The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-05-10
A WIsriisII.G ScCleG.

| Her passage from New Olk 10 Gan IIdHclSco,
had among her passengers eight missionaries
and their families, sent out to California and
Oregon by the Home Missionary Society,"
One Of them writes home the following de>crir-
tioE Of tic scene Of board.
The morning OF the twenty.frst day Of our
passage, when in latitude deg. Ia min,, and
longitude 81 deg>. 3S Minis, one oftbe sailors
came running to the officer on the quartcrdcck
crying out, "I'he slip is on fire. This Off
Ger went forward and saw the smoke coming
out of the chain lockers and crcviccs Of
the deck. He ordered the force pump to
be manned, and went back to the cabin where
Captain W. and the passengers were at break
fast. Hc communicated the fact to the captain
and they both left without any suspicious being
excited as tothc cause. After breakfast went
upon the deck, and the unusual stir on the
lorccast.c my attracted attention, went for
ward and soon learned the cause.
The ship was on fire in the cargo, some
where, it was supposed, between the second
and tie third decks, but how extensive the fire
was could not be inlmcdiate y asccrtaincd. a
hpie was cut in the deck, and a stream Of wa
ter from the forcc.pump which would throw
| dDUul i've DdilciS IlCi HiIilAllJ "GS lIIohh III
upon the burning mass. Several other places
were cut, AMI lines for passing buckets were
formed BY the passengers. We toled on in
this war Tor some three hours, but could see
no indication that we were getting the fire un
der The vcntilators seemed rather to show
that it was spreading aft under the cabin, Which
was then beginning to he filled with Gus and
smoke.
The ship WAS then turned head to the land;
we we,e four hundred and fifty miles from it,
The magazine was hosted upon the upper deck
aid placed where it could lie easily thrown
overheard. the life boats got out and provisions
and water, and the clothing which We would
need till we could reach the land made ready.
At tais time another large opening was made
and box Oh fire, was broken to pieces; and
its contents PASSED upon deck Another and
another was broken up in the same manner,
rili place was nlade. large enough to admit
one Of the sailors, who boldly went down with
the hose in his haud lie directed it against
the turning mass, Till he fell exhausted on the
floor. lie NILS dragged out and another as
bold as he, came to his place. In moment
or two he fell, Ike his companion, and was
dragged out insen$i1!c, and carried upon the
deck. Another and another took lis place aud
shared lis fate.
Thus it went on till every one of our sixty
sailors had taken his turn. At orc time coun.
tod sixteen Of these generous fellows lying to-
gethrr on the dec!. Tie ladies came trum
tie cabin and 'palhcd their hands with canlyhor
which would, iu.lnost cases, bring them to in
short time. As soon rs one was recovered
sufficiently to walk he would 90 back and Of
fer his services again. Several Of the men were
Brought up out Of tins place as many as eight
times. On the most of them the gas which
tacy inhaled seemed to have an effect something
like that Of laughing gas particularly when
ticy were partially resuscitatcd. 1t was no ca
| S. matter TO restrain those powerful men when
| they cnIrarorcd to throw themselves over
bard, or do themselves or Us some bodily
hlrm.
For four hours we labored in this way and
YOU may may imagine the terrors of our posi-
ton. We could but fear that the strength Of
thc men, self sacrificing as they were, would
not hold on till the flames were cXtingui>hcd.
Some Gi them could do no more, and these the
hardest of them ALL. We toi!ed on, however
the passengers, genllenicn and Ladies work.
! ing the pumps-ior another hour, when the
| hyti news came that the fire was out. No
more namcs- could be seen, no more smoke
arose We began TO breathe freely, and hope
| that that dcIiverance had been sent to us. AZ
. the rest of an hour IN examination was made
but no signs Of fire discovered. We all lay
down upon the deck (t was very warm) and
passed the night. The next day was the Sab
bath and Eever did a more grateful, more
dcvout assembly come together forthe worship
of God.
! BATTLE OF New ORLEANS -" Philo Jack
SON" writes to the Savannah Journal an in-