Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1852-02-14
The Fire at SEQ.

Vhe fare AT sea-
The London papers furnish some interesting |
particulars of the burning Of the Steamship Anna
zon. The Times contains the following thrilling /,
account of the escape of one of the female pas
sengers-
Miss Smith, passenger, displayed herolsm
and intrepidty throughout these painful scenes,
which place her almost in the rank of Grace Dar-
ling. Miss Smith states that, after having retired
TO rest on the eventful night, she was aroused by
a sudden noise and cry of " Fire " She
rushed out of her berth in her night dress, but
was met by some gentleman who conducted or
carried her back to the cabin, eujolnlng her not
to be alarmed, as the flames would soon be sub
dued. From the increasing confusion, she, how
ever, thought it best 10 provide for her own safe
ty, and accordingly obtained possession of
blanket and a petllcoat, (snatchng up the first
articles at hand, y and rushed upon deck.
The appearance of matters there, impressed
her with The conviction that Capt. Symons had
lost all control over his crew, who were rapidly
launching the boats, and getting away as fast as
they could Miss Smith, therefore, formed the
resolve of saving her own life, if possible, and set
about it with a GOODNESS quite extraordinary.
She put the petticoat, enveloped herself in the
blanket, and then, making fast one end Of a rope
TO some part of the bulwarks of the ship, and
curing tho other end to one of her arms she threw
herself overheard, with the intention of getting
into one of the boats, but if unsuccessful in this
endeavor, to remain suspended as long she
could, and then drop into the sea, preferrng death
by drowning to the horrible alternative of perish
ing by fire.
The flames were rapidly approaching the part
of the vessel from which she was suspended,
when Miss Smith, observing favorable opportu-
nifty, threw hersellintO of the boats that hap
| pened to pass near her, and which was getting
away from the blazing wreck; she fell heavily on
one of the seats or thwarts of the boat and one of
the seamen fell upon her, bruising her chest Sc
verely. She was, however, snatched from mme-
date death, and in all the trying scenes which
followed, her firmness and courage never deserted
her; in fact, on several occasions, she took her
| place at the oars, and helped TO prope the boat.
So destitute of clothing were the crew of the
boat, and such an entire absence was there of
anything with which to make signal, that she
was obliged to take off her petticoat that it might
be attached to an oar, and hoisted as a signal Of
distress.
AT the date of our previous advices, there was
one boat of the Amazon unaccountad for which
has since been heard of, and eleven more surviv-
ors Of the eek saved. This makes 81 persons
in all saved, viz:-2l landed at Plymouth; IS
picked up by Dutch vessel, and landed at
Brest, and at length II more by another vessel,
landed at Plymouth, thirteen days after the disas-
ter. The London Globe gives the following par
ticuars of the escape of another female passenger,
Mrs. McCenan.
Upon the alarm being gwen, MIS- McCenan
wrapped her infant in shawl, and rushed upon
deck. She put into a boat, with no other
garment than her night clothes. Into this boat
fifteen or twenty persons placed themselves, but
being unable to free the stern tackle, the bow
went almost perpendicuarly down. Some fell
into the sea, and others scrambled up into the
ship again. Mrs. McClenan was partly thrown
into the sea, but her strong maternal feelings en-
| abled her to save both herself and the child.
She chung with arm to one of the seats of the
boat that was fast, and holding the child with
for about half hour, when the engineers and
others, the last to leave the ship, cleared the boat
from the tackle and jumped into it before it could
get away.
Mrs. McClenan was very much bruised, and in
this trying position remained seventeen hours,
almost the whole tine up to her waist in water.
from the sea breaking over the boat, without food
and without clothes. Even the infants shawl
they were obliged to make a sail of, in order to
keep the boat before the wind. Seventeen hours
after she escaped from her berth, she was lifted
almost insensible, but still clinging to her child
on board the vessel that rescued the party.