The Express.
London, England, 1858-11-02 00:00:00

DISTRUCTION BI MU OP THE 8111? 11418TBA1V

CITY.

Thrilling details of the total destruction by
die of the Eastern City, alas of the Black Ball line of Austra-
lian peneugor ships running from Liverpool, have been re-
Weed.

The Eastern City was • ship of 1,368 tons, and the pro-
per, of Messrs. Baines and Co. of Li She use
commended 4 CaptainJohostonti, and on the Iverpool. 841 t of July
she left the limey for Melbourne, having on board 180 pair
sengers, 47 men, officers and crew, and upwards of 1,600 tans
of renewal cargo. Tha ship made a successful run to the
Equator, and all went well for • rapid voyage, when, on tie
'harpoon of August 23, it WWI discovered that a fire had
broken out In the forehold. Every effort failed in extin-
' (Wishing it, and preparations were made for provi-
dosing mid launching the boats The sea, however
wee very high. Bat while the prospects of the dial/eased
me sad women were most gloomy, and they had indeed
almost despaired of misty, • Broom in sight. The ship
Merchantman, Captain 0. Fwn, of and from Londos,
with troops for Calcutta, observed the signals of the burning
ship, and at once bore down to her aid. With the exception
of or man, liPlem, • steerage passeager, the mew and
Criars al the Eastern City were taken ad, end in about
lve boars alter they had Ilk the wake *tip was ons
sere al toe; the arts net overheard. end mho was a
biasing wreck. The sabre:seats on ethe perished was •
Main of Skye . • he had bees el kr won days, and was
below a his eerthwilmea the Ise IMllliket dkanteed, and he
Is supposed to have been euiruceted.
Mr. .1. Fowler, a cabin on board the Eastern
Cita, hes fersalmd the f flowing` narrative of tk• condsgos-
" Ws nil* ken Liverpool for Melbourne on the 10th
of July, having on beard upwards of 1,600 toes of general '
cargo, 110 pamagers, sad 47 alerts and apew • is all, 227.
Notwithetsetheg • keg eoadminee of ecatrai end baffling
winds we made • very snetesehl pester to the Equator,
which welso: the 114 of August; aid we meoaid to
salve at is TO sr 23 days from lAverpoo4 far oar
ship was a on, and la capital selling trim. On the
21st of August the wind blew snag ban the earth-eau to
the north-wet, On the 22nd it increased to halt a gale,
with a heavy see, the ship rolling about a good deal, and
frequently going from 12 to 14 knots an hour. On the 23ed
the wind veered round to the south-west, but the sea still
oontinned high ; and at about 2µm. the mane day an *ens
of fire was raised, and smoke was seen issuing from
the forstuitch. Captain • Johnston., the chief allow, sad
several of the crew and piasengwe, enthavoend to reach the
met of the fire, which was supposed to be in the forehold,
among the canto; but In a few minutes the smoke became so
deem sad suffocating that we wen driven up the hatchway.
The passengers end crew were ordered on deck, and we then
believed they had all obeyed the order; but It was
afterwards discovered that one of the steerage peessains,
named Peter 11•Lsea, bekaglag to the Isle of Mum was
missing, and bats supposed to have been enionted in his
berth. The forehatch was tam *teed, with the eneption of
holes of about two test square, ems on each side of the hash,
through which pentagon sad crew proceeded to pour vest
quantities of water from the engine pump, and by drawing
over the side front theses. For some time the smoke did not
appeal: to Moues., and we confidently expeeted to be able
to extish the fire, but after half an hour it was evident we
were dng no paand it was apparent our only chance
wee to endeavour t rogreso
smother it. For this purpose the hatch
was covered with blankets, shawls, plaids, and everything
we could lay hands on, and the forecastle and lorwi parts
with old sails. Me awhile the ceptaht bad hauled up the
tonnes, and pat the ship before the wind, and bad got the
boats provisioned, sad ready to lower away at a moment's
notice. The women sad children, about 60 in number, were
removed to the poop, where the captain had placed numbers
of old sails, carpets, be., and did everything he could to make
them as comfortable as possible seder such terrible chum-
steams. All that long and dreadful night both parsagrs and
mew continued to work without intermission pouring tons
of water down the hatches and forepart; hold were also out
in the deck, and engine•pumps and booketa want to work,
pouring down water into the hold, the captain cheering ns
all the while, Dever leaving the deck even for • moment..
mol
I d not admire his palm courage, surrounded as he
was on the poop with so many weeping women and children,
whom he never owed to comfort by UN assurance that they '
would soon be all ads in the beam. The majority of the
passengers wise for • long time ignorant of the toll SWAM of
their real danger ; but the more intelligent of embalm that
we were mom than 600 miles tram the aeon* lead, that ear
