Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-04-11
rF,om tie " y. Ere. Post Of Thursday.
ACCIDENT ON THE HUDSON.


The city was thrown inio great excitement THIS
morning, bya report that the steamboat Swallow,
,n coming" down The river last evening, had
struck on a rock and sunk, with large number
OF passengers on board. The first reports gave
on, that some sixty lives had been lost. Many
families who knew that they had friends coming
down the river have been KEEP, in dreadful state
Of uncertainty during the whole morning. II
seems however, that The extent OF ihe accioen'
has been greatly exaggerated.
As near as We can get at the facts they are
these: The steamboat Swallow left Albany at the
usual hour last evening, with a large number OF
passengers. The night was dark; and the pilot
getting confused In some way in going through
The Western channel near Athens, ran the boat,
while d, The top 0! her speed, on shelve OF rocks
ia few minutes she began TO fill with water, ana
was rapidly sinking, when the Rochester came
by and took OF most if NOT all, OF her passengers
TIE font part Of the Swallow was broken ana
The probability is, tha, the greater part Of the bag
gage has gone down.
Whether any lives were lost is not certainly
known for The passenger list had not arrived at
the Office Of the steamboat company, nor were
IL. names Of those AIKEN on board the Rochester
collected The prevailing impression among
those who vere presents. that no person has been
injured. We must await further news Tor more
definite Information.
A passenger says that it is impossible 10 de
scribe the CONSERVATION on board The swallow
when the accident occurred. The cries of women
and ch;l,rcn-men running about half frantic
The complete darkness Of the night, and The uncer-
tain,y whether the next moment would moi Ind
al Of them in line waterfall conspired 10 render
the scene terrific in the extreme. Many were DIS
posed 10 lump overheard in the hope oil swimming
10 The shore, and were only restrained by the per-
suasons of those who were more cool and col
lected. The water entered the ladies' caoin so
suddenly that several OF them were only saved by
being drawn up 10 the hurricane deck through the
skylish,s. In The midst ofthe confusion, the Goals
escaped from the furnaces, and set The boat on
FIRE In few moments The whole OF them would
have been developed in flames, but tor the arrl-
val OF The Rochester and shortly after OF the tx
press. |, could not be known whether any lives
were LOST, but some limbs were broken in The bur
~ 10 get from the sinking boat, and from the
rocks - the other boats. One gentleman had
his breast-bone broken, and others were more or
less injured
Since the above was in type, we have received
The following letter, for which We are indebted 10
The Tribnns office
STEAMER ROCHESTER, Tuesday, A. M.
NV dear friend: You may value few lines
from an eve witness, descriptive OF the terrible
accident which bciel The Swallow last evening
II. about 5 O'Clock, when going at rapid rate,
me boat struck on small rock island abreast the
town of Athens and the city Of Hudson. was
sitting in The upper saloon in conversation
Atlhe first severe shock The passengers rushed
below, bat their fears were Gained for a moment
bv he ou,cry that we had only come in contact
with raft. But our ears were speedily assalled
by the appalling sounds OF the rending of ,imbers,
and The evident destruction OF the boat while Tue
stern settled with trigh.fu rapidi,y. Those who
hal ",urned in" the after cabin, had barely time
10 leap from their births before the water was
upon them.
You can imagine The horrors OF The scene at
This moment. when more than three hundred souls
wer. tim. exposed in The r1ids, OF falling snow
AMI almost utter darkness. As the water reached
the boiler fires shoe, Of mingled steam, smoke
and a ,me poured into the boat, Illuminating the
shas.ly countenance with sudden glare OF vivid
light, and completing the CONSERVATION. The con-
velon that he curse ofhre was 10 be added 10 our
other imminent perils curbed the resolution OF the
s.ou,est hearts. But the rapid sinking OF the
boa. eI,lguished the hgcs and all was darkness
again.
Ia less than FIVE minutes by The blessing OF
God, the s.ern rested on The bottom, the water be-
ing above the windows of the ah-saloon state
rooms. Several females were drawn out OF state
roo ms by dashing in The windows; two ainostex.
haus!ed-one very aged, and now lying on board
this boat in a precarous situation were taken
from he ladies' cabin by cutting through the floor.
They had sustained themselves on sstees, with in
ces. The bow had been forced high and dry up
90 the rock and the boat, split open amidships,
wa. LETT rising almost perpendcularly upward,
covered with anxious beings clinging 10 the bull
warks. The remainder Of the passengers we're
sadly grouped on the forward upper deck, many
bewailing the absence OF dear companions, and
aciualed BY the mos, dreadful apprehensions for
their fate.
81 hi. time the alarm had been thoroughly
communicated 10 the shore on either side. The
bells of the churches began TO ring, and the river
was soon covered with torches, waving in the
feet OF boats that put of to our assistance while
the Rochester, which had found j; difficult TO
ge, 20 rs, and the Express which had now
come up, we're gradually approaching alongside.
The sound of the bells pealing on the air, the
shouts OF those in the boats, the light Of the wa
wing torches, and The waing grief OF many on
The wreck, constituted features OF the most impress
sive scene
In The course OF an hour all were taken of who
remained, in the Rochester, the past seeming like
terrible dream. am approaching the city
II can scarcely be but iha, several are LOST
Many leaped Immediately overheard, in thai,
frenzy OF mind which precluded the power Of
self preservation in the water The doors Of
mos, Q! The stete-rooms were so sprung at once
az to be immoveabie, and examination will pro-
badly discover the dead within some of them |
can scarcely hope otherwise.
The boat is a complete wreck. Il was mourn
fut sigh. as we cast OF ir2in her side. The Cap
tain behaved nobly-calming fears, and making
bis voice heard every where in advice with the
most thorough judgment and seifpossession.-
The baggage is almost all deep under water, and
viii be recovered only in damaged state.
Our hearty thanks are due 10 the officers of
The Rochester and Express for their prompt assis-
lance and prompt assiduity 10 save every thing
that hand could be laid on
Friends IN The Rochester tell me that the yell of
n gong, 40 they describe il, which came 10 their
ears from the sinking boat was Of a character
SeYey 10 be forgotten. Yours, truly.
HENRY F. HARRINGTON.
B.-Morn;ng Til. apprehensions ofloss Of
Gie, which have expressed above, are luly real
izsl Several females were seen 10 be washed oi
Ills thought, could rot have escaped from the
cabin Several on board cur boat have nothing
bu, their night dresses.
Another letter written at 10 o'clock Of Monday
nigh; by person who was on board The Rochester
says:
I'VE let Albany a! c o'clock this evening, FOL
lowin. IN ,.e wake Of the steanhoa, Swallow
IS We neared Athens opposite Hudson, we OBJ
served that the Scalo,c was apparently aground,
and as she was well on the west shore, we s,eered
10 The eastward. When close 10 her, her bell
was rung, bur We were under TOO much Roadway
10 come to until we had passed some distance
ahead, although it was evident 10 US then that she
was sinking.
ION coming alongside Of The Swallow we
found her bow completely out of water, high up
on rock, the boat broken in two, and her stern
under the water, which was over the hurricane
deck. Capt. Squire was truly in command; 'Ah!
said he, this is better than Lake Erie: for here
we have tie bottom, and hope all are safe
1.-THE ladies' cabin was about len feet under
water, and much anxiety was felt lest some of
thar, ,ua.o dr., u.ned EIi frann ennn;r al