Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1840-01-31

J passengers commenced throwing the ueck
freight overheard, probably in the expectation
that some parts of it would remain floating and
might be the means Of saving some of them.
Captain Ii. assisted in throwing about ten bales
of cotton overheard, and in leaping on one Of
them. One OF the fremen ef the boat also sue
! ceeded in getting on the same bale, and these
two, by means OF piece of hoard which they
picked up, succeeded in keeping the bale head
on TO the sea until about four o'clock IN the NOR
ming, when the bale caPslzcd, but ughted again
with both of them on II. Until this time they
had kept the upper part of their bodies compar-
ativey dry, but were now completely wet to the
skin. And now the fireman began TO despond
talked of his wife and children told Captain H.
that his name was Cox, and that he resided in
Oak street, New York. Captain H. enleavor-
ed to cheer him up, and at last lashed him to
the bale but at about O'Clock in the morning
he expired At ii O'clock Captain II. was res
cued by Captain Meeker, in the sloop Merchant,
OF Southport
This same vessel also rescued Captain Man
chester, the pilot and fireman named Smith,
who were each on 4 bale of cotton. The fire.
man says, that soon after the fire was discover
ed, he sought refuge on the rudder, expecting
the boiler would burst, but whilst there, two
boys who could not swim, entreated him to
give them his place, which he consented to, on
condition that they threw him bale of cotton,
which they did, and to which he swan. The
boat then driited some distance ahead of him,
but when her upper works were burned, he a
gain floated near her, and saw several of the
passengers and crew on pieces of the wreck.
They, however, gradually became exhausted
and fell of,
Captain Manchester, the Pilot, adds little to
the above particulars he and the fireman last
spoken of were badly frozen.
Capt. Hillard estimates the number of pas
sengers at one hundred and fifty; bat Captain
Manchester says he thinks there were not more
than seventy-five on board, and we find that the
latter number is considered at the Office of the
Company to which the boat belonged, to be the
nearest probability What chance is there that
any more have been saved Captain Hillard
says, that al about eight O'Clock in the morning
schooner beating to westward passed him
while on the bale of cotton, about mile off,
She did not see him, but is possible she may
have fallen in with some of the other passen-
gers floating on pieces of the wreck. The con-
ilagratiOn OF the boat was seen from Norwalk |
and Bridgeport, on the Connecticut shore, but |
the state OF the tide and the ice prevented them |
getting out their boats To 60 to her assistance,
and though the attempt was made, Il was found ,
impossible to succeed.
1t IS stated in some of the accounts that the !
tiller ropes were burned. This is not correct. |
C~Pt- 1IAlaHa s~y~ t>sei.i-0 tIot tire an
swered her helm up to the time her engine
stopped, and that had she not had metal rods
and chains connected with her rudder, it would
long before have been useless. That she was
provided with them is indisputable.
Yet we cannot but think that the company
TO which the boat belonged are highly censur- L
able for encambering her deck with so much
freight, particularly with material so infam-
nable as cotton. DoubIy censurable are they
m the present instance, as we know that not ;
hree weeks since, a fire broke out on board this
same boat among the goods on deck, which was
lot extingushed without considerable loss.---
Not only Is the danger always great on board
)l steamboat, with merchandise all around
md sparks falling among it, but the difficulty
ii getting to the spot which has ignited. be-
comes propOrtiOna,y increased, and prevents
I being eXtinguished when discovered as it
naturally VIII be, before il has gained much
Roadway.
The New York Gazette in speaking Of the !
bcTe disaster, says:
. The victims have gone down TO a death in Il
arkaess whose gloom VIII never be dispeiled Q
+ relieved by ray of light to those they have Il
eit behind them. The horrors Of that scene p
aaneyer be reaiized---neyer even imagined, 0
ut by the few survivors, and scarcely by them ; o
'r the last awful struggle Of those who remain :
amid the burning fragments of the vcsselE
ahl they were reduced to the appalling ahee :
alive OF the flames or the frost, were ONLY "a
essed by the black pillows that ragged around9C
en. Their only requiem was t1ne angry bel fk
wing OF the surge, and the .gonizing scroech- L
OF mutual misery and mutual terror There. $
ere "itheSsed "oes such as human nature is
rely called @pon to ondure--there. uttered
aALs moe heart-rending than agony is often =,
lled Gpon to ut,cr---there were were severed
IS, the tenderest that link one human being
another on this earth. The mother there
lng TO the infant until She saw IL perish on