The Sun.
London, England, 1840-02-08 00:00:00

ILFRACOMBE-FRIDAY.

FROST, WILLIAAS, AND JONES.
On Tuesday last durin,r; a heavy gale from the N. W.,
a steamer was observed beating to the westward ; she
shortly made for this harbour, and proved to be the Usk,
of Newport. Great interest was excited on military being
observed on board, and when the Preventive Officer at-
tempted to board her, he aas refused admission until he
had produced his authority ; and when in the harbour the
military were observed to be on actual duty, it immediately
was whispered about that Frost, Williams and Jones were
on board, on their way to the hulks. On the arrival last
night of ne Sun of Monday, announcing that they had
left Chepstow, per the Usk, at six o'clock on Sanday
morning, the doubt was dispelled. This morning, although
the wind had abated considerably, yet the sea was so high
that it was not deemed piudent to move until the afternoon's
tide.

Here, for forty_eight hours, lay the vessel containing
those three individuals, who have been the talk of the United
Kingdom for the last three months, and exciting no other
interest than curiosity. It being knolin that they would
leave yesterday afternoon, the quay and the neighbouring
hills were crowded to witness her departure. The steam
had been got up in readiness, and instantly on her floating.
a little after five o'clock, the power was put on the engines,
and away she went.

Lieutenant Langley of the 19th, had the military
command.
Fresh stocks of coals and provisions were taken on board.
I understand that the spirits of the prisoners were very
greatly indeed depressed.

UNITED STATES.

DREADFUL CATASTROPHE - ONE HUN-

DRED LIVES LOST.

