New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-06-11
DESTRUCTION or A STEAMBOAT BY FIRE.
The Steamboat City Of Newark Burned
70 the Waters Edge
SEVERAL LIVES SUPPOSED 70 BIZ LOST

\, ~ -.
yesterday morning, took fire when nesr the Light
house, and was burned 70 the waters edge. The
steamers Achilles, Thomas Hunt AID Commodore be-
ing in the vicinity FASTENED 20 her assist snce and sue
ceeded, as far could sscerain in saving all the
passengers
Between II and u O'Clock il the forenoon. Informs
ton Of the catastrophe reached the city, and soon
spread Ike wild fire in every quarter statements Of
the most exaggerated nature made to the effect
that from forty to fifty lives had beer lost, and many
persons were severely injured.
At the ofice Of the owners OF the boat, Stephens,
Condict & Co., foot Of Dey street, great excitement.
prevailed among those who had there assembled to
gain dipgs Of friends and relatives the boat The
full particulars of the disaster received a.
the Office when it was ascertained that all were saved
excepting one or two.
The boat left Newark at the usual hour yesterday
morning and nothing OF interest transpred until about
a o'clock when, a. she was between the light.
house and Ellis's Island, FIRE was discovered in the
hold There were about seventy passengers on board,
mostly women and children. Attempts were made to
extiDgush the FIRE, but this being impossible the
alarm was given. The panic and confederation tina,
ensued il indie scribable Smoke pouring out
Of the engine ROOM either side, and through this
the women rushed in frantic state with their children
from one end of the boat to the other crying loudly
for help. The captain, with several of the male pas
seygers, who more composed strove to alay tue
fears Of the women, but without avail. Tue le.boat
was lowered, but being too heavily loaded, capszed,
procipitating the inmates into the water. Owing 20
the timely arrival of the steamboats, above named,
those in the water were picked up, and those remain
ing on the burning vessel rescued.
The flames spread with great rapidly burninsthe
boat TO the waters edge. The Commodore took her
in tow and grounded her the Jersey Flats, where
her hull aid engine now lie.
The following statements from Captain Ryan and
Engineer Snyder, made by them to reporter, ani
the statements Of others give further details of the
dreadful catastrophe:
STATEMENT or CAPT. RYAN.
Yesterday morning at y O'Clock We eff NewaA with
about II passengers. Everything went on as usual,
with safety, until we made New York Bay. was at
this time on the upper deck, standing alongside the
pilot house when Mr. Snyder, the eng neer, came up
and told me that the boat was on fire. told him to
srsgthen out bis hose a. to play on it. hallooe!
to my TO stand by and pass along the fire buckets
| then opened the door on the larbOard gangway on
the upper deck and saw that it was impossible to save
the boat the flames were spreading 40 fast then
gave orders to my to launch the life-boat, which
they did. ! ran into the piot-house and bowed my
steam alarm whistle and stopped the engine. atso
gave orders for color to be put out aft a. signal of
distress
| next went among the passengers and told them
that there danger as boats were 10 sight and
coming toward us. begged OF them TO DO composed.
The steamtug Achilles, her way up with ship ia tow
by hawser first saw us. She immediately let the ship
90 and came to assistance. She came head On our
a1ter.gangway ard her bow being very high, We had
great difficulty in getting off the passengers from the
burning bessel The steamboat Thomas Hunt next
saw us and up close to our stern and rendered
all the assistance in her power. The steamboat Com.
mOdoIe soon after came up on our forward iarboara
Izs8tl hn her mr.
also horse. j now on the bow OF the Achilles,
taking OF the passengers myself from my vessel Al
ter / could person aft, went down on deck,
ran around the saloon seeing no person there, re-
turned 10 the Achilles and cast off the hawser. The
Achilles then went aongsde the ship again and took
her Il tow. then got my bands that were severely
burned dressed by the ships DOCTOR after which pro-
cured small boat and went back my vessel and staid
rear her till she SAX. She continued burning TIL
she sank. Her freight and everything belonging to
the boat to her papers, were destroyed Assoon
as the alarm Of fire given the greatest consterna-
ton seized the passengers, and was more than aud
several of my men, with the asssaLc oil some gentle
men passengers could DO to que, them ..rS
but believe that al were rescued by the small boats
and steamboats, that came TO assistance cannot
say anything about the origin of the fire, as at the time
was At nv post by tae plot.hoase, and the first
knew of the FIRE the informal given me by the
engineer. Our boilers were well secured from hre' De-
ing covered with heavy wooden felt. overhead our
re.room was timed, and the sides and bottom lined
with sheet iron. Our smoke-pipe was treble cssed
with sheet iron. All precautiop was taken by the
owners against the occurrence of fire. We had one
lite boat and a yawl, and two hundred and forysix
hfe-preservers Our hose go feet in length WAS last
ened 10 the pump, but sudden was the progress Of
the fire on this OCCASION that we could not use IT.
am extremely thankful to the gentemanly and coura
ceous passengers who stood by me to the last and en-
deavOred 10 save the hives OF those feh1eteu netPs'
by fright. There would not have been the least dif-
Guilty had il been possible to control the passengers or
.uboue their fears. ,.,
side the after gangway she capszed In consequence OF
the passengers rushing into her on one SIDE. ooa,
from the Achilles sen. to US; she ALSO c.psLeu
from the same cause and both boats were bottom up
ward and useless. IL any persons al au were 1851, IL
was some of those in these boats.
The CAPTAIN states that he Is extremely thankful 10
the Captains of the steamboats, Achilles, Thomas Hunt
and Commodore for the assistance they rendered him
ON this trying OCCASION
STATEMENT OF Mr.. SNYDER, THE ENGINEER
When we left the dock at Newark | was working
the engine with twenty-five pounds OF steam. oh
reaching Bergen Point went below, according 10 my
,us,om and took a look around to that ali was
right About twenty minutes before o'clock, when
near the Lighthouse the fireman started 20 90 Gown
10 fire up and al the same time went 10 shut OH thc
feed water. As opened the door, 4 %" uiie'
tbe uan-leck on the bVard side of the boat, be-
tween the cyhuder and shaft, behind the boiler ebt
blaze | quickly shut the door, and jump for tAs
pipe anG hose, when the fireman came running up tAe
adder out of the hre-roOn aud sad the Ooat WAS on
fire. | cropped the hose and gave the alarm 10 the
csptain after which nped below, ordered the nre-
man to 20 down aud open the ursace doos Ia prevent
an explosion, grabbed the hose again, shifted the
cocks and started for the fire. room. As opened
tic grating the blaze up with great fury dnvng
me- back A few moments before | discovered the
tire | looked at the steam-gauge, and found that We
had on only thirty-two pounds OF steam seeing
could not eXuguish the fire, went to assls the esp
taia 10 saving the passeugers prevented i0ur per-
son tiOm jumping overheard.