The Express.
London, England, 1856-10-14 00:00:00

BURNING OF TILE STEAMER NIAGARA

AND LOSS OF ONE HUNDRED LIVES.

(From the hankie Deity American, Sept. 26.)

From Captain Sweeney, of the steamer Traveller,
and paasecgers, we lens the following v./titulars of the
burning of the Collingwood steamer Niagara, and the I:.s of
about 100 passages and crew.
Yesterday afternoon he rakers of the steamer Traveller,
while laying at the pier at Port Wohington, discovered to
the north about 12 miles a colons of spoke end steam, arid
on bringing • glass to bear they discovered that it was the
'teaser Niagara in Emma They at once got up steam
•ad ran for the turning vessel, which they reached in about
three-quarters of an boar. When they reached her she tree
one mass of fames, and all bands except Captain Miller and
seven passengers had kit the wreck. These were clisgir g
to the wheels, and were at once rescued. The propeller
DUES' took up a cumber of pastime and landed them
at Pert Weehington. Their name* we are not able to give.
The schooner Dan Marble saved about thirty, and also
took them into Port Waakingtoo. Oae lady among
them, picked up dead, had a nag on marked " Z D. 0.
Osly one boat of the Riggers was successful in Davie,
guy peseangare, sad this one took 22, all of whom were
lauded at Pat Washiattaii—espposed to have hem left at
Port Washita/oos. lion. Jobs 13. Macy, of Food du Lae, '
and J. R Goodrich, of this city, were said to have bees on
board, and are supposed to have bun lost, uultos the former
left at Sheboygan. Captain Milter thinks the wtole aim
ben of passengers wu about 100, so that the tole of puten-
pre must have bees about 80 souls, unity of whom were
wenn. sad change. Of the new, Captain F. 6. Miller,
the mate, third engiour N. M'Kinnon, waiter W. J.
Thnarboner, from,. A. Snider, J Gordon, Robert Gillispie,
A. Curry, A. O'Dell, and waiter Daniel Osborn, were saved.
flame onsets of the crew were saved, but • number are
known to have perished. Mr. Ainsworth, of Vermont, lost
his wife, daughter, father, and brother's wife. The Niagara
bad 100 tue of merebandiee en board, all of which sash.
At six o'clock this events' we expect further particulars
on the arrival of the Hann, spas which Captain Miller
sad oMeen are B:peen. Keay wne chilled to death by

the weather, who otherwise might hare been saved. Capt.
Miller knew nothing of the origin of the fire, as the first he
heard of it he was awakenid from a nap in his berth, and
all was consternation and coafasion.

Mr. Harvey Ainsworth, from Royalton, Windsor Co.,
i Vermont, was aboard with his wife, three children, father,
and sister.in.law, with a child. He alone of el the party
was saved. They were on their way to Baraboo, in this
State, near which place he bad purchased a term last
spring, and was on his way to settle. Mr. Ainsworth
wee standing alone on the stern of the boat on the
Minima" deck, when he first saw the smoke and streaks of
flame breaking through the deck, above the engine, be:ween
the beams. He immediately ran forward to where his
family were standing. The cry of 'Fire, fire," was im-
mediately raked from a score et •Aces. Men, women,
and children rushed on deck, with horror depicted
upon every countersue*, and number" rushed to
the guards and sprang shrieking into the water, to be
buried In their liquid graves. Mr. Ainsworth gathered hie
family around him, and unaided, uncoiled the large hawser
at the bow, and threw it over the guards. He then let his
wife and children down and finally descended into the noose
of the hawser himself, and hung fest until the flames bad
burned off the rope and let him drop into the water. Mr.
Ainsworth then got hold of a boat upside down, to which
number of poor drowning wretches were hanging in the last
agonise of death. He thinks that at least a dozen persona
were busing to the boat when he seised hold. One after
another of these dropped off until only himself remained.
He then succeeded in getting three men (Mr. Chalmers, of
N. 8., J. P. Kennedy, and Hash Kennedy) in the boat with
him. The four persona wt TO all finally picked up by a small
boat from the schooner. Mr. Ainsworth thinks that there
were about one hundred cabin passengers on board when the
boat left Sheboygan, besides a large number in the steerage.
Mr. Ainsworth lost all his baggage and about a thousand
dollars in money. Mr. Ainsworth states that the conduct of
Captain Millet was well caleulated to quiet the terror and
save the lives of the passenger', and that he was the last
man to leave the wrack of his burning vessel.
Of the pecuniary lose by this terrible disaster we learn
nothing, though it cannot be less than from 200,000 dole. to
300,000 dole. ; it is nothing in comparison to the fearful loss
of human life.

