Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1837-10-19
VOLUME 1.
From our Evening Edition Of Yesterday

Irrom our Evening Euition oi icstetudy.i
THI STEAM PACKET HomE.-The loss of this un-
fortunate packet and the great sacrifice Of lives coca
stoned by the awful event. renders II once more our
painful duty advert to the manner in which life IS
daily mperilcd to our to our go-ahead principles.
We have had sufficient experience that those who
set out quickest and run fastest do not always reach
the goal frst-even if the inmtable fable Of the hare
and the snail had never been handed down to us.
Slow and sure" is motto that we seem scarce
ly ever to act upon. Hence accidents of most serl-
GUS nature are constantly occurring among us. II
seems that in all undertakings present time and
present purposes are only considered-the future is
out of the question; thus durability is often sacri
ced to time serving effect This is obvious in our rail
roads-in many of our buildings-al.d in nothing
more than steam vessels.
The Home steam ship was remarkable for her
beauty. She sat like swan upon the waters When
lying in dock in the North River hundreds went to
visit her. They admired her symmeuy-praised her
proportions-her fitting up-her noble appearance
Alas to her symmetry, beauty and proporton-she
owed her DEATH She was too beautiful too finely,
too deicately proportoned In smooth weaher-in
calm weather-in the pleasant summer, she did well,
and acquired a reputation.
Her reputation caused numbers to flock on board
merchants who had transacted their business in New
York and were returning home, hoping 10 recover
the lee way in their mercantile affairs which the dis
tresses of the times had Observation-Disclosures and
wives-the fond and faithful-Bachelors and madens
the young and beautiful-those who had flown
from the dread of southern peshence to eur more ge-
NAL northern chimes, and were now returning to their
native places-who were going home in the Home"
Alas they little thought 1t was to their long last
home-These it was that took their passage in the i'll
fated vessel with light and buoyant hearts.
The packet put to seattle tempest sirose-the
winds were unloosed-they swept the bosom of the
deep-the waters heaved and dashed furlously on
ward before the lash that worked them into terror
they smoe the beautiful but rail vesse-they dashed
her TO pieces-fhe sunk to rise no more. Of that
goody who sailed from this port elate, nearly
hundred are numbered with the dead. There will be
weeping and wailing and breaking Of hearts for them.
Death is at all times dreadful-but such death is
horri6c The survivors have not the poor satisfaction
of having closed their relatives or friends eyeds and
having done for them all that could be done to pre-
hong the life they chershed-the dark scene-the
murky sky-the black waters-the roar of the winds
and waves-and above all, the shriek-the hopeless
and despairing shrek Of agony-the struggle-the
half articulated prayer-the gurgling cry, and the
osstretched hand, haunt their thoughts by DAY and
their dreams by night.
The question that arises from review OF these
horrors is: can nothing be done to prevent recur-
renee of such calamities. We fear nothing but an
enactment forcing ship builders to build vessels of all
descriptions intended for sea, sea worthy-under the
penalty of heavy fine in case of non compliance.
1t may be objected that such restrictions are against
the liberty of the ctizen-whe has no right to be
trammeled with such restraints. But surely, where
the lives Of hundreds are the mercy of the caprice,
the reckessness, or the mercenary feelings OF one,
two or three men, such an enactment IS net merely
most salutary bat most essential
We heartily hope that every state, owning sea
port will in it's Legislature, take up the question and
pass law upen the subject Accidents then, both by
explosion and otherwise, would be of rare occurrence
and hundreds and thousands now yearly inundated,
to more dreadful car than that of Juggernaut to the
car of cupidty-woad be saved to their country and
to their friends.