Constantine republican. [volume] (Constantine, Mich.) 1836-1838, 1836-11-30
BURNING OF THE ROYAL TAR.

BURNING OF THE ROYAL TAR.
The Salem Register gives additional par
ticulars of the dreadful disaster which we
communicated to our readers in our last
The accounts are among the most affecting
that we have ever read.
No account, or even conjecture, is given
of the actual and proximate cause of this
terrible calamity, hut its extent seems to have
been aggravated by the culpable negligence
of the engineer; perhaps it were no injus-
tice to use harsher expression and say his
wiful misconduct. He suffered the boiler
to become exhausted of water, which may
possibly have caused the fire, ard it is re-
ported that when warned by boy, instead
of seeing TO the deficiency, he hsrshly told
the boy to mind his own business, and paid
no attention to the warning.
His subsequent conduct was still more
rephrensible. He did not giveth alarm,
it is said, until he and his fifteen associates
had got into the long boat and removed SO
far from the steamer as to prevent them
from joining them; and then they made at
once for the shore, instead Of lending what
assistance they could, in saving the lives of
others.
The number Of passengers on board was
65, of whom 81 were drowned, and one, an
aged Irish woman, persisted in the flames.
Four also Of the crew were drowned, MAX
ing 80 in all. Among the 81 passengers
| drowned were four men attached to the
menagerie.
The Royal Tar was fine boat of four
hundred tons.
The loss in money supposed to be from
| $4,000 TO 100000. One gentleman
lost ten thousand dollars in bills and drafts.
One of the passengers, Capt. Wait OF
Portland, held by a rope until it was burnt;
he then swan TO the rudder, got his arm into
the chain, and there held on for an hour and
a half sustaining lady and gentleman
Another trusted himself TO plank having
a considerable quantity Of specie about him
the weight of which proved fatal to him.
The whole loss is estimated at two hun.
dred thousand dollars.
Joseph T. Sherwood, Esq. British con.
sui at Portland, was passenger on board
and saved himself by swimming to the boat
He was also passenger on board the steam
brig New York, when she was burnt, abou
thirteen years ago, and at nearly the same
place.
From the Salem Register.
While lying off Fox Island about two
o'clock in the afternoon, she was discover.
ed TO be on fire in or near the coal room
The boilers, at the time, were without water
The passengers were assembled in the
cabin and about sitting down to dinner
when it was announced to them that the boa
was on fire This fact had already beer
known to the crew some time, and they hat
been engaged in unavailing efforts to ex
tinguish it, without giving the alarm. Hac
it sooner been make known to the passen
gers, some of whom were experienced
men, the fire might possibly have been ex
tingushed, or the destruction Of the boa
been attended with less loss Of life. AS j
was, all efforts to extinguish the flame.
seemed useless, and the only hope of escape
seemed to be to run the boat on shore
With this view the anchor was slipped
The foresaii having already became prey
to the devouring element, iib, the onl,
available sail was hoisted but the flames
blew into it and burnt it Immediately.
blowing gale off shore, the boat, looset
from her moorings, without steam or sail
began to drift to sea. The captain, with
few OF the passengers, secured their owl
safety, by taking to one of the boats.
1t should be remembered, that one or tw'
Of the steamers boats had been left at St
Johns to make room on deck for the cara
van. The passengers were thus deprive'
of the usual means of escape in case O
disaster. An effort was made to put over
board large omnibus, upon which to es
cape, but its great weight, being nearly tw
tons, prevented its being done. Our infor
mant then, with several other passenger:
went to the only remaining boat. The re
naming passengers, among whom were
number Of women and children were drive
overheard by the flames. The scene 0
that time, it need hardly be said, was trul
terrific. Women threw their infants over
, board, and leaped after them. Other pas
sengers, both male and female, secure
: ropes to the vessel, and lowered themselve
over the side. This precaution was rer
II
{ dered unavailing to many of them by tn
ropes being burnt off. One man, havin
r secured a quantity of silver dollars to hi
) person, lowered himself to the waters edg'
D with the intention Of Selling spar, but n
! sooner let 60 his hold, than owing to til
/, weight Of his silver, he sank to rise n
0 more. Six horses belonging to the car,
van were hacked overheard three of thel
D instinctively swan towards the nearest lan'
S the other three swan round the boat uni
: they sank exhausted.
: A large elephant belonging to the men
It geric, having retreated to part of the DO
d which the fire had not reached, mounted
il fore feet upon the rail, in which position
It remained till about 4 O'Clock, apparent