Show 22 liVES LUST LOST I WHEN JHEN STEAMER SINKS ON RIVER RIVEA Army Board to Be BeN N Named Famed med for Probe HERO SAVES MANY Southern Engineers Among Victims WASHINGTON May 9 UP UP-A UP A Aboard board of inquiry of three army of officers officers of of- will be appointed immediately immediate immediate- ly Iy to determine the causes of the accident to the steamer Norman and place the blame if any it was learned at the tile war wr department to to to- day The department has wired urgently urgently urgently to the Memphis office of the army engineering corps for a de detailed detailed detailed de- de tailed report of the disaster No report had been received up to noon Major D. D H. H Connolly district en engineer engineer engineer en- en at Memphis will be looked to for an explanation of the alleged overloading of the vessel which is held responsible ble for its capsizing He is nominally responsible for the craft 1 MEMPHIS IPHIS May 9 D AP Caught AP-Caught Caught in the swirling muddy current atthe of at the Mississippi as she attempted to stagger ashore the United States government steamer M. M E. E Norman newest of the engineering corps fleet here hero today lies Ues In thirty five feet of water Just below Coahoma Landing Tenn With her in her watery atel grave lie two twenty two of ot a a. agay agay ga gay excursion party that yesterday went for an outing on the broad expanses expanses expanses ex ex- ex- ex of the Big Dig Muddy Among the tIle men women and children chil chU- dren who were catapulted into the turgid stream and who remained there or were fished out with 11 life lIe fo extinct were some of the best known known men in the engineering engineer engineer- ing profession of the South The rhe trip had been taken as a side issue to the first annual convention of 01 the South Mid Association of Engineers Engineers En En- just dust formed here BECOMES HERO From out of the swamps of Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas Ar Ar- kansas came the hero of or the oc occasion oc- oc casion casion-a casion a big black negro man man man- Tom Lee On his broad shoulders and the motorboat of his employers at Helena Ark fell tell the burden of life Ufe saving Lee a slow methodical man went about his work as methodically methodically methodi methodi- caU cally as any of the silent methodical methodi methodi- cal men who made up the bulk of ot the party lie He loaded his boat with victims of the tho disaster He lie took them ashore Ho lie went back and anti got another load When rhen the final inal count was taken he had rescued thirty of the sixty or more persons on board the steamer teamer including Captain Howard T T. Fenton grizzled veteran of the river who had commanded the ill III fated vessel ALARM ALARM- GIVEN When the struggle in the water was ws about over George Foster Memphis engineer fought his way through brambles over slough Continued on page 3 RIVER VESSEL OVERTURNS IN STRONG CURRENT Continued from page 1 and finally managed to get a mule and rode to a plantation several miles distant There he got Into touch with Memphis and gave tho the alarm Within a few minutes it seemed the news had filtered throughout the city Frantic friends and relatives relatives rela rela- i tives besieged newspaper offices I Doctors and first aid were sent to i the scene in fast motorboats AmI Ambulances Ambulances Am Am- Ami i I went by land The Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Choc- Choc taw arrived with her quota of ex ex- Doctors were waiting She landed her passengers and pulled out again so 80 quickly that some some of ot the physicians arriving a minute late had bad to jump aboard I For what seemed like hours to anxious friends and relatives there was was no news Nobody could be reached who had any first hand I Information Then a reported got his newspaper on the telephone EXTRAS ISSUED I The list of those known to have been saved came first It was re relayed relayed relayed re- re from the telephone booth and frantic men and women fought for a word as to what it it con con- tamed Extra newspapers were seized as fast as newsboys could hand them out The death list first set at around twenty five dwindled Then it began began began be be- gan to wax Some of those thought rescued had not been saved The hunt went on on Mayor l Rowlette Paine for an hour or more believed to have been on the ill fated boat came In on the Choctaw As soon as the survivors survivors survivors sur sur- of the Norman had been brought to Memphis and landed from the steamer Mississippi a check Of all aU delegates to the convention convention convention con con- and their friends was be be- gun At daylight this morning everybody had been accounted for except two twenty-two being dead Today the search f for Or r the dead and possible living continues Up the banks of the stream from Bruins Drums the Chisca and the Monitor are scouring the banks looking for bodies and possibly living The government Is planning