The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-08 00:00:00

THURSDAY

THE LOSS OF THE AMAZON.

The destruction of this splendid steamer, and the
dreadful loss of life with which there is evLry reason to
apprehend that it has been accompanied, have created,
as alight have been expected a most painful impression
in the public mind. We regret to ray that no tidings
have been yet received of any more of the passengers
and crew being saved, and a day or two will probably
elapse before all doubts and uncertainties are removed
upon that terrible subject. It is possible that other
boats besides thew seen way have got away from the
burning wreck, for there were nine altogether, three of
which were swamped, three floating off with their car-
goes, and three still remaining unaccounted for. The
darkness of night might by chance have prevented those
in the life-boat from observing all that took place, yet
the strong
impression among them teems to be that they
are the only survivors.
The list of passengers believed to be lost is as follows
-Meters. Do Pass and Delgado, Lieutenant Geylis, Mr'
Fellows, and Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Winton, Jamaica; Mr.
Best and servant, Mr. Kilkelly, Messrs. Callender and
Stirling, and Mr. A ..ey
ne Barbadws; Mr. Johnston; Mr.
Burnett, and Mr. and Mrs'. Scotland, Trinidad; Mr. Hick,
Mr. and Mrs. lil'Clinnow, Demerara ; Mr. Eliot W ar-
burton, Mr. Geraud, M. and Madame Lacombe and
child, M,ll
Cha Mr. M. Del Rio, Margaret
Kerseboe' Mr. China, Mr. Barincoso, and
Mr. Dellemere,
gres;
Fitzgerald, M. Fevrier, and Mr. Glennie, Vera Cruz;
Miss Smyth, Porto Rico; Mr. Joel, Jamaica; Mr. Cum-
i Gng and Mr. Evans, St. Thomas; Mr. Cardennas, Santa
Martha; Mr. Blood, Mr. Anthony, and Mr. Hamilton,
Jamaica; Mr. Ferreor, Grace Hoare, Mr. Stryboo, and
Mr.
Mr. Leranier , Vera Cruz; Mr, Crovecowst, St. Thomas;
Faye, Guadeloupe.
The passengers saved are-Mr. Hawkos, Vera Cruz;
Mr. Neilson, Demerara • Mr. Sisley, Chagres.
The names of the crew' believed to bo lost are :-Wil-
ham Symonds, commander; Henry Roberts, 34, chief
officer, Gosport; Charles H. Treweeke, 29, second
officer, Illogan; ohn Lewis, 21, third officer, Kingston,
Jamaica; George
Paignton;
James W. Fullerton, 37, surgeon, county of
Donegal; H. D. Goodridge, 21, fourth officer,
Strutt, 33, purser, Middlesex; Francis
Stainforth, 16, midshipman,
East Indies; William K.
Stuart, 15, midshipman, Tallybeg; Thomas Walter
Shapcott, 28, purser's assistant, Southampton; David
Davis, 40, boatswain, Cardigan; James Murchis, 34, car-
penter, Ayr; James Bryant, 26, carpenter's mate and
joiner, Dawnton, Wilts; Joseph Kay, 41, master.at-
rin
arms, Bolton; George Deal, 26, quartermaster, Brid-
port ; Alexander King, 33, quartermaster, Stromness;
William , 33, quartermaster, Fareham ;
Carter,llichard Ma t2O, A. 8., Poplar; Peter Kelly, 19, A. 8.,
Aberdeen; Daniel Brown, 27, A. 8., Yarmouth; George
HarWebb, 34, A. 8., Southampton; Samuel Perry, 20, A. 8.,
nL;
Londe';
a di cohlar; d
JosephL L. Ta invzds
Wright, 28, A. 8., Gosport; John M. W. Rogers, 28,
34, A. 8.., Ht Henry
A. 8.,
20, A. 8., Devonport;
William Foy, 21,. A. 8., Althorpe; Thomas Hart, 33,