The Louis Philippe, Captain arrived on the .1d
inst., at Havre, from New York, which port she left on
the 18th ult. The Garrick, from Liverpool, which sailed
on the 14th December, and the Burgundy, from Havre,
with intelligence to the 16th, were the latest arrivals from
Europe. The interest attached _to the domestic news
by this arrival is chiefly confined to the czlamitous loss of
the steamer Lexington by fire, with a dreadful sacrifice of
human life, of which full particulars will be found below.
(From the Kew York Herald.)
Our City was thrown into a fearful state of excitement
yesterday afternoon (15th January), by the news brought
by the steamer Nimrod, Captain Brooks, from Bridgeport,
that the steamer Lexington had been destroyed by fire in
Long Island Sound. The Lexington left New York on
Monday afternoon with about 150 passengers, and 29 persons
connected with the boat. She had a heavy deck-load of cot-
ton, and when about two miles from Eaton's Neck, and not
far from Huntingdon, Long Island, the cotton and wood-
wcrk round the flues were discovered to be on fire ; and
in one hoar she was burnt to the water's edge, and all but
three persons perished--viz. : Hempstead, engineer of
the boat ; Charles Smith, a fireman, and Captain Chester
Hilliard, a passenger. We have received the following
letter from Captain Brooks, of the Nimrod steamer, dated
yesterday, on board his vessel, giving the particulars of the
catastrophe as detailed by Capt. flilliard :
" Sir,---I have seen Captain Chester Hilliard, one of
the survivors from the destruction of the steamer Lexing-
ton on Monday night last by fire, and from him gather the
following particulars :—The boat left New York at three
o'clock—he thinks with about 150 passengers and full
freight. About half-past seven in the evening, heard the
cry of fire ; he ran on deck, and saw the fire bursting
through the wood-work round the chimney. All was con-
fusion and terror in a moment. He ran up to the wheel to
advise running for the shore, which Capt. Childs informed
him they were doing, he being up at the wheel. He
then ran down on deck. An attempt had been made to rig
the fire-engine on board, but did not succeed. They rushed
for the boats and jumped in, to the number, he thinks, of
20 in each, and lowered them down, while the boat was
under full headway, and they filled immediately ; he is of
opinion that not one of them escaped. The life-boat was
thrown over; but caught the water-wheel, and was lost.
He saw several floating with life preservers, but Captain
Hilliard thinks none survived till morning. He advised
tumbling over the cotton-bales, and assisted, he thinks,
getting over ten or twelve, and lashed himself to one.
When the steamboat stopped, which she did from some
cause to him unknown, a man of tire name of Ccx,
employed on board, got on with him about eight o'clock,
and the braces under the guards were full of per-
sons,
having gained that position as the last resort. He
remained on the bale of cotton, and was taken off by Cep-
tain Meeker, of sloop Merchant, of Stockport. The sloop
saw the fire soon after it broke out, and attempted to get
out of the harbour; but it being shallow and the tide fall-
ing they caught ground, and did not get out until morning
tide. Cox died about eight o'clock, on the bale with Hil-
liard. Captain Hilliard is now en board, from Bridge-
port to New York.
We have heard particulars frightful enough to appal the
stoutest heart, although imperfectly detailed. One ac-
count says that the fire was discovered under a tier of
cotton bales, piled amidships, against the wooden box or
frame which enclosed the pipe leading from the fire-room
below, this boat having her boiler in her kelson, or under
deck. This pipe led through the freight above, and the
ignition of the cotton had become so extensive before the
fire-engine and hose of the boat could be put in operation,that
both crew and passengers were so overwhelmed in smoke arid
the natural agitation of the moment, that all efforts to sub-
due the fire were unavailing. A rush was then made for
the boats, but in the agitation of the time they were filled
is overflowing, and were swamped alongside the burning
boat. So far as we can learn, not a soul but the three
above mentioned were saved. The deaths of the sufferers
were awful—fire ! water ! frost and cold ! Oh God ! oh,
God I can human imagination picture a death more hor-
rible ? The Lexington had $60,000 in specie on board ;
$16,000 of this was owned by the Merchant's Bank of
Boston. She was insured against fire, $lO,OOO in the
Eagle office, and $lO,OOO in the North American. Over
thirty stores were shut in the city as soon as the news
was received. Capt. Hilliard was saved from perishing by
frost because his body was in the water, and his head only
out. He is now at the United States' Hotel. The boat
drifted with the tide, and sank at three o'clock on Tues-
day morning, off Bridgeport harbour. Such is the fate of
the Lexington, and the hundred bright, brave, beautiful,
learned andigallant spirits that left New York in her, full
of life, hope, and joy, no later than Monday last. It is
feared that Professor Longfellow is lost in her ; the most
correct list was burnt up on board the boat; perhaps no
one will ever know all that were lost in her. The thought
is awful. Finn, the comedian, the wit, the humourist, died
this awful death. The German Professor, in Harvard
University, was there. Captains Kindall and Foster had
just arrived from South America, and were going on a
visit to their friends. Two brothers named Winslow
(with their sister and another) were taking'to Boston the
corpse of their brother, who died here a few days since.
In fact, we might fill our paper with interesting particu-
lars and touching domestic anecdotes of each one of the
sufferers. It is possible that some one or two others may
be saved, but it is barely probable. The thought is heart-
rending.
We have taken immense pains to get all the names of
the sufferers, and have collected the following:—
Henry J. Finn. of Newport ; Robert Blake, President
of the Bank of Wrentham, Wrentham; W. M. Green;
Providence; Samuel Henry, of the firm of A. and S.
Henry, Manchester, England ; C. H. Phelps, Director
of Transportation Gaol, and nephew, Stonington; R. W.
Dow, of the firm of Dow and Co.. New York ;
Fowler, do. ; N. Hobart, Boston ; C. W. Woolsey, and
six children, Boston; S. Waterbury, of firm of Mead and
Waterbury, New York ; J, H. Leach, Boston ; J. P. Felt,
Jun., Salem ; Ballard —; A. Howard, of firm cf
Howard and Merry, Boston ; A. E. Harding, of firm of
Harding and Co., New York ; Ch. Bosworth, Royalton,
Vt. ; Hen. C. Craig, of firm of Maitland, Kennedy, and
Co., New York • Mrs, Russell Jarvis, two children, New
York ; Thomas Taylor, of firm of James and Taylor,
New York ; J. D. Hoyt, New Hampshire ; Capt. John
Carver, Beston ; R. T. Courch,‘ York ; A
Baltimore;
Mon,
Jaoshnß n,
Bostoncst
er ;
Phillips,
Glou-
cester ;13.P1Vialcips, NewKinneY' Nev
York ; Jas. S. Brown, lady and
child, New Orleans; Crary, New York; Isaac Desk!,
Boston; John G. Low, Boston; John Corey, Foxboro',
Mass. ; J. Lynnfield, Stougton, Mass. ; Dr. Pollen. Bos-
ton ; Ch. Lee, Boston ; Joan Lemist, Boston ; Capt.
Child, brother of Capt. C. of the steamer ; T. Burt (with
1,000 dollars in possession), N. Y. ; Philo Upson, Egrc-
mons, Mass. : Capt. E. S. Kimball, Springfield; Capt.
B. F. Foster,do. ; P. Van Cot, Stonington ; W. Nichols,
coloured, Providence; J. Johnson, do. ; Capt. C. Hilliard,
Norwich, Conn. ; H. C. Bradford, just arrived from King-
ston, Jamaica; John N. Winslow, Boston ; W. Wins-
low, do. ; Miss Winslow, do. ; John Winslow, do. ; Alice
Winslow, do. ; Steele, New York; Adolph. Ham-
den, of Harden's Express, Boston ; Colton, do. ;
Ch. Noyes, New York , Ch. Brackett, do. ; Ch. Ebei,
comedian ; John Everett, of Boston ; R. Pickett, New-
bury port, Mass. ; Captain Thomas 'Smith, Dedham,
Mass. ; N. F. Dyer, Braintree, Mass. ; Western, of
firm of Western and Poindexter, Baltimore, Erastus
Coleman, Boston : William Pierce, Portland, Me. ;
Rob. Williams, Cold Spring, New York ; Hezekiah
Lawrence, of the firm of Kelly and Lawrence, New
York ; Thomas White, of firm of Cushing-, Conant and
White, Boston ; Franklin Dyer, Pittsburg, Pa. ; John,
W. Berle, Baltimore ; Walker, Baltimore; E. I .
batten, New York ; Stuyvesant, Boston ; Captain Mat-
tison ; W. H. Wit on, Worcester; Mr. Elias Brown,
Jr., Providence 7, Peck, of Stonington; —Pierce, mate
of the bark Berontes, Portland.
The following were officers and crew of the Lexington :
—G. Childs, captain ; Jesse Comstock, !rler_k_; S. Man-
chester, pilot ; Martin, wheelsman ;E Thurbo, first
mate ; D. Croley, second do. ; C. Hempsted, first engi-
_neeNrv;a\lkVe.r,Qbuairreye,pesrec;ongdodboe.rt; Isfe.hPu.itNz,esfivrmeamna,nst;ewßato•nd
j;.
Cox, do. ; Ch. Smith, do. ; Geo. Baum, do. ; six deck
hands ; Job Sand, waiter, and seven others ; Susan C.
Hulcumb, chamber-maid.
( From the New York Inquirer.)
It will scarcely be credited, yet we have heard from two
or three quarters, and one of which is entitled to every