boats could not carry more than half of and that the sea
was so high thee no boat could be leonhad in safety, or if
got clear could sot long live, deeply laden as it must neces-
sarily he. Or only dram was of Wag pined up, but we
venom" for an of theralb of ell ands, ad we felt that our
destanika wee elagta peaks el Una Still we worked
without lisehteg kat Owens etwiWeg It became evident
thm earrageleriiblft VOW be la eak,Mr, from the smoke
now base Its way Me the tort sad ascend cabins, it be-
came apperent that the are was weak' he way at among
the cargo in the &MOW. The Isere. windows, bc., of
the sussed cabin wen walked up, and the meats d the bulk-
head sad dean it elmele ef the Matanens is the Best cabin
Crnet with aserepapere. The mernileg of the 24th
el epos am Wit mad beautiful; bet still the ms ss
high. W. willed Wen the wind. and still as weeded
herd with the emegy of despair—for now aU fit that then
ow bat lads haps Ike es. About ness the ilawierd came
down by the run, but without injuring rams. Mom et the
pemeepse sad mew WINO new takes I eat been the angles
owl franklab lasear up eft the bac make ,
end berm* work. Daktg oari sheet soak of bathing -
teem ite:iierly we moaned the oaema 1 Several time I
enght kakis( sad leacylag that 1 saws sell, but
it wee the }ea lighng up white ousel of • wen.
There wee irel no ti
keps bra
as and
_./1117 OM be-
mune quite sedmill to our merible AM. AMIN Milt the
smoke tied he* loam se mt thet we veireaken kegs
the teggathril Isteleak, ea which we had esseined tepees
wear, sod, biked. wen arias to remain hewed of the
foremast ; the deshe also became very hot, and we en-
nead sooty ti ht to see the esteem burst through the
bows. We wme eke in some dread of the foremast giving
way, which would hove prsotsted our fare, as in its
fall it must have an up pert of the deck, through whisk the
Anise would then have burst upon us. The ceptainizaieg
parer,
avid myself, pitched ear bottles cg men
on position end glemey prospects ; and I -having bees
mended ie the thighe by a fill daring the n,mad Wag
the little theme Iwould have la a sernshk for the boas,
W bid gr. taistobhaftlesids sad to al the world.
" The add Miser, pm:, dater, Mr. Warner,
the other lad myself, -wen tote this
salon at 2 p.m. to eat be we w all
MAL We nee seam whet we to be ow Imbli=
but we wan all esim, end ens cheerful, Capella Johnsen
askfsig to he atemed ler the assester in which he oar brash*
up
the penned rims, which with a few Waft
wan to lens otar Maw_ and I for. apples* et Miner la
math a rake, being literafly covered Math sod hoe with ter.
At ahem BM p.m, end what about to mired'
as. of ma make eon Were the keel we
wee startled with the ery of A sail l' Ide ea barn
we all ambled on but we were thin In ea Went
How I looked to wWwed, sad how bet and M I kit
win I et des felled to passive waythesig hat the elan and
a kw Ma* dons Ina at the ado el the halm; bow we
all et Ism saw the sail, just line detest gal—ebe was oaks
down
we
se—close by the edge el the som's says en the me ;
bow we all cheered, sad_ wept, Ind preyed, sad WOW sad
duped seek other's heath, sad wedsgas ; Ise=
nark hams !maid seek etherept Moe
hew mess, mks bane, mateirea
thwees thisheeekgalluebtarrsew rhos wits pressrad the
greatest lablinseee- death esemsd es oar WIMP aew ens-
plasly entwesses, I sweat theeribe. I shook heads with
at kw* • headnd—ateny of theta rough, Minnie tan, but
who had isestied with a Muth seenge embus of
sad whit wess sew se awn k their of thstatekees
as the bat se es. Is len lineed ra half ea law hem the din
mhtass,
we that ashebet, the , awed be the Mar-
shiminen, ef l
and ikess Leakswidth, with Weepsto he Collage
paned den ender en stern. How we sheered her, sad she
✓etensal ear dim se Beitialt soldiers sad metre am
char. OreepaiWei thmeste Ms tramp% 'Wa en on
toe, will yes send byen P le whisk Cia4bia IMPS IF
t amed • Wet, ,Aps, 4s; aid
_mad ay bean le and* yea.'
&ma tere of the MaribenneWe bun sad throe ed
ems ware Imadtall ; bas the an stfill tan high, end we ex-
every main a see seam edam tamped or dished
is pima okapi& ; hat, thanks to the allay sad can of Mr.
Peneelland Mr. lone, the Sr* end mosall were of the
Mortheetem. ad of war m vegan k Amp Mae Mats,
fbysewaseel beaten the no meth ISOM *see
sect , We toe emberled the masse end Mikes, end
sat see were r Way ea bawd the Mistek, ear
being the hat le knit
/has we ansider the hen, as rraaaaaallaagg. end the wy
in whisk both ships welded Asa, pariwYrl7 the laden
ash Ibuss ths ohms* el saMelear steelly her, we
meet hat akin the ennagemmee Capeake Ithestose
ea
Irma end be law marl 111 preen from a &kelvin
ship is Nab • s ty glass • a•de sedisa, speaks be lent
Oa heard the famhsarae Coati Brows led paraded
be meted dear far vellabg our wasts sad
= lk*
is Co
our meat; mad veil was be ll by p-
an Mama, essanalbg the keeps. They elaailad prepaed
hie as emil hail* Ow *PE The maws sad &Skew yore