AGlen, 34, A. 8., Greenock; John
Clark,B Kent; `quire39,A.B.,Burnham; William Stevenson, 23, A. 8.,
Ayr; James Dove, 36, A. 8., Isle of Wight; George
Holah, 29, ships cook, Mile-end; John Forse, 36,
officers' servant, Exeter; Richard Harris, 16, dispensary
boy, Isle of Wight;lB,
Lecidra, 17, boy, St. Ives; George
William Fox, 17, boy, Falmouth;
boy, Koyel; F. S. Wall, 15, boy,
Charles
Angus, 34, chief engineer, Dunbar; William Angus, 32,
Southampton;Danie l Trimming,
second engineer, Punbar; William Bastin, 40, third
engineer, Alphington; William Stone, 37, fourth engi-
neer, Ludgeon; Andrew Ferguson, 25, fifth engineer,
Greenock; Frederick Davey, 26, sixth engineer, Exeter;
Isaac Roberts, 36, boiler-maker, Holyhead ; Johu Lamont,
22, fireman, Jersey; Charles Flemington, 29, fireman,
Morton; George Reeves, 22, fireman, Brading ; Charles
Lang, 44, oreman, Alverstoko; Michael Fox, 36, fireman,
Blarney; John Fowler, 38, fireman, Old Ford; George
Harding, 26, fireman, Crayford; Nathan Wigley, 32, fire-
man, Paul's tray; Thomas Attwood, 30, fireman, at sea;
Peter 33, fireman, Rothsea ; John Richards, 29,
fireman, Millbrooke; Robert Furl, 36, fireman, Portsea;
William Paine, 38, fireman, Southampton ; John W.
Watts, 23, fireman, Southampton. • William Scott, 29,
.
fireman, Harwieb ; Lane, 31, fireman, Ly-
mington ; Henry Day, 22, fireman, Walton ; George
Tucker, 21, coal-trimmer, Walton : W. Jarman, 30,
coal-trimmer, Portsea ; W. Good,. 32, coal-trimmer,
London ; Charles Deildney, 25, coal-trimmer, Hastings;
W. Lucas, 20, coal-trimmer, Dorsetshire; Henry Car-
ter, 21, coal-trimmer, Southampton ; Abraham Bundy,
33, coal-trimmer, Leap ; W. Wall, 25, coal-trimmer,
Wickham; John Potter, 23, coal-trimmer, Wylie ; Sa-
muel Lees, 35, coal trimmer, Wolverhampton; Thomas
Forder, 32, coal-trimmer, Sutton; Angus Mimes, 27,
lamp-trimmer, Fortvrilham ; W. Norris, 18, engineer's
servant, Southampton; Michael Gould, 41, head waiter;
Kinsend ; W. G. Lambert, 24, waiter, Chatham ; W.
Adams, 21, waiter, Shirley ; John Banco, 20, waiter,
Southampton; John Blake, 33, bedroom steward, Hop-
ton; Thomas Philpott, 34, foreroona steward, Ramsgate;
Robert Daniel, 23, saloon cook, Bethnal-green; Debray
Thephile, 30. French cook, France ; Charles Mills, 25,
second cook and scullion, Hershey ; Joseph Kirby, 36,
baker, Southampton ; John Watson, 22, boots, South-
ampton; James E. Stroud, 26, butcher and stock-keeper,
Thatcham ; Frederick Falkner, 33. store-keeper, Mid-
dlesex ; E. Scott, 44, stewardess, Banff; George Ger-
rin, 17, boy, Helin ; Thomas James Brown, 18, able
seaman, Hants.
Those of the crew saved are-Mr. Vincent, jun.,
midshipman; Mr. James Williamson, chief steward;
Mr. John Dunford, quartermaster; W. Foster, Thomas
Carney, James Mayne, James Mowatt, William Stears,
J. H. Peasmore, 11. Williams, William Stevenson, and
John Nerink, able ecamen; William Nutman, water-
tender; James White, John Shearing, and Charles
Thorn, firemen; W. Dumner and George King, trimmers.
Tho fearful account of life and death, therefore, by the
loss of the Amazon stands thus at present-
Ship's company
Admiralty &goat
Passengers

