Litchfield enquirer., 1840-01-23

| tSigned) MOVES BARBER, President,
tand the other officers.l
From the Neo Hauen Palladium efthe 18th.
TERRIBLE CALAMITY!
BURNING OF THE STEAMER LEXINGTON
/ AND GREAT LOSS OF LIFE.
Our citizens were in STATE OF great excitement last
night in consequence Of tie well authenticated rumor
OF the destruction BY tire OF steamboat in the sound
on Norwalk, on Monday evening, the 18th, and the
loss OF $50 to 200 lives No iull and connected &C.
count has yet reached us. though have seve-
raj gentlemen from the neghborhood Of the disaster,
who have each something to fell On the waybill Of
the Bridgeport stage we find the following menoran-
dunn made by Capt. Brooks, of the steamboat MINI
rod which boat conveyed one Of the sufferers, Capt
hlllard' to Budgeport-Capt. Brooks writes as fol-
lows:,
VI The e, steamer Lexington. Capt wosey, from New
Neck, and supposed that all on board from $50 to
ZOO except three persons haye pershcd soop
picked upCap,. billiard Of the ship Mississippi. New
York. and formerly OF Norwich. Gland Mr. Man
chester, the pot-also fireman. These men were
ed up two bodies. one ofahem fireman BY the name
Of Copp The passengers of the Lexington rushed for
the boats Whlch were swamped in letting them down"
In addinon to this hasty sketch from Capt Brooks,
which was encased with wood, around which bales of
cotton were piled When the cotton ignited the bales
burs! open' creating sudden alarm and the utmost
coniusIon The life boat, capable Of containing
large number, 1t is said, heedlessly thrown over
board without rope, and it foated off; the other
boats were filed, and instead Of being let down.
these Of course instantly filed and sunk. '"'
In tie midst Of the appalling scene, Capt. billiard
ing upon the wheel house, if il then time for
him to attempt saving himself. He replied not yet
something may yet possibly be done for the paesen.
GERS Capt H. then secured himself upon bale Of
hands atioat and assisted him to mount the bale and
secure himself uponit. The poor fellow was however
nearly parayzed with cold and fear, and without
ed OF ever seeing them again. Capt II. being well
clothed, took off his over coat and gave it to his
panlon, and encouraged him to exert himself. The
were enabled TO mount it again. They in the mean
time saw woman in the water, with an infant appa-
rently dead in her The mother was calling i'm
p!orlngy tor help, but in vain; no human hand was
nigh that could save her. The companion of Capt II.
5000 perished and he was left alone, and exposed for
Is hours, until picked up BY the soop. The Nmrod
sufferers were not In condition to be removed from
the sloop. w.,
Capt H. has no means of ascertainng how many
were on board the Lexington He saw six ladies at
the tea table, and thinks there might have heen
on board. He belongs in Norwich and was on his
way there.
The fire was seen from Norwalk. and !, was known
to be burning stea nhoat, and learn that sloop
was started at once, for the of the Disaster but
the tide being low, i got aground and was unable to
proceed The Lexington was near the Long Island
shore. (some say within two mi!es,) and could have
reached it in ten or fifteen minutes, but in the confI
sion Of the moment. the engine was stopped until toe
late for il to be set again in motion.
None OF the names of the passengers are yet known
but they supposed to be mostly business from
the East, and some from this State, We are informed
nv gentleman from Stonngton, that Mr.. Phelps. the
Delegate to the National Convention, from New Lon
don County, was expected home from New York by
his family in that boat This is the only name among
the passengers that has been referred to- We under
stand thata noise like the firing Of cannon or the
bursting of boiler was heard in the direction Of the
boat, before the light was extinguished.
p. s. o'clock, P. M.-We have Just received a
days date. 1t confirms most Of the circumstances
stated above The editor says he has conversed with
Capt Had and oea1ed the ncs
was given. all efforts proving unayailing. the pilot
headed directly for Long Island shore. In about IS
IN e became
ageable. The engine, however, kept in operation,
under heavy head Of steam" The editor then
he s s ms , Ss
boat got within about two miles OF the shore, her en-
CINE suddenly stopped. All hopes Of escape g those
o o The
ner of Capt. billiards escape is next spoken OF as
above, and as follows:
o'clock A. M. Tuesday, when he was taken off BY
sloop which went out from Southport, having been
thus exposed about IS hours. Two others, clingng
fragment of the boat. were also rescued by this
sloop one the engineer the other the fireman Of the
unfortunate boat The bodies of two others, one
colored woman, were likewise taken from part Of
the wreck, on which they had persisted from cold
The number on board, Capt. II. thinks, was not
less than IT'S of whom $50 were passengers, out OF
which, he believes himself TO be the only saved
Among The number. were five or six women, and two
or three children. The hoard was awful be-
yond description The fire being midway Of the boat,
cut off all communication from one end TO the other.
The passengers crowded together in the bow and
stern moaning and bewaing their fate, till compelled
to cast themselves into the watery deep TO escape the
flames. .Fa L4,.e
Tie boat drifted with the tide, and sank a, o'clock
off our harbor NJ - &
We are indebted to the Editor of the Bridgeport
Standard, for slip from his Office. dated Tuesday
evening, from which make the following extract;
at s surprising that any should have survived the
three are ne only survivors Ii is however. possible,
lhat others may have been saved. The boat drif.ed
np the sound with ,i,c tide. and was off this harbor
about mianioht Cant r, states that she sunk at
three clock, as marked the tiase hy has a,atch
The efforts which last night weic made IN In.s y.
entity and at Southport to 60 in aid o. inc
proved owing the ice in the harbore, and 10 otner
We learn that sloop which succeeden ~ ge5ung
out OF Southport harbor, after reaching the mtd0e 81
the Sound. was compelled to return. 1870 "a
i6 From the ~ X. Courier, Of The l6tA
II is stated in some Of the accounts, that the tll!er
ropes were burned This 10 not correct. Capt. Hill
lard says positively. hat the boat answered her helm
she nos had metal rods and chains connected with her
rudier ID would long before have been useless That
She was provided with them j. indisputable.
List Of Passengers as far as 0sceytained:
.AdelPhus s H1rnden. Of the Boston and New
abou. $4,000 in specie, and SO Or $4,000 for bro
kerS in Eastern money,