber, colored, performed heroic deeds, saving five lives by swimming ashore with those in the water. The screams of those on the boat were heartrending. Mrs. W. T. Bembert threw one child into the water, her husband taking the other two. Then she jumped in. All but her husband were lost. A Mobile dispatch states that the

steamer W. H. Gardner, one of the largest boats plying on the Tombigbee River from Mobile, was burned below Gainesville, Humter County, A abama, and twenty persons are known to have perished. Fifteen buildings at South Boston, Va., with a large quantity of tobacco, were destroyed by fire. The loss is $150,000, with insurance of SBB,OOO. A skiff containing seven colored persons was run down on the Ohio River near Madison, Ind, by a towboat, and six of ttiem were drowned John White, a colored preacher of Lonoke, Ark., 102 years, has just married a woman of 70. Paul King, a bank cashier at Cynthiana, Ky., was short about SIO,OIO in his accounts, and settled by shooting himself through the temple.