The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1849-02-06
AWFUL, DISASTER ON BOARD A
STEAMER--SEvENrY-TNO PER-
SONS SUFFOCATED.3 3!li9 aiahss oi

+ SlEAMEh---oEfE v EN I-in wv EN-
SONS SUFFOCATED. 7ai9 a'a'iss o.
A dreadful loss of life happened on board
the steamer Londonderry, on her voyage |
from Sligo TO Liverpool, On the 22d Of De.
icenber. The following account irop ;he
Belfast Ncws Letter appears most truthfuls
The Steamer Londonderry, Capt John-
son, left Sligo at four O'Clock on. Friday
evening, for the latter port, with about 100
steeragc passengcrs--emigranis---on Their
way, via Liverpool, 10 America, and Two or
three cabin passengers. AS she proceeded
ON her voyage, The weather became exceed
Iingy foul, and after night, The wind rose 70 a
perfect gale. About one 0 clock that night.
or rather Saturday morning, il was deemed
expedent to put The steerage passengers be-.
low, and the order was executed, not, we
understand, wi thout some resisance OH the
part Of many Of :hem. ,,o,,s ., .,....,
Most Of cur readers are probably ncquain-
ted with The dimensions Of steerage cabin
OF an ordinary steamerAai compartment
rarely more than eighteen feet long, by ten,
or twelve in Width, and in height about sew
en- leet. Into this space, ventilated only by
one opening, the companion, $50 human be-
ines, as We have been Informed, were packed
together The steerage being thus occu-
pied, il was next, aledged fearing lest the
water should get admission through the
companion, that his, the only vent by which
air could bc admitted TO tho sufferers below,
was closed, and "a tarpaulin nailed over il,
thus hermiti:ally sealing The aperture, and
preventing the possibility Of pnyarsnowal of
the exhausted atmosphere. H.. -.
The steamer went on her way, gallanily
bravng the winds and waves, Unconscious
of The awful work which deeih was mean
while doing within. In The darkness and
heat and loathsomeness Of their airlcss pris-
on, its wretchcd inmates shreked for aid;
! and there were none TO hear their clies
amid tile boisterousness of the storm, qor if
they were heard, none sagacious enough to
interpret the dreadful meaning they meant
10 convey. At length, one man-the last,
| il is said, who had been putdown, c IniriSed
to effect an opening through the tarpaulin
of the companion, and pushing himself out,
communicated TO the male that the people
in the steerage, were dying for want OF air.
/ The mate Instantly became alarmed, and OBJ
tanning a lantern, went sdown to render as
sstance. = Such, however, was the foul state
of the air in the cabin, that the light was
Immediately cxiinguished. tht7i
! AT length ,hs tarpauln was completely
removed, and IA free accesss39 Of
air admitted. When the crew went below,
they we're appalled, by the discovery that
the floor was covered by dead bolies othe
depth of some feet. Men, women and chill
dren were huddled togeter, blackened
with suffocationy distorted by convulsiop
bruised and bleeding from lie desperate
struggle for existence which preceded the
moment when exhausted nature resigned
,he strife. After some time the living
: we're separated from the dead, aud it was
then found that the latter amounted TO near
ly ane-half the entire number. Seventy
two dead bodies Of men, women and chill
d, en- lay piled Unfortunately over each
other, four deep, all presenting the ghasty
appearance of persons who had died in the
agonies os suAocalon. Very many OF them
were covered with blood, which had gushed
from the mouth and nose, or had flowed
from wounds Inflicted by the trampling O
nail-studded brogans, and by the frantic VIC
y lence of those who struggled for escape
Fl was evident that, in the struggle, the
poor creatures had. torn the clothes off eacl
others backs, an" d"cvcn the flesh from eacl
others limbs. Nearly all the stoerage pas
sengers we're poor farmers from the neigh
borhood Of Sligo and Belinu, with theiI
families, and many Of the dead were naked
from poverty.
An INQUEST was held on one of the bo
dies, and the jury returned the following
verdict: s5e t
awe find that death was caused by suffo
cation IN consequence of the gross negli
gence and total want of the usual necessary
caution on the part of the captain, sAlexan
der Juhnson, Richard Hughes, first mate
and Ninian Crawford, secohd mate; and ",
therefore find them guilty of man-slaugh,er
and further consider it our duty TO express
in the strongest terms, our abhonence o
} the inhuman conduct Of the remainder o
the seamen on board on the melancholy oc
I casion, and the Jury beg TO call the atten
!, lion of proprietors Of steamboats, 10 the ur
!. gent necessity Of introducing some moro
clfectual mode Of ventilation in the steer
! age, and also affurding better accommoda
tons 10 the poorer class Of passengers"
IA private letter, dated Londonderry
. Dec. 4ih, says: "You would be surprised /,
; see the strong able bodied men who are ly
I ing down dead, in every position imaginable
Ii IS the most heart.rendins scene you coul,
4 conceive. Ho;55alF
aThe unfortunate people Of course wer'
! rarv snasick and all huddlcd together. ali