'eflawl most' led the
ecrie7seedstedl7la• ;lady S.s-d
crew sad pee edger seemed end rid of le sea rid
the sadists arid alas, wished de sildhlost res.
Wes. The Mewls tass reed by the bereft ship
&AM the eight, sad et shoat 2 sari. dr less lord
kook ore the lappliase foreoude ; seas Arm the tin•
and rest over the side, sad in Jun en his. wale aid
ainea urn wok red doom after she Was • ear at Imam
We seed err her edil until shout d sr., whim, the
ideediesiren bads( reed for Table bay, the Heroes br-
ide, Me pod kr re le disdagaidi other thee a den eked
dead Wier the din berms, which vas the lest we ear
d der ship. We to the drat ..his sand s perks of our
but the whine et the other pareagere ad the
of the errs Met everything. Bat vs ere an truly
thooldol for our promenades bra a Sin ds rad isediehis

death; and we ell feel that the finger of Providence was in
it, for had the Merchantman not been obliged to put into Rio
de Janeiro in conieqn-noe of ths Wars of W medical
officer they in charge of the troops, she could not have been
so far out of her course, and in a poultice to wane us.
" A singular circumstance was repreted tom by those on
board the Merchantman. It appears that while at dinner,
and immediately before they perceived us, the captaW's lady
and some of the odious affirmed that they heard distinctly,
and at regular intervals, the sound of distant artillery. As
we had no heavy guns, aid did not fire oe even a pistol, I
am unable to account for the sound, which may have been
caused by some submarine volcanic phenomena, or there
may have been another Tomei in distress at a greater
thethene, and the report of her guns may have been
carried Eking by an sound/is current of air. I and I am
awe every p rseager on board, am anxious to bear testi-
mony to treatment we have received on board the
Merehentessa. Captain Brown went about amongst us like
a father; and Captain Dawson also did all he could for us
personally, and by urging hie men to share everything with
passenger aed Drew; and well did these brave fellows obey
ieh orders Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Dawson were very Ohm-
tire to the women and children. Lieutenant, J. R. Car-
lisle and J. B. Rattledge; Resigns D. W. B. Ogilvy, P.
W. Howley, and Smith; as also Gentlemen Cadet R. R.
Inglis, sad assistant•Surgeme Forrestal;
nobly emulated each other in striving who could be
to um, and beet mildew: to us in our all bat destitute coa-
-1 dinar'. When we teemed that British °Mom were on
board we felt seamed that by the we would be treated
with the sympathy to which In epees measure our misfor-
tunes entitled us; but we were gilts unpeepared for the ge-
nerous kindness, displayed in such • haling and consi-
derate manner, w►leh we have eerleneid during our
voyage ea board the Mewtheadman. .
I cannot speak too highly of Captain J.
con-
duct, end I am cure every one wbo was on board the unfor-
tunate Eastern City will agree with me. He did all for
our safety and the misty of his ship that man could do,
and by his calm courage animated as all • while by the abi-
lity of his arrengements everything wait sendseted be ea
orderly and systematic manner, at a time when the slightest
confusion must have been attended with the moat &arum

" Alik• fin originated is the forehoid, with which there
wee so comastutioation from the forecastle sad foresteerege,

sad se the forshatch bed bees battened down for limi;
days, It mast have been cessed.....q.,...apciateasons combastkia,
or the friction of badly stowed the previous
day, when the ship rolled se heavi7 ebtrAl me.
"I soot close my oommunication without beerhyr ter&
MOW to the calm behaviour of the impale parterres. Alas
the ATM half-hour they never complained ; and It was only
when the ship took a tacrethaa nasally heavy roll that some
of the more timid uttered • few screams. Poor things, they
were many of them resigned to their sad fate I The purser's
wife, la particular, astealsited me by hie calmness
*gunboat. The ship, cargo, sad property baksgi_Ott to
the cannot hare beta worth less Ikea 90,0001. to
100,0001."

On the paseengen landing at Table Bay they presented
letter ',to Capture Damon sad Captain Brews, expreeeher
their gratitude to them for their noble conduct in raecoug•
them from it terrible death, and for their sabeaquent ktad
and freeetose trestroest. The Government ll=
agent took charge of them, and Unhinges Candies
bad been chartet.d to take them on to Melbourne. A sub-
scription had been startd at Cape Town to relieve their tem-
porary wants.