••• ••• ••• 110
.•• ••• ..• 1
••• ... •.• 50

Sived
••• e• ...

161
.. • 21
..._._

Missing
••• • .• ••• 140
•,
Of the ceuees which led to this terrible catastrophe
nothing is yet known with certainty, but they will, no
doubt, form the subject of immediate inquiry by the di-
rectors of tho company. The only conjecture that can
at present be hazarded is that which connects with the
outbreak of the fire the heated state of the bearings. All
new ships suffer more or less in the same way until
their engines
get into working trim, and, as will be
seen from the subjoined narratives, the Amazon was
to ice stopped in her course from this very cause. The
gale of wind which was blowing, the heavy sea, and the
full pressure of steam, all tended to increase the danger
likely thus to arise, and the point at which the flames
were first seen certainly appears to prove that they
originated in the engine-room. Some of the survivors
will probably bo able to
this point.
The loss of life, the swamping of the boats, and all
the other horrors of this afflicting event are too easily
account for. give important evidence on
impos-
sible to get at the engines, in order to stop them. When
the ship's head
was to windward the flames swept the
marvellous how any
The position of the fire rendered it
afterdecks, where the* passengers chic fly were. Before
the wind se was going at a tremendous speed, and it is
of the boats were launched under
such circumstances and in such a sea. The escape of
the little dingy is no doubt dun to the calmness and in-
trepidity of Mr. Vincent, who, though a mere boy in
years, proved himself a thorough man and sailor on the
occasion. He not only guided his small boat in safety
till he joined the life-boat, but there he took immediate
command as superior officer, and did everything in his
power to sustain the courage of the crew throughout
that dreadful night. The following written statement
was laid by him yesterday afternoon before the directors
of the compsny
"The Amazon was at noon of the 3d of January,
1852, in lat. 49 12 N., and long. 4 57 W., from which
titan she steered W. by s, .S,- S., till 9 30 P.M. of the
same day, whenshe " was stripped to cool the bearings.
At 11 12 r at, she
proceeded, still steering the same
course, steaming about 8f knots per hour, wind and sea
increasing from the windward. At 40 minutes a.m. on
the 4th smoke was observed coming through the hatch-
way, on the foreside of the foremost funnel. Immediately
afterwards the flames burst through. The alarm was
immediately ea„...._
6 .11. and the captain and chief officer
came on deck. The fire-hose and buckets of water were
brought to play on tbe fire, but that together with the
attempt to stop the engine was ineffectual. The helm
was put hard to starboard to put her before the wind, but
it was some time before she payed off. The mail boat,
when lowered, was immediately swamped, with about 25
people in her, all of whom were lost. The pinnace,
when lowered, sheered across the sea before the people
in her could unhook the fore-tackle. They were thereby
washed out, and the boat remained hanging by the bow.
While clearing away the second cutter a sea struck her
and bow-
tackle. The fore end immediately
fell down, and the
peopleraisedinher,hertheexceptionthwarts,Sixteenpassen-
gers)away
succeeded
and lowering the
that their exertions were with-
life-boat on the starboard side. They used every en-
deavour to save those in the water, but were swept
same time I (Mr. Vincent),
opuasttaysaoil. rapidly
with the chief steward, one passenger, and two seamen,
astir:all boat go
got into and lowered the dingy, and were
picked up by
the life-boat about half an hour afterwards, when we
immediately took the small boat in tow, and stood down
itdlyabout the
dingy being upset, and ourselves being nearly swamped,
sea increasing, and the
were obliged to lot the
of us,
life-boat with her head to the sea. Whilst lying-to a
fwoor the ship, but the wind
and was accordingly hailed,
and keep the
and did, I believe, answer, but did nothing of any kind
to assist us, but stood down to leeward of the ship,
hauled on a wind, and went away, There was now on
our quarter a boat with fire men in her (supposed to
but we
barque parsed astern
be the gig), could not from the severity of the
weather render her any assistance. About half an hour
afterwards
we suddenly lost sight of her. About 4 a.m.
it rained heavily,
wind shiftod to northward, decreasing
sea, confused, but going down; put the boat about, and
kept before it.
At 5 the magazine exploded, and about
half an hour afterwards the funnels went over the side,
soon after which the ship went down bodily. At noon
we were picked
up by the Marsden, of London, stood in
for the coast of France, and afterwards (wind shifting
to the southward) for Falmouth, and lastly for Ply-
mouth, et which place wo arrived en Monday, 11 raw.
' "48 SN. lat. when picked up; 530 W. long., ditto.
" WILLIAM VINCENT.
" To the Secretary R. M. S. P. Compaoy,
Jac. 6, 1852,"

Tho Court have already taken steps to supply tbo
gap in our communications with the West Indies and
Central America caused by the loss of tho Amazon, and
on Sunday or Monday nem the Avon will start from
59t1thaWS9gl.