Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1845-04-23
MISCELLANEOUS
New YoRk, Aprif9.
Loss OF THE STEAMER SWALLOW.

lDree 0tDeI UOdlS, tOCoiiie ulTecUY tnIOuSl
to New York. She had on board large
number OF passengers, probably three bun-
dred and fifty in all. When passing lhro'
the narrow channel at Athens. she ran 'on
large rock. called "the Brig" The boat
ran up so high that il was impossible to
stand upon the deck. The keel.broke,
and the stern bent upwards, and slillswent
down so much that iu three minutes the
two cabins were full Of water. TIE scene
among The passengers may be imagined.
II was 8 o'clock in The evening, and very
few Of them were in their berths. TheS1p-
per par of the boat soon look fire, which
increased the alasm. The night was dark,
and the wind high. The baggage and
freighr were floating about on deck, and
the water rushing in at1he cabin doors, so
that with the inclination of The floor, twas
difficult'ro ge, out. Yet tho young moth
ers snatcbe1 their infants from the berlhs
where they were sleeping, and rushed for
their lives.
There were however many circumstan-
ces of favor. The people on the forward
part OF the boa, climbed down Upnns The
rock until no more could stand. Numer-
ons small boats with torches put off imme.
diately for the shore; the steamer Express
which was Coming down hui little behind,
was soon alongside; and the Rochester,.
was also in company, was al The rescuesas
SOON as possible, though, being in another
channel. she was obliged to run past in
more open part Of the river, and turn.
Several ladies who could not ge: out al
the doors, were lifted through the sky.
lights one was so far exhausted, that two
hours Of effort on Board the Rochester
were necessary TO bring her back to ami.
nation. There is no absolute certointy
that any lives was lost, as the whole: com
papy were not registered on board The
Swallow, and they were rescued insso
many ways that they have not been regis.
tered since. We have conversed with
some of the passengers and fud reasop:to
fear that few lives were lost. One cen.
lletnan said that be opened the door ofahe
ladies' cabin at a late moment, and saw a
lady standing in the water to her shouE
ders: lie extended his hand, and called
on her 10 seizc ii; but the dash Of water
kept her back, and he was obliged 10 fee.
Another saw a lady drawn from the water
into small beat, apparently lifeless. But
at any rate, theirs is reason for the deepest
gratitude to a kind Providence, that ofso
large number of lives in such imminent
peril, very nearly all were certainly res
cued.
A Mrs. Concklin. who, with another
lady, was iu charge of Mr.. Chas. A.. M anil,
Of Utica, could not be found but il is no.
ped she was taken off by one of the small
hoa,s, a.
c. Livingston's correspondent. who was
on board The Rochester, expresses conf
den, belief that no life was: lost. lie says,
gers, think AT the ladies' came upon t6e
upper deck and were saved"
The following letter from gentleman
ON board, has been received atlhe Tribune
Offices
Steamer Rochester, Tuesday, 8 A. NJ.
My Dear Friend You may value a
few lines from an eye witness, descriptive
of the terrible accident, which befel the
Swallow last evening. AT about S o'clock,
when going at a rapid rate, the boatstruck
on small rock Island abreast The town of
Athens and the city nf Hudson. | was
sitting in the upper saloon in conversation.
Al the first severe shock the passengers
rushed below, but fears were calmed for a
moment by the outcry that we had only
come in contact with a raft. But our
ears were speedily assaled by the appaI
ing sounds Of the rendiug OF limbers, and
the evident destruction Of The boat while
the stern settled with frighlful rapidly.
Those who had "turned in," 10 the after
cabin, had barely time to leap from their
berths before the waller was Upon them.
You can imagine The horrors of the
scene at This moment, when more than
three hundred souls were thus exposed, in
the midst of falling snow and almost utter
darkness. As the water reached the boil
ing fires sheet of mingled stream. smoke
and flame poared into The boat, ilumina-
ting The ghas!ly counlenances with sud
den glare Of vivid light, and completing
the CONSERVATION. The conviction that
the curse of fire was to be added to our
other imminent perils, curbed The resolu-
lion of The stoulest hearts. But the rapid
sinking Of the boat extiuguished the fires,
1 and all was darkness again.
In less than five minutes, by the bles.
sing of God, the stern rested on the bot.
tom, the water being above the windows
of the aft saloon state. rooms. Several fe.
males we're drawn out of the state rooms
by dashing in the windows; two almost
exhausred-one very aged, aud now lying
on board this boat in a precarious siiua
ton, were taken from the ladies cabin by
cutting through the floor. They had sus-
tained themselves on their faces. The
bow had been forced high and dry upon
the rock, aud the boat, spill, open amid
ships, was left rising almost perpendicu-
larly upwards, covered with anxious be-
Jugs clinging TO the bulwarks. The re-
mainder Of the passengers were sadly
grouped on the forward upper deck, many
bewailing the absence Of dear companions,
and acluated by the most dreadful appre-
tensions for their fate.
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