The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-27 00:00:00

Sad Calamity on the Hudson River.

The steamer Berkshire, plying between Hudson
and New York, on her down trip, on the Wed-
nesday night, previous to the departure of the last
mail, caught fire at a point near Hyde-park about
10 o'clock, and was burnt to the water's edge, in-
volving a loss of from 40 to 50 lives. She had 200
passengers on board at the time of starting from
Hudson. There was also a large freight of cattle,
sheep, and other live stock. The origin of the fit:e
is not yet clearly understood. Some passengers say
that it broke out in the lamp-room from the explos
sion of a lamp; others that it first appeared in some
bales of hay stowed in huge piles near the bow of
the steamer, and was kindled by a pipe or cigar
thrown carelessly among thtm. There were but few
persons ou deck at the time, most of the passengers
having retired to rest. The alarm was- promptly
given, and a scene of wild excitement followed.
The wind was blowing from the north, and the flames
spread rapidly, defying all attempts of the crew and
the coolest portion of the passengers to extinguish
them. It soon became evident that no efforts
could save the vessel or anything on board, and she
was accordingly headed for the shore. The engi,
neer turned the valves, and the helm was fixed so
that the boat would run on the flats to the east-
ward, and in this condition she was driven on the
beach, while the flames were making rapid pros
gress, and the passengers who were awakened en-
deavouring to escape. The effort on the part of
some persons on board to prevent any confusion
was probably a most disastrous mistake. Many
persons are known to have been belo cv, whence
others had just escaped with their lives from the
suffocating smoke. One of our informants relates
that he was below, and was awakened by the hasty
tramp of feet, and heard the remark that the boat
was on fire. He immediately left his bed and hurried
on deck, where he saw the flames coming from the
bow to the stern, where he was standing. He had in
the evening seen some cork life-preservers on the
lower deck, and now he hastened back and took one
of them from among the quantity. This person
saw or heard several others groping about below,
and endeavouring to get themselves out of the cabin ;
but none of them followed him, and it is supposed
that they were lost. He was subsequently saved
by a boat, which, after he had jumped into the
river and floated down some distance with the cur 4
rent, took him to a point of rocks below. As the
boat neared the beach the appearance of the middle
deck, with the fire extending through most of its
length, and the passengers crowding to its furthest
extremity, was truly appalling. The women and
children on board comprised about one-third of the
passengers. These were assisted as far as practi-
cable, by their immediate friends and other persons,
who could in many cases do nothing more than
encourage them to be patient, or, as it is understood
in a few instances, help them overboard with chairs
or any other buoys that could be found. At this time
the confusion was extreme, and shrieks and cries
mingled with the roaring of the flames, Which had
made all points of the boat inconveniently hot,
and compelled many self-possessed persons to hang
themselves over the railing till
the boat should
reach the beach or shallow water. The boat ran
ashore with most of her Passengers
yet on board.
She lay with her bow in two or three feet of water;
so that probably half the
passengers escaped by
jumping into the water and wading or swimming
ashore. A considerable proportion, however, had
been driven to the stern by the extreme heat, and
that end of the boat was still in deep water. There
was, therefore, no resource bqt to jump overboard.
Persons who could swim gained the shore, but many
could not help themselves, and floated down with
the tide. One person among this number counted
30 or 40, among them some women, one of whom
had lost three children, who were either burnt or
drowned. One of the party became stupified, and
lost his hold of a girl whom he had rescued from
the steamer. The young lady went down. Her
mother had been abandoned in the vessel. Some of
the party who were thus floating down the river
disappeared, while others were rescued by boats
which came from a schooner which hove in sight,
and also from the steamer James Baldwin. A few
of these persons were taken next morning by the
steamer Mary Powell from Rondout, where they
were carried the previous night. They express
their obligations to Captain Anderson. A consi-
derable majori,y cf the passengers are undoubtedly
safe. Probably the number lost—more than half
of whom are supposed to have been burnt on board
—will reach 40 or 50. Almost without exception
their property, including some of their clothing,
was lost. Many of the number were entirely des•
titute, but were partially provided for through the
kindness of the captain of the James Baldwin end
of other persons. There is little or nothing of the
Berkshire remaining above water except her machi-
nery. Her hull is blackened and charred at the
water line, and nothing probably will be saved from