to send down divers In an effort to penetrate penetrate pene pene- the sunken en cabin In the hope of recovering some of the bodies It also was planned if necessary to bore a hole in the steel hull hun of the boat Fate juggled with the life lite of R. R O. O Schaefer published of the Southern Southern South South- ern era Contractor It took him from the steamer Choctaw sister ship of the Norman which had carried a portion of the excursion party to ride back on the tIle Norman It dragged him into swirling waters and finally took him exhausted ashore Soon after the captain had or ordered ordered ordered or- or dered the passengers scattered Mr Schaefer said Major H. H D. D Gillette United States engineer reported trouble with the steering wheel and said the engineer wanted to put ashore to fix It While Captain Fenton was castIng castIng casting cast- cast Ing about for a safe landing place said Mr Schaefer tho boat ca ca- ca Just then somebody yelled going over and the tho boat slowly began to turn on Its side People on the upper deck started climbing over the turning side and about a minute later the Norman was resting up There was not a bit of panic Even with all nU that was taking place I couldn't help noticing how everyone everyone everyone every every- one was trying to help the other fellow A few children were crying but that was about all of the noise About twenty people managed to get on to the boats boat's keel Then the boat began beg sinking by the stern Just before the tho boat went under I stripped tripped off oft my outer clothing When I was kicking about In the current I suddenly discovered that I was still holding my new straw hat tight In my hand I threw it away and started fighting In earn earn- est I 1 was all in and had just about given up when I noticed a tree hanging over the tho water a short way down stream I managed to kick my way to It it but was too exhausted to get out of the water I felt a hand hanl grab me by the hair hall and I 1 was restIng resting resting rest- rest Ing my chin across a log entangled In the tree Four Foul or five people were hanging on to the log I 1 tied my necktie to a a. stub tub on the tho log while a young fellow I think his name was Overstreet carried the others ashore lIe He then came back for me There were other heroes Some of them survived sUr some ome are missing Their stories are told by other sur sur- Ivors None had anything to say lIay of his own efforts but all had much ay aay of what the other fellow did Dramatic stories were told of the wild staggering of the steamer just I before she went down She listed heavily from what cause it has not been determined and Captain Fenton Fenton Fenton Fen- Fen ton ordered the passengers scattered scattered scattered scat scat- thinking too many were on one side of the boat Sitting Silting In the cabin was a gr group up of Memphis engineers bent ben on organization of a local chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers Trim the ship came tho the order There was no ex ex- ex The engineers as a man manrose manrose manrose rose and with out haste left the cabin Hardly had they reached deck before the ship wildly careened to the tho starboard She refused to an answer answer answer an- an her bel helm Three minutes later she was a hulk lying upside down downin in the stream her passengers and crew struggling in the swift waters Clarence Miller 20 noted throughout the south as a swimmer leaped Into the stream and swam ashore Exhausted he lay panting on the bank Mrs Charles Shearer was struggling struggling struggling gling in the water her with year 4 old son Miller leaped in again Breasting the heavy current he reached the woman tied a life Ufe preserver preserver preserver pre pre- server about her and took the boy ashore It took two men plen to pull pun him and the boy ashore SAVES WOMANS WOMAN'S LIFE Charles E. E Shearer probably gave ga his life to saVe others Miss Lillian of Indianapolis Ind lad who was visiting at the Shearer home tells t tie the e story Mr Ir Shearer tied a life perserver me Just I Iwas Iwas Iwas was thrown Into the tile swift current she said That was the last I saw of himI himI him I was as floating around in the water when a man swam near she continued I afterward found It was Mr Lund of Little ROCK Roca Ark He lIe was hanging on to a hatch He told me to hang on and to keep my head I was not very excited and did just what he said Lets work together Mr Lund said and well we'll make shore all an right 1 What do you want me rae to do I asked him Hold on with your left hand and I paddle with your our right he said We Ve were picked up by a boat soon afterward rd When we were taken ashore another man was struggling In the water As we got him he lie went down Mr Lund Jumped in inand inand inand and grabbed him They both were pulled into the boat but the man was already dead Mr 11 Lund was so exhausted that he had to lie In the boats boat's bottom until we wo reached shore |