Mr. C. D. Westbrook, jun., of Green Bay, was in the
front cabin when the alarm was siren, and Immediately
rushed on deck. He want to the bow of the boat, and while
standing there was approached by the Hoe. Mr. Macy, ex-
member of Congress from this state, who exclaimed, " We
are lost! Oh, God we're lost!" and immediately turned
and went into the cabin. This was the last seen of Mr.
Macy. Mr. Westbrook then turned his attention to his own
safety, and was about to jump overboard, when a cry of dis-
tress and for help reached his eats from the pilot, who, en-
veloped in smoke and flame, stool manfully at his post.
Forgetful of his own safety, tety. W. ran to the assistance of
the pilot, and aided the latter in directing the steamer to-
wards the shore.

The engine stopping a few minutes after, the two left the
wheel to seek some spot more distant from the smoke and
heat. The pilot was not seen afterwards, and it is to be
presumed that he was lost. Mr. Westbrook then seized a
plank and threw it into the water, and jumped in to get on
it. He did no, but I persons in to. water also seised
upon the frail support, and sunk with it below the billows.
Mr. W. then seised a table floatiort near him, and was
finally picked up by a boat from the Traveller, aad carried
on board that steamer. Mr. W. informs os that there were
no life preservers on board the Niagara. This statement,
however, needs eonfirmation.
We are indebted to Mr. L. D. Jerome, agent cf the tom.
easy, for the following affidavit and statement of Captain
Miller. Mr. Jerome thinks that the actual loos of life is
less than fifty :
Staid of Wisconsin, Oinks. County, ca.—Came before
me, this 26th day of September, A.D. IS-36, Captain F. S.
Miller, of the steamboat Niagara, and bring duly sworn, de.
poen and says :—I left Col.ingwood on the 22nd inst., at
2 o'clock p.m. The clerk informed me that we had on
board 106 tons of merchandise and paneagers' baggage;
21 horses and several waggons and about 75 cabin pas-
anger,. On arriving at Mackinao we took on gilt more.
Does not know the number of steerage deck passengers.
The weather was first northerly. Arrived at Mackinac on
Tuesday, at 12 o'clock noon ; left there 20 minutes past 3
o'clock p.m., and arrived at Two Rivers about half-past
10 o'clock a.m., the 24th inst ; leaving there, stopped at
Manitowoc till about half-past 11 a.m., and landed some
passeagert, and thinks one or two came on board at that
place; left Menitos on and arrived at Stub-igen ; landed
fifteen horses and neural waggons, and quite a number of
passengen and some merchandise; left Sheboygan about
half-pat 2 o'clock p.m.; went to my state room to lay
down ; was not called up, but on getting up discovered
that the boat was en fire, and supposed it was about the
stove pip, aft; I first met the third engineer, and told him
to get the hose on the pumps, and turned to go forward,
and found the hall full of smoke ; went to the picot house;
gave eignal to the cook to put up, the boat was headed
towards the shore ; the engine then stopped ; was about
five mile, from shore and four to five miles from Port
Washiegton ; I left the pilot hoses ; the first mate then
came forward ; I asked him to get the me and man the
small boats and get them over; the mate then replied that
the stern boat was over sad milked ; we then went to
work and broke the state room doors off and threw them
overboard; I then west eft to the larboard Bide and kicked
the doors off end threw them overboard, together with the
washstands and everything that I could pet hold of; I re-
mained aft a. long as I could. then went below to the water
wheel, where I was taken off by the Traveller's boat and
taken on board.

