Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1837-05-30
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS or THE
LOSS OF THE BEN sUERRoD.

The Natchcg papcts contain further particulars
u the dcelorsblc loss ct ,he hoo Shc,cod. a, 10,
lime shc toot Gre. sbe engaged In race w.ih
the steamer Pisiric and the hrc took from lilo
great heal e tho boilers. oauscd 10y raising bcr
steam 10 30 extreme powers barrel of whishcy
as placed ~ deek fu The usc Of The hands daring
tho race. Who dpnk to excess snd became iatoxi.
Gated.
Ai about ~ o'clock at night tho furnace b.,
came 80 heated that ~ communicated FIRE Ia jhc
wood. ~ ~hich there WAS on board about sky
cofds. When he crew Uncovered the Ere tLoy all
len their posis ana rpn Tor the vssl without Civ.
tng slarm 10 the passengers. who were al stlecp
10 their bertbs. The captain Tor tine attempted
10 alloy ihc extreme confusion by slstnr tha, the
Gre was eHtinguisbrd twice he forbid tho lover
/ ing of the ya~l. which was attempted by The dock
hands sud passengers.
4 The shricks q nearly three hundred person- on
boa "a now fcfc Wild aud dreadful. The cry vas
10 re shorf 10 he SHORE and the boat made flr
the siarboard Shore but did mol eau 1t, as the
wheel rope might have given y.of the pilot been
dfscu by tho flames from hs station. The steam
was no, let OF, and the boa, hep, on. The scene
of horror now bcggsred an description.
The yawl which hsl been filed with tic crew
4 and sunk, drowning who ~ ~, aud the
passengers had no other alternative than to Jump
overheard without taking time to Dress
There were ten ladies on board, who ell went o.
vefboatd without uiierng single scream. some
drnwn,ng instantly. and others chnging to planks
two Of the nnmber were finally saved. Some Of
the passengers are supposed TO have been burn: up
on board the Ben Shcrrod--one man by the name
Of Roy, from Louisville, Ky. hung 10 rope al the
bow Of the boat until taken up BY the yawl Of the
steamboat Columbus which arrived about half an
hour af,cr the commencement Of the disaster, on
-. H.. ,.,I Al o. farn and rtps
were much burnt while clingng to the boa, in the
above position -he lost $40 900 in Na,chez and
L. States paper.
J The steamboat Alton arrived half an hour al er
; the Columbus bu, from the careIessness or indis
creion of those on board, was the means OF droe n
E ing many persons who were floating in the water
. She drove the midst of the exhausted sufferer.
who were too weak longer to make exertion, and
by the commo,on occasioned BY her wheels drown
ed large number.
: A gentleman by the name of Hamilton, from
Limestone co. Ala, floating on barrel and
!, sustaining also q lady, when the Alton drove W
and washed them both under--the lady was drown
5 ed but Mr. Hamilton came up and loa,ed down the
! river Is miles, when he was taken up by tn,
steamer Statesman.
. Mr. Mcdowell attributes the drowning Of biz
wife to the indscretion Of the managers of the Al
ton, as she was floating safely on plank at tina
time. Mr. Mcdowell sustained himself some tim,
agains, the current. so that he only hoated 1--WE
n miles down the river, when he swan ashore tel
miles aboge Fort Adams.
Mr. Runde 6onied down The river ten miles and
taken up by fiat boat at the mouth of Bufial,
creek. lie saved his money in his pan,aoons pock
/ ct, but lost $1,000 worth of freight. Mr. M'Dow
J.. ell lost his wife, son, lady, Miss Francis Few
4 who was under his protection, and negro servant
Mr. M'Dowell feels himself under great obligations
= to Mr. WIN. Swamp's family for their kind a,tcn
ton to him in his distress soon after he reaches
4 the shore. Mr. Rundell acknowledges kind atten
. tions from the source.
h There were 225 persons on board. of which nc
more than 60 escaped, leaving l75 drowned, inclu
ding the Captains three children and his father.
:. His wife was picked up by fiat boat badly burnt
. In addition 20 the foregoing, Capt Hard state
= that he and the man at the wheel discovered th'
/, LIGHT of the Ben Sherrod FIRE as soon as he en-
= tered the Mississippi from Red river, 10 miles be
: low Fort Adams.
The Ben Sherrod at the moment Of the last ex
= ploeion on board, sunk instantly, about mile NJ
balfabo,e Fort Adams, on the RICH; hand