Helena Weekly Herald

A Steamer Wrecked and Fifty Persons Supposed to be Drowned.

PITTSBURG, July 4.—Intelligence has just been received that the steamer Scioto with an excursion party of 500 persons on board, collided with the John Lomas near Mingo Junction, Ohio, and one hundred persons are reported drowned.

One of the survivors says the Scioto was coming up the river under a full head of steam and when about half a mile from Mingo Junction the John Lomas was sighted coming down. The pilot of the Scioto whistled for the channel, but owing to a misunderstanding both boats took the same side, the Lomas striking the Scioto, sinking her in fifteen feet of water in three minutes from the time of the collision. The scenes on the Scioto were heart-rending and the life struggles were frightful to behold. The Lomas was only slightly disabled and went to work at once to save those on board the unfortunate Scioto. This task was rendered easier by the bright moonlight and no doubt many lives were saved from this reason. It is now believed that the first reports were exaggerated and that the loss of life will not exceed twenty persons.

Arthur McNally, who lives at Cross Creek, was an eye witness to the whole matter. He was standing in a door immediately opposite to where the collision occurred. It was about 10 o'clock. The Lomas in passing the Island chute whistled for the preference of sides, and as near as I can judge it was three minutes before the Scioto answered, and neither of them appeared to sheer off and almost immediately the collision occurred. General confusion followed and I saw the people jumping from the hurricane deck and all parts of the steamer. As far as I could see the Lomas backed up and ran to the Ohio shore, landed her passengers and then returned to the wreck. The crew and officers of the Lomas exercised every effort to rescue unfortunate passengers and succeeding in landing over 400, making several trips. As soon as I saw the accident I jumped into my skiff and started for the wreck. When I got there I saved five persons within a distance of twenty-five feet, and there were two other skiffs below me picking them up, but I don't know how many they got. They were hallooing all over and there appeared to be a great many in the wreck, but it was too dark for me to tell the number. I then took the parties I had rescued to the Ohio side and by that time the Lomas landed a party and returned to the wreck. I had just come home from work as the boat came past and could not tell how many there were on board, but from what the parties who landed told me, there were from 650 to 700 on the boat. From the run of conversation of those who had been landed I gathered that from 500 to 550 were landed. Three women were carried ashore and died after having been rescued. Two little boys and the assistant engineer of the Scioto were rescued and stopped at Cox's. The assistant engineer told me he thought many lives were lost, as the lower decks were crowded and the boat sank instantly. A man and woman passed within a hundred yards of my house. He was holding her up and crying for help, but my wife saw them sink. The scene was terrible. I saw at least fifty young ladies who had been brought to the shore, who were saved by their escorts swimming and holding them up.

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio, July 5.—Hundreds of people are attracted to the scene of the wrecked steamer Scioto, some in search of missing loved ones, others from curiosity. One dead body has been recovered on this side. Two bodies of boys are reported near Wellsburg. Two boys were picked up on the Virginia side who had swam a mile and a half below the place of the accident. They say about fifty persons were on the lower deck with them when the boat sunk and many of them were probably drowned. Capt. Thomas of the Scioto is crazed with grief at the loss of his son and benumbed with cold from a fruitless search in the watery cabin for his body, which has since been found at Brilliant station. The death roll will probably exceed fifty. There are more than this number missing and all chances for escape are heard from. A hundred persons went from Wellsville and East Liverpool down to the scene of the disaster this morning.

MINGO JUNCTION, Ohio, July 6.—There were found this morning the bodies of Chas. Sweringer, of Kensington, Ohio; Dan Thomas, the Captain's son; C. P. Smith, of Wellsville, also a man by the name of Dunhamer, from Wellsville, Ohio. About forty men came down in skiffs and a cannon from East Liverpool and are doing good work. By night they can secure about 10 bodies more. A great many bodies are placed in the engine room and under the bow. A want of the necessary apparatus prevents the getting of bodies. Boats and grappling tools, diving bells, etc., are on the way from Pittsburg and when the wreck is raised at least 30 to 50 bodies will be found. The missing are accumulating and with what are found dead will amount to 65 or 75 and nearly all will be found in and around the wreck. Every hour brings people here hunting for absent ones and who give names not given before. The dead so far have been recognized and moved promptly to their late homes. Stewart Piper reported found yesterday is not found yet.