The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-15 00:00:00

BURNING OF THE AM.ERICAN STEAMER
NIAGA.B. 3.

(Front Ca' Chicago Pribune Sept. 26.)
Yesterday em ruing oar city way. thrown into a state of
great excitewent by a report that the steamer Niagara, of
the Coll ilzwood Line, was be irned to the water's ed,,e, off
Port Washington, while on her way to this city with a
large load of passengers. Th e n; 3ws of the terrible catas-
trophe was first received by tele graph from Sheybormn
and later particulars were learn ed from the oMeers of
the
steamer Traveller, which reaches I.this port about 7 o'clock
a.m. From Mr. C. C. Wheeler., clerk of the Traveller
and the passengers on board the ill-fated Niagara
who
were brought by the Traveller, we gleaned the following
facts and incidents of the calamity :
The Niagara left Collingwood. on. Monday afternoon, at
two o'clock, in place of the Keystone State, the regular
steamer for that day. She started with from 150 to 175
passengers, 25 to 30 of whom she landed at Sheboygan,
the greater portion of whom werfa steerage passengers.
At about 2 o'clock -p.m. of We dt'.esday the Niagara left
Sheboygan, and about two hours afterwards was dis-
covered to be on fire. When t'ne fire was discovered there
was but little sea on, and the wind was about south-east,
and light. At this time the Niagara was from three to
four miles off North Point Washington, and some ten
miles or more this side of Sheboygan. As soon as the
fire was discovered Capt Bin. Miller, who was asleep,
was called, and the steam pumps set to work. A few
moments after this the palmengers were aware that the
boat was on fire, and a ac ene ensued which, said a pas-
senger, " beggars all deacription—consternation seized
upon almost every one, and men,
women, and children
rushed to and fro about the boat, shouting and crying."
Not half-a-dozen 'passengers gave any aid to the crew,
and but few attempted to make provision for their
own or friends escape. It was but a short time from the
first discovery of the fire until the whole upper cabin was
in flames. During this time a large number of passengers
had jumped overboard without anything to support them
in the water, and in a. few moments sank. Mothers threw
their children into the lake, and wildly sprang after them.
The water was intensely cold, and none but the hardiest
persons could live in it but a few moments. A large num-
ber of passengers, before the steamer stopped, in spite of
the appeals of the mate, got into the stern boat and
lowered it, when it instantly swamped, and all in it were
drowned. Another portion of the passengers filled the
starboard quarter boat, and lowered that also, and all
found a watery grave.
Before the upper cabin was in flames a portion of the
more self-possessed of the passengers wrenched the state-
room doors off, and threw them into the water, together
with tables, chairs, stools, &c., and upon these many of
those in the water saved themselves. After it had become
useless to remain on board any longer the second engineer,
carpenter, and a portion of the crew, together with a
number of passengers-22 persons in all—lowered away
the larboard quarter boat and pulled to the shore, where
the passengers were landed, and the crew returned with
the boat to render any assistance they might be able.
Capt. Miller with a number of others saved themselves by
clinging to the wheel, and were picked up by the boats.
The steamer Traveller, propeller Illinois, schooner Dan
Marble, and two small schooners and the lifeboat at Port
Washington, came to the assistance of the Niagara, and
made every possible exertion to save life. Their boats
were all manned and lowered as soon as they came near
enough the burning wreck to be of service, and kept at
work until nearly 9 o'clock at night, when all the persons
who could be found in the water, after thorough searching
for a considerable distance round the wreck, were carried
into Port Washington.
Mr. C. C. Wheeler, clerk of the Traveller, who was the
first person on board that steamer who discovered that
the Niagara was on fire, states that as the Traveller came
to the dock at Port Ulio, about 4 o'clock, to wood, he no-
ticed, some 10 miles distant, a dense smoke surrounding
the Niagara, and in a few Foments after saw the flames
burst out, as nearly as he could tell, on the starboard side,
just forward of the wheel-house. The Traveller immedi.
ately started to the assistance of the burning boat, and
reached her at about 5 o'clock, nearly an hour after she
caught fire. When the Traveller was about half-way to
the Niagara, the upper works of the boat were all burned
off, and her arches were plainly visible. As soon as the
Traveller arrived she lowered her boats, and then attempted
to tow the Niagara into shallow water, but the only place
where a cable could be attached, without burning off, was
to the rudder ropes, and these proved too weak, parting in
a very short time.
Among the saved was an old lady, who was found cling-
ing to a plank life-preserver, nearly exhausted, with her
shawl wrapped round her, binding her to it, and actually
holding on by her teeth. She was restored by the active
exertions of those on board the Traveller, and is now nearly
restored to her usual health.

