The Express.
London, England, 1858-10-15 00:00:00

TIER LOSS OP THE AUSTRIA.

STATEMENT OF THE SURVIVORS.

We the undersigned first, second, and third
oflicen, and mix of the crew belonging to the Austria, having
arrived in England on board the Ireland, Captain Jackson,
from Fayal, have read the different statements of passengers
about the law of oar vessel, and beg to add our statement
showing what boa been don* on our part; we leave it to
every one to judge whether we have done our dory or not.
The full protest having to be made up before the eompetent
authorities at Hamburg, we here only give account of what
we personally experienced.

The second and third officers h►d the watch, and were
on deck when the first cry of fire broke out at 2 o'clock on
Monday afternoon, the 13th of September. The captain,
who was in his cabin at the time, cams instantly up
the bridge, and gave orders to attend to the pumps. The
engine at the same time was pat at half speed, and the
signal was given to work the steam pump. There was a re-
gularly organised fire-roll for our vessel, each man having
his place marked out at the pumps, end being exercised to
their um. At the commend of the captain the men of the
fin roll ran below to the pumps and began working them,
but immediately found that they drew no water, the pipes
being precisely at the spot when the fire broke out, and the
lead having therefore melted. The steam pump could also
not work far the same reason. The men were, moreover,
forced to leave the pumps, as the fire and smoke sur-
rounded them. In the course of fifteen minutes from the

eammeneement of the fire the three decks were in a blue.
It was impossible to stop the engine, as no one oould get to
It on account of the fire. There wu hardly any wind at
the time, merely the draught mused by the motion of the
used. The captain seeing the impossibility of over-
powering the fire, then ordered the men to lower
the bunt There were on board eight boats—viz., three
Francis' metallic lifeboats, capable of containing 60 per-
sons seek; two wooden and one metallic lifeboats, capable
of oontatalag sub 60 persons; two smaller wooden jolly
bosta, capable of containing from 30 to 40 persons each.
The boats Wife in perfect order, ready, and so fastened that
they might be lowered in the shortest passible time. There
'anted a reviler boat roll on the vessel, so that each man
knew to which boat to attend in area of need, under the
command of an offioer or sub-officer. The men were hindered
in getting to the bona by the frantic passengers, who already
had rushed to them. We tried to repel them by all mama
la our power, but la vain. The four boats on the starboard
soon caught fire, thin Me being most exposed to the flame.
On the larboard four boats were lowered, but three of them
were entealted before they reached the water by the people
overcrowding them, and one boat alone got safely afloat.
After the captain had given the command to lower the
boats he wu seen by us to jump down from the bridge, pro-
bably intending to keep the pesesegers in order. In running
aft to the quarterdeck be had to travel through the fire,
which now already separated the lore pert from the aft part
of the ship. The captain, breaking through the flames, wee
=eh injured; he wea seen later by the first officer standing
on the quarterdeck, larboard side, apparently stunned by the
injury he had received from the fire, and some passengers
say they saw him jump overboard.
The single boat which reached the water without being
smashed was one of the large metallic lifeboats; It woe at
first, when lowered down, filled with people ; but the weight
wee so great that many of them fell out when the beet
reached the water. Thirty succeeded in keeping on, but
the boat capsized several times, being fell of water, and
nom mom were drowned thereby. There then remained in
the boat the undersigned drat officer and six of the mew,
braes one steward end fifteen paassagers. It wee thrio;
o'clock when our boat got free of the steamer, and we were
left homedietely behind, the Teasel still going ahead, and we
being unable to manage the boat, so that we were soon
separated from the vessel. We tried hard to bale the water
oat of the boat, but did not enema till we conetruoted •
tuft of the owe end waste belonging to the boat, sad got
the pamengen upon It ; then we got the bat dear of water,
and took the passengers In again. About one boar after
havleg IA the steamer we got eight of the Transit berque
literwire, end, palling to her, we reached her at eight o'clook,
whin we fond shady the third tear and MOM of the
pesemegers. _ .

Thesonisd oMosr was taken up by the Maurice, swim-
ming, at half-past 8 o'clock. He had beta pushed over-
board the Austria at bell-peat 2 o'clock, by the rush of the
passengers, who jumped into his boat end =waled it. He
kept afloat, swimming for six hours without =Olga; to
hold co.