the London Rifle Brigade, under the command of Lieut.-
Col. Warde, an experienced officer of the Line., was reviewed
in Hyde-park by H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, honorary
colonel of the regiment. It was one of the first corps formed
k at the beginning of the volunteer movement, and in that re-
spect set an example to the rest of the metropolis and of the
country at large, as became the inhabitants of the srat muni-
cipalityin the kingdom. It has always numbered about 1,000
men, representing almost every class of the citizens, has
invariably borne a creditable part in all the great volnieteet
reviews in the metropolis and its neighbourhood. Lieut.,
Col. Warde is a strict disciplinarian, and the brigade, sincca
he succeeded to the command of it, has attained a high de-
gree of efficiency. The brigade on Saturday mustered first
in the Mall of St. James-park to the number of nearly GOO,
in ten companies, including the cedet corps, and marched
thence to Hyde-park under the command of Col. Warde,
preceded by their band and colours. There the ground was
kept for them by a detachment of the let Surrey Rifle Volun-
teers, commanded by Lieut.-Col. Macdonald. His Royal
Highness the Commander-in-Chief appeared upon the
ground about 6 o'clock, attended by Adjutant• General Sir
James Yorko Scarlett, Col. P. Herbert, Col. Curzon, and
Col. Keane. The brigade, which was arranged in lino, pre-
seated arms and the band played the National Anthem.
The Duke, with his Staff; then rode slowly along the line,
front and rear, inspecting the men and their accoutrements ;
and, this over, his Royal Highness took up his position at
the saluting flag, and the brigade, wheeling into open
column, marched past in that order, then in close column,
and afterwards at "the double." The Duchess of Cambridge
and the Princess Mary arrived about that time in an open
carriage and saw nearly the whole of the evolutions. The
steadiness and precision with which the marching past was
performed elicited repeated expressions of admiration from
the Commander-ia-Chief, addressed to the officers of his
S tail. A series of battalion movements followed. The brigade
was afterwards exercised in light infantry drill and skirmish-
ing, until the whole regiment had been sent out in skirmish-
ing order. A t the close of the evolutions, which lasted about
an hour, the brigade was formed into square, and the Com-
mander-in-Chief with his Staff rode into the centre. His
Royal Highness, addressing them, said the test to which
they had that [day been subjected was a most severe one.
There was hardly a manoeuvre, he should think, to be found
in the drill book which they had not executed, and all ho
could say was that he should be perfectly satisfied if he
always saw regiments that could drill half as well. Through..
out the whole of the very difficult movements not a single
mistake had been made,' nor had there beent the slightest
noise or confusion, and altogether the whole series of evoln-
tions had been performed with a regularity and precision
exceedingly creditable to the brigade and to the officer in.
command. The orders of the colonel in command were effi-
ciently and rapidly carried out by theofficers and men, and on
the whole he was never more pleased with any drill. He
must say also that he never saw an officer in command of a
battalion handle it with more judgment or with greater
tact than Colonel Warde had displayed on this occasion.
He was gratified to find everything going on in the corps
satisfactorily. On this occasion, if he remembered rightly,
there was a much larger muster than at the inspection of
last year; and the general appearance of both officers and
men, the neatness with which their accoutrements had been
put on, and the steady way in which they stood in the ranks
were worthy of all praise. His Royal Highness, smiling,
remarked upon the accuracy and regularity with which the
hair was cut—a thing, he added, trivial of itself, bat which,
with others, went far to make up the smartness of a regi-
ment. He again expressed the pleasure which the inspec-
tion of the regiment had afforded him, and congratulated
them on the manner in which they had acquitted themselves
and on their general efficiency. The corps then by a spon-
taneous movement placed their caps on their bayonets, and,
raising them high in the air, gave three enthusiastic cheers
for the Queen, followed by three tor his Royal Highness.
With that the review ended. The duke, with the officers of
his staff, left the ground, and the brigade, preceded by the
band, returned to their headquarters at Guildhall. Major
Rose and Major Pawson were the officers in command on
the occasion, next to the Lieutenant-Colonel.
A challenge from the Gloucester Dock Volunteers Rifle
Company, to compete with any similar number of Volun-
teers in the counties of Gloucester, Hereford, Monmouth,
or Worcester for efficiency in drill, has been accepted
by Lieutenant-Colonel Savile on behalf of the Bristol
Volunteer Artillery corps. The conditions of the challenge
are as follow :—Fifty members on each side. The drill
to include examination of arms, manual and platoon
exercise, file and volley firing, piling arms, and the whole
of company drill, with such battalion movements as can be
effectively performed by a single company. Steadiness in
the ranks and general smartness to form part of the test.
Referees and an umpire to be chosen by mutual arrange-
ment, and to be officers of practical experience in the regu-
lar service,

Mr Waterman, of Shirley, near Southampton, who some
time since offered a battery, con Fisting of 14 field guns, to
the King of Denmark, has received the thanks of his Ma-
jesty, who, under existing circumstances, has declined to
accept the guns. Mr Waterman, still wishing to place the
guns to the best possible use, has determined to present the
battery to some Volunteer corps, and has selected the 2d
Surrey Artillery Volunteer Brigade as worthy of the battery
—and the guns are now en their way to London to be pre-
sented to Major Darnford, the commanding officer. for the
use of the corps. The presentation is formally to take place
on the 28th, her Majesty's coronation day.