Two brothers from Waterbury, Vermont, were among
the saved, who had come on here to seek their fortunes.
One was found upon the wheel, and the other was picked
up senseless about half a mile from the boat, clinging to a
ladder. After nearly two hours' work he was recovered.
A small schooner saved six persons. The schooner Dan
Marble saved quite a number, and two other schooners
also saved a number. The names of the persons we have
not obtained.
The propeller Illinois picked up some 30 persons, and
landed them at Port Washington, but when the Traveller
left it was impossible to obtain their names. It is supposed
that but two women were saved, though there wore some
..0 on board. There is little doubt but that nearly all the
crew were saved. The passenger list of the boat was
burned, so that it will be difficult to obtain a correct list
of the lost, particularly of the steerage and deck passen-
gers, but our next issue will probably contain an accurate
list of the saved.

Mr. George Holy, it is feared, •is among the lost. He has
been clerk in the Niagara ever since she has run. Ile was
well known in this city, and was greatly respected by all
who knew him. Mr. Hely's son Henry, who was second
clerk, was picked up by one of the Traveller's boats, and
taken into Port Washington, where he was left in a cri-
tical condition.
The Mon. John B. Macy, of Wisconsin, took passage
on the Niagara at Mackinac, and is supposed to be
lost. Mr. Hugh Kennedy lost his wife and daughter,
and Mr. H. Chalmers lost three children. The dead
bodies of three women, picked up by the Illinois,
were left at Port Washington. On the finger of one
of them Was a gold ring marked with the initials "Z. G.
D.," and there were no marks about the others particularly
to identify them. The body of a man, supposed to be about
70 years of age, was picked up by the Traveller. He had
a wallet containing $1 iu his pocket, but nothing by which
his age or residence could be ascertained. The first engi-
neer and the second mate of the Niagara were not on board.
Captain Miller informed Mr. -Wheeler that be supposed
there were about 130 passengers on board the boat when
she took fire, of whom from 40 to 50 were cabin passengers,
and the probability is that of these from 60 to 70, at least,
are lost.

As to the origin of the fire a painful rumour is in circu-
lation, but we forbear to give it, as there seems but little
probability of its being true. The most reasonable suppo-
sition is that the fire caught in the " fire-room," and had
made such headway before being discovered as to render
all attempts to extinguish it futile.

We aro informed that Capt. Miller exhibited great pre-
Bence of mind, and acted promptly and for the best through•
out the terrible scene, and that his icon behaved nobly,
doing their duty to the last, and standing by their ship as
lox g as a chance was left to save her, and several of them
were badly burned about their faces, arms, and breasts in
their efforts to master the flames.

The Traveller reports that all the passengers' baggage
was lost. The Niagara had a very full load of freight,
which will prove a total loss. She was about 11 years old,
and has had the reputation of being one of the stanchest
and safest boats afloat. She was owned by Mr. Charles
Reid, of Erie.

There were over 300 life-preservers on the Niagara,
which, together with life-stools and floats, would be suffi-
cient, if properly used, for the temporary safety of nearly
500 persons. Captain Miller informed Mr. Wheeler,
however, that he did not think a half-dozen life-preservers
or stools had been put in requisition by the passengers, so
great was their terror and haste to jump overboard.

When the Traveller left the burning boat the wind had
changed so as to drift her out into the lake. She was then
burnt nearly to the water's edge, and her arches wore gone,
though the outside frames of her wheel houses were still
standing and burning slowly. Her engine was apparently
resting on the connecting•rod and shafts. It was supposed
that she could not float an hour longer, and would sink in
about 150 feet of water. Captain Miller borrowed a com-
pass of tho Traveller, and stationed himself on the pier at
Port Washington for the purpose of ascertaining the spot
where she might go down, so that her hull could be found
if necessary.

