The Diamond state., 1855-07-20

/ JfCtCfto- ffF &C 1<ttto Lyon h'' '''''b
ni6cent steamboat (wifh the exception
OF the Richard Stockton, the largest boai
upon our riyer) was totally destroyed by
fire, early on Tuesday moFning, while
lying at the White Hill landing, below
Bordentown on the Jersey side of the
river. She reached that landing about
s clock the previous eyaning, and ber
fires were raked down as usual. Captain
Kestor proceeded to Bordentown, where
his family resides, by the train, and most
Of the hands left the boat, leaving on
board only six persons, the pilot, Ser
willie. Schinoine, deck hand, Michael
GouIdin, Harriet Wright, the well-known
eolpred chambermaid, and three other
colored women, viz: Mary Parker, the
first cook, aged about 80; Hannah Ebo,
the second cook; and the other was a
French colored woman, employed as
dish,washer, whose name cannot be re-
membered.
The first person discovering the fire
was Gouldin, the deck hand, who was
sleeping on set;ee on the main deck.
He was reused by sense of sufocation
and found lymself surrounded with
smoke. fHe give the alarm to the pilot,
who rushed out Of his berth, and after
some delay, found il necessary to leap
overheard aud swim ashore, in order to
save his life, so rapid was the spread Of
the flames. The whole upper part of the
boat was in few moments enveloped in
flames.
The alarm given by the deck-hand
had aroused Harriet, the chambermaid,
who.was sleeping in the lower cabin,
and her escape By The stairway leading
into the saloon being cut off by the
smoke and fite, she, with great presence
of mind, crawled out of cabin window,
where she supported herself upon one
of the braces beneath the guard, until
rescued by the pilot, who took her of
in boat.
The three colored cooks were asleep
in cabin between the bar and the fore
castle. The pilot made an effort TO save
them with his boat, and broke in the
windows of their cabin with an oar, and
in other ways attempted to rouse them
wi thout success. At that time there
was not much fire IN that extreme por-
ton of the boat, land the suppositien is
that they had either leaped overheard in
tarror and drowned, or else by running
to the after cabin to alarm the chamber
maid had perished in the flames.
AS the conAagration would have
spread TO the depot and buildings on the
landing, the fastonings of the boat were
cut, and she was allowed to drift out in
to the river, presenting a grand spec
taclc, lighting up the country for miles
around, and attracting crowds Of people
to the banks of the river. The boat
driited up the river about 200 yards, and
grounded upon bar, where she was
left high and dry by the tide.
The fire commenced shortly before
/ ono tr0tE, ana Dy three Crock tn,
wood work was almost entirely destroyed
leaving nothing of this splendid boat bu
a mass of smoking ruins. The hull, be
ing Of iron, was of course not materially
damaged.
The pilot did not go 10 bed until half
past 10 o'clock, and previously looked
down into the 6re-room, and from the
then condition OF the fires, is confident
that the conhagration could not have
originated there.
The bodies OF the three missing fe-
males were found short distance be-
low where the boat was lying They had
evidently jumped overheard upon the
discovery Of the fire, and drowned. One
Of them was pretty badly burned about
the feet and limbs.
Several OF the persons employed about
the boat were more or less burned in
their efforts 10 extinguish the fire. VIM
AlcRollin was badly burned about the
face and hands, and was yesterday taken
10 the Pennsylvania Aospital.
The total loss by the burning of the
steamer is $l35,000.