The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-09-07
THE LATE STEAMBOAT DISASTER
ON THE NORTH RIVER.

ON THE NORTH RIVER.
We have rarely ever known the Richmond
pubic more excited by any occurrence than
they have been by the late terrible disaster on
the Hudson. Before, it had been common TO
read of disasters-to think of them as distant
occurrences. dreadful enough, it is true, but
occurrences in which " e had, and could have,
no direct personal interest. Now the whole
terrible nature of the transaction is brought d.
rectly before us-our own citizens have fallen
have been murdered, in the opinion OF many,
by the recklessness of the commander oil
sleamer-of the man TO whom they had en-.
trusted their lives, in the belief that he would
care for them as mother cares Tor her own
child. Such is, or ought to be, the compact be-
tween the commander of a boat and the pas
sengers whose lives are at his mercy. 1t Is
trae, as we have before taken occasion to state,
the passengers are often greatly to blame for
the disasters which happen on board steam
boats. 1t is true, we stated, and we take &C.
casion to repeat that in many instances they
induce and almost compel the captain to risk
his wn life, and the lives Of his passengers
and crew, rather than be beaten but that Is
scarcely legitimate excuse for the captain
The lives of human beings are entrusted to
his keeping. They should be far more pre-
cious to him than all and every possible 9TH
er consideration.
Bv looking at our Geographic report, our
readers will un derstand why we have made
these remarks. Our citizens who were on board
the Reindeer, have all died from the wounds
received in that awful catastrophe. Messrs.
Barnes, Smell and Rileigh were highly res
pected by oil this community. The former,we
learn, was SO decidedly averse to steamboat
racing, that he expressed the determination,
before he left, not to enter on board OF North
river boat under any circumstances. He had
the late of the steamer Henry Clay and her
passengers before his eyes, and was determined
TO avoid it, or the risk Of it, 1t is almost enough
to make man tuIn fatalist, TO think of the
manner in which he was led on to his destruc-
ton.
Everybody laments the death of these gem
tlemen; blu, far deeper interest is felt in that
of the two young ladies, whose names are re-
COTQ6Q uiIlOuS sICtItIics L LC W ti'S
best of his knowledge, never saw either Of
them, but he learns, on all hands, that they
were both lovely girls, in the very spring of
life, neither of them having attained the nine
teenth year of her life. They were sisters and
orphans, travelling with their stepfather, with
the hope ofrecovering from the deepest of all
domestic calamities the recent death oftheir
mother. One of them, we learn, was uncom.
monty beautiful-so much so as to attract the
attention ofalmost every stranger who visited
the city. Poor young creatures they had
known sorrow early. for they had felt what ii
was to be orphans and no kindness or affec-
tion-and they received it in as large proper
ton as falls commonly to the lot of any one
can supply that irreparable deprivation. Be-
fore the tears were dry which had been shed
over the grave of their last parent, without
moments warning, ere their very thoughts
could pray, they were hurried into eternity
There is, TO us, something inexpressibly af'
feeling in their fate. We learn that they were
both professors ofreligion. Their young and
innocent lives, at any rate, had allowed of no
fault, which even the most ascetic of profess
sors might not, without violence to his creed,
hope and believe would find mercy in better
world.
Let it not be believed that we feel the less
sympathy for the other victims, because we
express SO much for the young and beautiful.
Not only we, but all this community, feel for
them most deeply; and in the name of the en-.
tire Richmond public, we tender to their be.
reaved friends all those sympathies which thew
deserve.
Let US, fellow citizens, call meeting to
show our respect for our dead.
SEVENTH OF SEPTEMBER.
This is the anniversary of the great battle oil
Borodno, fought in the Russian campaign OF