The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-01-22
TERRIBLE DISASTER OFF sCnLY.

Total Destr uetion by Fire or the New
British Mail Steamship Amazon, and
Loss OF over One Hundred and Twenty
Lives.
We are indebted to Messrs. <. X. Collins & Co.,
the agents Of the Arctic for the following dreadful
particulars Of the loss Of the new West India
steamship Amazon, of Scilly, and orer one h1a-
.1rtd and i,rsnty hves.
TELEGRAPHiC.
The r. NJ. steam packet Amazon from Southampton to
the est Indies, took fire at about A. NJ on Sunday
90 miles west Of scilly, and entirely consumed, ui
the mails officers, orsc and passengers, trcept 81 persons
viz, Mr. Vincent midshpman II Of the crew, and two
passengers, who succeeded in getting of in OF the
boats and were picked up after being by her II hours
The total number of persons board is said to have
been 1855 The FIRE supposed to have originated from
spontaneous combustion
We learn from Southampton the following par
ticulars Of tho Amazon, and her departure thence
en- the ID inst -
The Royal mail steamship Amazon, Captain symonds,
took her departure this afternoon with the usual mails
for the British and foreign West Indies excepting Ha
vana aud Honduras), the G nlf Of Mexico Spanish
Main, &c. in charge of Lieutenant Brady, r. NJ Adni-
rally sgen She takes out fifty passengers large aud
valuable cargo specie value 500 sterling and 500
bottles ef quicksilver, valued ct $3.50 sterling for
mini rg operstiorsiI Mexico.
The sailing Of the Amazon her fret voyage to the
West Indies the pioneer of the series OF steam
shipe intended for this important mail service excited
considerable interest Several of the directors Of the
company came down TO witness the event AMI there
were preseLt-Captsn Msngles, Mir Masternaa Al p
Captain Nelson cone Of the Elder Bre hren of the Trinity
Board, directors Of the company Captain Cbepp,ll
r. NJ the secretary aud joint manager; Canaan Bar.
ton, NJ, the superintendent at Southampton; Mr.
George Mills the conpauys enginser-ia chief; Lieut.
A. austen, Il, n and other gentlemen Interested
in ttesm navigation Precisely at three O'Clock 1.-THE
mails having been put boSrd the Amazon got under
weigh, snd slowly but rsjesticalIy moved down the
river, amid hearty cheers from the party who had
proceeded from the shore in small steam tender 20
witness her departure The drsusnt OF water of the
Amazon is 2 feet inches, both forward ana af She
ttsrs' therefore although deeply lsden yet in good
trim, end With Keel. she has on board l. 1873
tons Of Goals besides full cargo aud full complement
OF water stores and provisions of every kind The wad
rot sufficiently fair to admit of her immense spreaa
Of canvas being ret che nevertheless rapidly gathered
way and stesmins the rate Of ten and her
knots and 1t is hoped she viii make run ont 10 ST.
Thomas's Of under fourteen days For many reasons
the frat voyage is hardly fair criterion the perform
ance OF any steamer; and in the OF the Amazon
besides the stiffness, Of the machinery it is thought she
is rather overaden and that experience will prove that
acontderany smaller quantity of fuel will be sufficient
and that subsequent voyages ia nsr OF year
will be made in from twelve TO thirteen days Tie dis
lance from Southampton to St Thomass is 3622 miles.
The departure Of this magnificent steamship may be
said to constitute important event in the history of
British transatlantic steam navigation. The Amazon
the direct line Of ste ships intended TO
run fortnightly between Southampton and chagres
touching at st. Thonas while several lines of branch
packets for the accommodation OF the West India Islands
the Gulf ct Mexico &c will from the island Of St
Thomas to the various ports and islands embraced in the
Kew scheme OF the West India Mail Packet Company,
and sanctioned by the Lords Of the Admiralty. BY
means Of the main trunk line the course OF whi;h is
perfectly straight route from Southampton to Chagres
great steam ferry is in point of fact established between
Europe and the Isshnus of Panama and henceforward
constantly increasing traffic must flow to and from this
important part Of the world giving impetus to both
personal and mercantile nercommunication which has
long required to be fully developed and which with en-
arged facilities for intercourse is susceptible OF almost
indefinite increase and extension.