The aid °Meer left the sleasow at 6 o'clock. He re-
mained IS the dice of the Austria till he saw that no boat
wee left, end wee driven by the Ire overboard, but kept on
to it by a rope 'kepi& the weal till 6 o'clock, when he
jawed eg the ins plates of the vessel plasm nod hot. He
I Mai look to swtnsslag, end einght hold of some piens of
floating weed. by white be held Myself ideal till belt-pest
6 o'clock, when le was takes up by the French boat, mach
injured by the dames.
There were tittle sails in eight when we left the Austria,
of which only one (the French brig Hamiae) came to our
mores. The Mewing took on board 66 persona. of whew
12 were transshipped to the Lotus, bound for Halifax , the
reresinder were landed as the 19th September, at Fayal,
whence ties presagers were shipped on board her Majesty's
demur Valorem, bound for New York, and we were taken
of by the Leaden steamer Ireland, which leaded us peeler-
day armies st Gravesued, on ~way book to Hamburg.
L. F. Haan, First fear of the Amnia.
B. H. Barnum!. sicced line.
T. C. Boluterr, third ditto.
C. PLATE, quartermaster, ditto
C. Micatainas, second boatswain, ditto.
T. Fate BOLD, Inman, ditto.
T. H. Iticarte, mama; ditto.
N. Tv novisix, sailor, ditto.
0. Pout., engineer-assistant, ditto.
Loudest, Hanseatic Consulate, Oct. 14.

The Nsapoleoniat invention of " warnings" to the
pee hae been deolmed illegal in Germany. The editor of
the deeiasiW, • democratic journal. httsly rewired, lee
several auldelesot warning from the antheritire of the circle
of Necker. ♦ wend warning having bent given him, and
the suppression of the journal threatened, he applied to the
Chamber of Wurtemburg to complain of the existence of the
ordonnance of January 7, 1868, which introduced the sys-
tem of wonting*, in oonforesity with • resolution of4be
Germania Dist of hue 8, 1854. The matter having been
referred far examination to • commi,tee, that body proposed,
and the Chamber on the 10th &skied, stir a bang dbae•
Mot that the waning• Win 114104 sod that the °^gal"
mat should be applied Is sea swab* rands la quake,

ATTEMPIED MURDER OP A POLICE CON-
-BTABLE AT DAGENHAM.

Scarcely has the excitement cued by Blewit's
apprehension and committal for trial for the murder of
Clark, the policeman, in 1846, subsided, when-this neigh,
bonrhood is again startled and thrown into no small ex-
oitement by another attempt at murder ; end, strange to
relate, the attempt was made within a few yards of the
scene of the former murder. The facts of the cue are as
follow:—On Sunday evening last, Coleman and another
constable of the IC division left the police-station,Dagenham,
about 10 o'clock, and had proceeded on their way
together until they arrived at the Four-want-way ; here
they parted, Coleman continuing his beat towards Ruah-
green, in the direction of Rumford ; he bad proceeded only
a short distance when he heard voices, but passed on,
taking no notice ; he had net, however, gone far when he
was pounced upon by three men, who jumped from their
concealment in the ditch, and he wee immediately struck
by two of the men, who felled him to the pound, one of
the ruffians exclaiming, ,` Let's Clark him" (alluding to
the murder of poor Clark). Coleman tried to get away,
but was overpowered, and subjected to most cruel treat-
ment, the villains striking him in every pert of his body,
kicking him about the head and face, jumping upon hie
body, and finally dragging him to a pond hole, into which
they threw him, leaving hint almost dead. In the conflict,
Coleman's cutlass and lamp were taken from him, and his
uniform almost destroyed, the poor fallow managed to creed
from the spot into which he had been thrown (there being
fortunately no water in the pond at the time), and after
greet difficulty succeeded in reaching the station, in en almost
dying state, from the injuries he received, and we regret to
add he is still lying in a very precarious state, great doubts
being entertained of his recovery. Coleman Is • young and
promising officer, 28 years of age, and his only been in this
parish about three months. It is difficult to conjecture the
cease of this outrage ; but it is known that a few weeks dm
Coleman apprehended a man at Dagenham for stealing corn
from his master, Mr. Harris, for which he was convicted, and
suspicion falls upon his confederate', although no one at
present has hem taken into custody; but it is hoped the per-
petrators of this murderous assault may speedily be brought
to justice.—Cie Chronicle.