The poseogers had signed the followiog card :—" We,
the undersigned, being hut a part of the surviving pas-
sengers of the steamer Niagara, which was burned a;out six
miles north of Port Washington, on the afternoon of the 24th
of September, take this means of saying to the publie that
we believe that the captain and officer, of the boat did all
in their power, under the trying and heartrending circum-
stances attending this c elemity ; and while we deeply deplore
tate terrible accident which beamed. desolate so many hippy
homes, and quenched the light of many a cheerful &elide,
we feel that we cannot, with justice, lay any blame upon
the captain or officers of the steamer, b-leering that they
did all that was possible for them to do under the cirrount-
eta Dew The oserturning of the large boat on the stern
quarter of the steamer was doubtless V. e cc :salon of the prin-
cipal loss of life. Had the ercw been tl:rra to attend to tke
lowering of the boat the aecident might not have
occurred, but it wee not three minutes after the fire
broke out before all communication was cat off between the
bow and stern of the boat. To the captains and crews of
the schooner Den Marble, the propeller Minnie, and
steamer Traveller, we would return our sincere and heart-
felt thanks for the mistimes so nobly given in our time of
teed. May God reward them richly for their noble acts.
It has been thought by many that the lire cr ;Ousted among
the merchandise, from matches or other c !mbustible matter,
and we would take this opportunity to ray to thins mer-
chants who are is the hat it of packing semiotic., fireworks,
and other combustible matter among haute arid barrels of
merchandise, that they are Willie with the lives of
ha iadreds of their fellow-men, and if trey do not di ist they
may be again the cause of bringing siarow and deso-
lation to many a happy homc—F. R Hurlbert, Columba',
Wis.; John Thomas, Cato, Cayuga county, N.Y. ; Charles
D. Adams, Cbenango county, N.Y.; Elias S. Ensign, ditto;
Frederick Miscall, Fultoo, Outgo county, N.Y.; W. H.
Hamilton, Oxford, Crimson° county, N.Y.; G. W. Bongs,
ditto; Daniel Les, Waukesha, Wis.

A traveller returning to Alexandria (writes a cor-
respondent at that place) after an *bunco of a few years
will find en estraordinary improvement in the appearance
of the two and the condition of the people. Three bud-
some Omens for the Christina worstyp have been erected
—an English Protestant, a Roman Catholic, and a Greek.
Bells us heard to toll, calling the Christians to Divine ter-
v:ee. A railway bus been cr.mpletad to Cairo, sod new
streets of handsome houses are springing up. The Cattail
■re better fed, and the condition of the labouring classes is
so much improved that the European residents find it diffi-
cult to procure among the Arabs a domestic servant for
bite. Among other improvements spoken of, the streets
of Aleaandria are to be lighted with gas, for which a con-
tract has been concluded between the Pwh► and a Parisian
company.
•

. -
Several fine hotels for private residences are being
erected in Paris. Prince Napoleon is getting one built for
himself in the Avenue Montaigne. It is in the Italian style,
is of grist cutest, and is already rooted. Workmen ars
sow engaged in ornamenting the interior. M Achille
Fould, Minister of State, ie also building • large hotel
between the Reeds Fsubourg St. Honote and the Rue dee
Henries d'Artois; and I.is brother, M Benoit Fould, le
getting one erected somewhat higher ur. 2d. Emile Pereira
has likewise for some time been engnped M having a
splendid residence raised in the Faubourg St. Honord.
- _

A letter from Vienna, in the Post Ampt Gazette
of Frankfort, says that a military commission, curruanded
by Lieutenant-Colonel &hindslocker, end composed of four
other dficers, is on the eve of leaving for Peru, to carry
considerable presents from the Austrian court to the Shah,
and at the same time to purchase tortes for the improve-
ment of the Austrian bleeding studs.

Lola Montta had touched at Honolalu, Sandwich
Island', on ►ar •oyage from Asatrolia to California.

The Dowager-Duchene de Blacas, widow of the
eniaiptor of Louie XVIII., ha jolt expired at Paris at the
age of 78.
The Corriere 'Milano of Vienna states that the
derartars of Baron do Hubner for Warta to And for the
28th. . . . • . .

The Nile has risen twenty-four cubits, which is
regarded ar a most fortunate result, and promises well for
the next harvest. His flight's. the Viceroy hu COM.
queutly raised the land tat twelve piastres, or 2i. 61. the
measure, equal to an English acre.
The Germanic Diet will assemble on the 20th No.
vunWr. The ant question brought under its considera-
tion will be that of Neufchatel, and she:wards that of
Holstein-Lsuenbourg.
The Normandie of Rouen says:—" Considerable
animation prevailed on Friday in this port in ronsequenoe
of the arrival in the Alphonse, from Ooree, of a female
chimpanzee, which is on her way to Feria to be placed in
the lardln des Plante,. This animal was prmored ■t one
of the stations at Senegal. She walks erect, has no tall, and
the hands (for they are real, undoubted handr) are without
►air. Her fug resembles that of a secrete of the ugliest
kind. She seems quite at her sue with the persons whom
she beholds for the 6nt time. She is to be placed at Pule
with the male damper z ,e already there."