Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-02-18
LATE CONFEDERATION AT NEW ORLEANS.

FROM THE NEW ORLEANS 'rRUH DELTA" OF FEBRUARY A.
TERRIBLE CosTLA0RArIos.- Of the most terribl,
destructive CONGREGATIONS which ever occurred on on
leyee took place this morning II Commenced ON hosr
of the steamboat Charles Becher Capt Carlisle at abou
o'clock and ceased only with the destruction of prop
erty amounting to something like million Of dollars
Six steamboats, and large freight barge with their car
goes all destroyed and regret to add that thu
loss Of life cannot be computed at less than thrtyv
forty, mostly negroes.
The fire broke out towards the stern of the Charles
Belcher and spread with amazing rapidty At the hour
which it occurred all on board with the exception of the
watchman asleep As the boat had arrived in the
night from Nashville her passengers had not yet left
her. hence the unfortunate destruction of fe OF the
white passengers it is known that several lest how
many cannot at the present time be ascertaned On the
deck in the after part and consequently behind the
great portion of the freight, were it is said thirty
negroes, men, women, and children and it is not known
that any Of them escaped The cargo Of the Charles
Becher consisted Of 500 bales of cotton and 700 hhd
tobacco together with large lot of pork Sci and every
thing lost with the exception Of few Of the books
and valuable papers, which were saved by the clerk.
From the Charles Belcher the flames extended to the
steamers Mohican, Capt Irwin and the Natchez, Capt
feathers and in very short time both of those boats
mnntled from end to end with destructive wreath.
The Natchez was fine new boat which arrived on Fri
day from Grand Gulf with cargo Of 5000 bales Of cot
ton, of which 2, 500 were yet board On this boat
there was loss of life as well as of property Two Of
the chambermaids two deck-hands, and pastry cook
are missing and the clerk lost his little son and less
than SIX negroes The Moh1can was adened with vaua
BILE cargo for the Tennessee river and would have been
ready leave in few hours She entirely destroy
ed, but the lives of all on board were saved.
Besides the boats already mentioned, the Liah Tuna,
the Crescent and the Saxon destroyed with oil
board together with large barge which had been towed
down from Louisville by the Sultana.
As as it discovered that the fire spread
ing rapidly the excitement the levee became tre
mendous Engine after engine arriving the ground
and people in thousands cengregang to witness
sight too fearfuly sublime. Lard, oil and infammable
liquors spresd the surface Of the water adhered to
floating particles Of half burnt cotton, and thus were
little islands of fire borne along with the swift stream
By these means it at time feared that the whole
fleet Of steamboats, at the evee would be involved in one
destruction. The freight the wharves cotton
bales baggng bacon and heaped up sacks Of burnt
fercely but one needed them, for what were they
compared with the greater destruction which was going
on in other quarters!
In order to prevent far possible the spread Of the
flames down stream steam hastily got up board of
the Suana and Crescent City, and they backed
into the river leaving space of about hundred feet
between the burning boats and the Grand Turk.
short distance from the of the fire the Float
ing Palace of Van Amburgh, filled with his various and
collection Of animals moored The tumul and
noise aroused the wild beasts from their ars and caused
them to lend their that of the multitude. We
could not but think what awful would have been
presented if the hames which sweeping in that d.
recton, had communicated to this prison of many fe
rocious brutes. .+