At the Wheal Uny Mine meeting, yesterday, a call
of 15s. per share was made.
AN OFFICER IN DISGUISE.--A few days ago, at
Chatham barracks, as colour-serjeant Doherty, of the
46th Regiment, Wa3 passing through the quarters of the
privates, be recognised a young soldier in the uniform
of the Bth Foot, whom he knew to be the third ensign
of the list for lieutenants of his regiment, Mr. George P.
Cobbe, son of Major-General George Cobb, of the Royal
Horse Artillery. The result was that the serjeant
made the eircuinstance made known to the officer com-
manding the provisional battalion, who caused the young
man to eppear in the office to give an account of him-
self. It appears that be was in the Crimea with his
regiment, and he with some other young officers pro-
ceeded over the boundary line to take a survey of the
country; on his return, after two days' absence, to
surprise, he found the 46th bad embarked at Balaki his
inava
and ;ailed for England. He procured a free passage
ho a
Russian prize ship and landed at Cardiff, but, having
friends in that part of the country, and supposing
ehat
on-
sence sequence of his absence, his name bad been erased from the list of officers,
0, and
0t n
carne to Cha ham from' he enlisted in the Bth Foot,
as a recruit.
He is only
authorities at
19 years
e ofThageree,
can
nd
be
eando bdeoennhtintbtahtetsbeervice about 12
n 1
the Horse Guards will restore him tol!i
ing his youth and inexperience of military sranlkife consider.
.—Seutit-
Eastvrn Gazette.

LI FE RATURE.

The Double Coronet. A Novel. By tlid Author
of " Charles Auchester," "My First Sew.lon,"
tic. 2 vols. Newby.
It is certain that a fascinating influence seems to
exist in this author's works. It is not probable
that any one would desist from their perusal after
having fairly entered upon it without arriving at
the conclusion. This effect is not always-produced
by a striking charm in the heroes or heroines, or
from the pleasing nature of the story itself, but
rather from the spirit in which the former are de-
scribed, and from the style in which is manifested
the events of the latter. In the present instance
it is not a pleasing narrative, and although strong
characters and powerful passions require the ex-
pression of deep feeling to demonstrate their vigour,
and the occurrences of no every-day existence to
develope their tropical fervour of growth, many
might suggest that other scenes and different
agencies could have brought about the result.
That does not, however, detract from the merits of
the work.
-As a composition it is pre-eminent in
talent of a peculiar kind ; many distinctive charac-
ters appear in its pages whose natures and tempe-
rament are designed by the skill of no common
composer, to
be fashioned in the fabric of no ordi-
nary artificer. It is not the criterion of excellence
in a work what is in it, so much as how it is nar-
rated; and, considering the extraordinary circum-
stances of her position, Hilda's life is not so un-
likely as might be deduced from the first impres-
sion. She was not English ; her disposition was
inherited from the sunny clime that gave her
mother birth, and her secluded life in childhood in
a romantic home calculated to foster imaginative
sPeculations, rendered her still more unlike the
rest of her class, when in early youth she had to
battle with the world in the most really dangerous
of its encounters—that of loveliness and inexperi-
ence alone in its wilderness. From the appearance
of evil, and the malice and envy of the weak and
vicious, no one in her place could be sheltered, but
from its reality she was free, and in her wildest mo-
ments of defiance against the conventionalisms with
which she was surrounded, she was ever seeking in
her heart for some city of refuge for her wearied spirit
and harassed frame. After a long time of doubt
she met with a friend, who gave her the kindest
gifts that could have been devised. The means of
benefitting others. She was established for some
years as a sister at an hospital. She had a stern
lesson to learn in witnessing actual misery, she
who had long dwelt in visionary trouble. After
her happy return to her own castle, when death
bad freed her from her wicked husband, she must
have borne thither a very different mind to that
with which she had left it. She had acquired
knowledge in the school of suffering, which was
more capable of teaching her wisdom, than the
precepts of sages or the archives of history. An
interest attaches itself to the brothers, so different
iu nature, yet alike in original vivacity of dispo-
sition. In descanting upon them, it must be borne
in mind, that though dwellers among a practical
people in a prosaic age, their native land and kin-
dred race were very different. " They were found
beneath far eastern skies," and what appears exa,g-
gerated in their thoughts and actions might be
otherwise regarded as inherited characteristics of
the fire which animated the warriors of the desert,
and the cunning whose stratagems ruled the cities
of the plain. It is not every one who cares to
analyse feelings, and study causes in a work of
fiction ; they seek amusement, which does not de-
mand the travail of the mind, or the exercise of the
reasoning faculties. But those who desire some-
thing beyond an ephemeral trifle for diversion will
appreciate the high imaginative quality wherever
and whenever it is to be found ; if some parts are
inadequate, and some passages not pleasing, the
general impression will remain of an approxima-
tion towards a lofty standard which no shortcom-
ings can obliterate, and no deficiencies destroy. The
works of this author display the impress of a mas-
ter mind; they are striking, not only from original
ideas, but from unusual talent. P. culiarity of style
may make a distinction, but genius has placed them
on a vantage ground.