Mobile County Alabama Genealogy and History Death Notices & Obituaries Destruction or The Steamer Judge Porter by Fire. Eighteen Lives supposed to be Lost.      This day, the steamer Judge Porter, from Montgomery (Ala.) to New Orleans, took fire, in the morning about nine o'clock, when about one mile from the lake-end of the Carrollton & Jefferson Railroad. The Judge Porter had on board about fifteen passengers and about eight hundred bales of cotton and sundries. The fire commenced in the engine-room, supposed to have been caused by the friction of a hog-chain. In about five minutes after the fire was first discovered, the entire boat was enveloped in flames, and all aboard had to take to the water. The second engineer, steward, second cook, and Mr. Farrar, the second clerk, are missing. It is supposed that they either perished in the flames or were drowned.      Of the passengers, but one is known to have been saved. He, together with the captain and crew, was picked up by boats from some vessels which were near by. The pilot, Mr. Henderson, was the last to leave the boat, which he did after heading her to shore. He was slightly burned in getting off. The boat and cargo, together with the books and baggage, are a total loss. The Judge Porter was owned by her commander. Captain Shields, and insured in New Orleans for $8000.      The following dead bodies were afterward washed on shore and inquests held on them.      No. 1. Alfred Farrow, second clerk, aged twenty-eight, a native of England and a resident of Mobile.      No. 2. A young man with s large scar on the left arm near the elbow, fair complexion and red hair.      No. 3. A man aged fifty-five, dark hair, apparently dyed, supposed to be Joseph Smith, a planter from Caddo Parish, La.      No. 4. Young man aged twenty-one, red hair.      No. 5. Walter, the colored steward of the boat, belonging to a gentleman of Montgomery, Ala.      No. 6. Fireman of the boat, nicknamed Flat-nosed Jack.      No. 7. Supposed to be Edw. Sullivan, known by the name of Big Ned, five feet high, several figures and the letters E. S. tattooed on his body.      No. 8. A man aged twenty-eight, fair complexion, black hair, sandy-colored mustache and goatee; had what appeared to be a railroad baggage-key, with the letters L. V. R. R. on it.      No. 9. A man six feet high, black hair and heavy block beard, about forty years of age, dark complexion.      No. 10. A man six feet high, brown hair, slight beard on chin, a boatman.      No. 11. A young man twenty-five years of age, brown hair, slight moustache and beard.      No. 12. A man about thirty years of age, dark hair, heavy long beard, first joint of left thumb amputated.      No. 13. Old man aged fifty-five, supposed to be from Alabama, no whiskers, good teeth, had back part of black frock-coat with velvet collar burned off.      No. 14. A man six feet high, about thirty-five years of age, brown hair, reddish-colored moustache, had tattooed on left arm a heart pierced by two darts.      No. 15. Supposed to be Dr. Hudson, about twenty-five years of age, auburn hair, had lancets, a cross-shaped hair breastpin set in gold, and a gold watch. [Transcribed by C. Anthony] Monday, March 12, 1860, Vincent's Semi-Annual United States Register, by Frances Vincent, 1860. Dated 31 Dec 1874 A duel was fought near Grand Bay, Miss., on the 23rd, between A. H. Tardy & B. D. Lay, two insurance men of Mobile, AL.  Tardy was shot through the heart and instantly killed at the first fire. [Source: Pioneer Times. Oct. 1987, Vol 11, No 4. Typed by Joanne Scobee Morgan]   MINE EXPLOSION – A Terrible Mishap at Coalburg, Alabama – Several Killed There was a serious and unfortunate accident at the Coalburg, Ala., mine of the iron and steel company early Monday morning.  Misdemeanor or county convicts worked in the mines, and twelve of them were -- the suffers by an explosion of ordinary ---ing powder cartridges.  Up to 5 o’clock status of the casualties was as follows: WILLIAM JONES, white, Mobile county, dead WILLIAM HENDERSON, colored, Mobile county, dead SIM SKIPPER, colored, Lauderdale county, dead JIM GOODSON, colored, Etowah county, dead J. G. MARSHAL, Mobile county, slightly injured. HENRY WILLIAMS, white, Mobile county, very seriously injured. CALKER WILLIAMS, colored ---- county, seriously injured. BUD SMITH, colored, Mobile county, seriously injured. WILLIAM GOLDING, colored, Mobile County, seriously injured. WILLIAM WALKER, colored, Montgomery county, seriously injured. ----STUNSTALL, colored, Mobile county, seriously injured. HENRY SINGLETON, colored, St. Clair county, seriously injured. The death of more is a matter of only a few days at best.  WILLIAM JONES, the white man from Mobile was a tramp who went there from [paper torn from here ]--- and committed a burglary.  He had been in the mine sonly about ten days.  The other white man from Mobile, who will ----- was also in for burglary.                 Not far from the entrance to the mine ---- inside is a little side room some six feet – dug into the coal and separated from the ---- by a thin board partition.  In this partition is a doorway from which ,as the--- pass on their work their day’s supply and blasting cartridges are handed --- a small supply of oil is kept in this room --- under no circumstances are more ----ever there than enough for one day’s work. The day’s cartridges are taken from the box by the man who does the distribution.  It was at the door of this little room, on the main entrance, that the accident occurred. ©2009 Genealogy Trails