The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1853-07-30
The late Accident to the Hudson River
Steamer Empite

that It l. only nav and ihr'i un, Which from lis
special terrbtne-s attracts oar attention ll,,
following description ~ tie late disaster 10 the
Empire Is from an eye witness, SISTER of = gen.
iIrmHn oi ths city. writing from New Haven
II shows that the went which, in the .,rh' no
ices Of the Telegraph and at our distance Of pos.
hinn, has seemed inConsidprable, was invested
wih fearful realities to those immediately ia.
volved.- t&i. Dem Press
---f'htre were four Of o. Mrs and her ltt!e
grl, with j. and myself all happy in being en-.
scourel Tor the night IN one state rncm We Oh.
served that there were four tin life r-eseryrrs in
the room, and before retiring we're amusing our
selves BY trying them On AMI rema.klng our
ludlcr6us appearance, with each two tin Kettles
tied under our arms, The beautiful moonlight
night did not all"w even a suggestion. not to cav
apprehension, Of danger. 10 such a merry mood
We retired and were sleeping suundly, when
about half past one o'clock. we we're nwnkened
by The most terrible crash ever heard We
started IN terror from our births, but found our
selves udtcnly pitched headlong BY the carecn.
ing If the boat to us side. We AT length sue.
corded IN opening the door q! oar room but man
instant were nearly suti.cated by tho rushing in
Of steam. coal gas and he fumes Of camphrrp for
to ado Ia the confusion. the camrhere lamp.
which lighted The state room ralnnn had all been
broken IT. the ,olll-fiun, and lrli the entire beat
IN total darkness Wetried il vain to produce
matches OF y light. On al SIDES there wa7
nothing but terror, dismay ind ronrI.icn
threw nn few clothes, and went out to enJuu".
ur toa'crr'hn the extent Of the injury and 81 our
danger, but il was impossible 10 obtain any tic
finite infrmaiiun; some said it was collision
with sailing vessel. others that the boiler had
burst, bot all agreed in the impression that the
boat must soon oil and % down. mass Of ~.
ms piled all round u rendered It almost I'M posi-
bic to take step. DC the side OF the boat op.
pn'lie 10 orr room. every state room from tie
engine tu Tie one Immediately facing ours va.
torn away, and our side al! 10 within the third
from u. Sic boiler had been torn from its
place by the cuili,l"E and the falling and h,ing
Of HE p"udeiuu, machinery had icfl the whole
{: The forward part Of the boat nlass VI RUNS"
We finally succeeded, with part Of oar cloth NJ
and he life preservers about which We had been
so merry, On u. IN getting on deck / will not
attempt to dr'rTlhe the seer e which her, met us
neg ar own frri,uga Ga al. .ides were heard
Tie groins duI .Nrpks Of The wounded and dy.
Ing. mingled with the frantic crles Of thuse W no
had lost lmir friends. aud were them,rlyrs hpr.
rur stricken nj the prospect Of immediate death,
Many lstw dreadtully scadcd and Otherwise
maugIed. and m awful agony The alarm tell
lnre~- ln'v to'lri forth as startling tones and The
cre- iurh, p cent back their echoes Il ON the EUR.
Founding h'i-. Thus remained for an hour
End u hi'I before any assistance could come to
"a The nj. boat was lowered. GNt almost i'm
u.,iaIrly -wamp"I from being overloaded and
uei. W"r" Jiuwi Il before on ryvs-hOv many
uuvr MT a.rrr' anrI T. Wa feared every Inn.
meut tHui the boa. wouli hi ani 20 down. We
have -n,- learned that shp e. nu FIRE soon ai,.r
3D." .'yu'R. 'h,ugh harrl, We aid Dot know it
''n .ur. ttir.t alley M hour ard h,lfuf
r.r n'u suspense. siaop lnldei with coal
r."" mr.rar end 'rk rs IN board and tIen
O. -.r3 fru" ;hc wreck wed,ru,,rrd with
O. H....n- lnuj "f h.Ir.r though uInerd
'r..' H'h IRA itul- fr "rr timely deypmnce
.'' h W., ", h.A The f lme. ra.e to con.
."HnN'c Irgh' lost b, great cx,rtuns were
..n..t * m-uI-icd. Our arrunn,oda ruus ON
'".-. IT.. "'d boot ~ Won NAV well suppose
."E r... fr1 clE' 'h. 'argr lumps nf hard
--H.. ..u."- 1907, standing or sitting places,
... ." $4,000 IT,. ug f,-f "n pHr unprotected hrads
\ ..h -. 'Irl wre We were thankful Tor
th'n. II ie,p. oypercncrl IN emotion ul grat.
ltud- It was while oaahui boat
As we s'oud huldrd together 81 that pile n!
cod like II q OK Of frightened sheer il was i'm.
possible (tor Ec) even under tn" stliI f. III i'm.
prr-sinn Of tie peril from whlrh W. bad e,csG d.
and the scene of disaster and death hv which We
were sulrcu9lgl, in 'upnyt.a y s'rurg .arsp O!
the ludctou.uesS "foUr position and appearance
We " ere group for q painter Some had lost
nearly all tirr Clntlng, all were MINUS mure or
less very necessary not To say indiSpsnSib'c Hrli.
cIes. The m men v-tr most of them without
shoes o.. stnCKings or hlts. Some of w. had on
one OF the uncuuh ooki1g life preserves some
two, and some three When finally Inc sluup
landed us Oh the Shore a seort distance from the
wreck, where we waited fo- the next develop
men', some standing. some sitting nn the ground
or whatever else they could find to s on | was
strongly reminded Of an encamrment ofcypsles.
Al length a small Steamboat which had gone To
the wreck came along bringing our baggage and
took us on board and convened us 10 Poughkeep.
sic, wher" We took the ea!s for New York, and
thence tn View Haven.
The dav began 10 dawn Just rs We left the III
htoi Empirr on the coal soop and We remain.
ed in the state Of rxpnaure | have -cS,nu,d from
that tune Ill O'clock in the morning, when We
reached Poughk'cpsie.
II il impossible To tell how great the loss life
10. think quite large number must have been
drowned and several o. the sralded have died
Providrniallv the heller was dslodged and sunk
thrs tightening the broken side of the booat and
allowing " 7" Use out OF Tue water, ohelWise IL
must inevi'shlv
have had two interruptions sinre commgnc.
ing his letter, one from dr. L. who had not been
abe 10 ascertain the fate nf his wife and child,
though had telrgraphei him; the other from
lady who came in the cars to dnv, and called to
inform the family that j. and Ucie among the
killed
SAN TARANCsGn Nov AND lHEN-Thr porula
ton of San Francisco is nov nearly 10000 The
city has covered tie old .and b, aCh, mounted the