Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-07-31
Fssm the Bua.io Republic
- From ihe Bufslo Republic
Ban ming Of the Northern Indiana
Statements of Captains Wetmore
and langley

u
of the lose of the Northern Indiana cu the
morning Of the 18th, Of Capt. Langley,
captain of the s,esmer Mississippi, Michigan
Central Railroad Line.
Capt; Langley ssys the Mississippi and
Northarn Indiana left Buffalo together on
the night of the 10th. Tie boats kept TO-
getlier, as is uses,iy the case, until l o'clock
on the morning Of The 18th, when OF Point
su Pelee, VIXEN the Northern Indiana was al
leist four miles ahead. Captain Langley
was standing forward On his boat some
friends, when be saw smoke bursting out OF
the starboard gangway of the Northern ln-
diana, and knew she was on fire. lie sent
word immediately to his engineer to hurry
the Mississippi along ss fast as Possible,that
tire Northern Indiana was on fire. lie put
on stetm, and in from IL to 20 minutes
came abreast of her bows, and instantly
dropped his boats, they being all ready when
the Mississippi; reached her. The Indiana s
tngine was at that time stopped, and she
was burning 6erceiy amidships and aft. The
pa sengers we're CRYING, entreatiDg, implor-
iag 10 be saved, and the ropes around the
bows and the stern were full OF people
clinsing for life. The boats from the
Mis- is,issppi came rapidly alongside, and
carried off f ali loads Of passengers.
The scene was oqe of the direst confusion
Women were shreking for help, children
were crying, and no presence of mind was
visible. The water was covered with Peo-
pie and pieces of h1ating wreck. AS the
Mississippi came along, the crew threw oui
cork life preservers in great numbers to
those in the water, many Of whom were
saved thereby. One heroic fellow, named
John McDonough, hand aboard the Mis.
sissippi, seized several lie preservers AM
jumping into the water swan to sesera
men who we're nearly exhausted, and gave
each ono, saving their li.es thereby. Hit
deed deserves something more than mere
newspaper mention
The steward of the Indiana was aft, and
had jumped over. elinging by the hose
Three women were holding on 20 bim.-
Finally the hose burned off, and the women
sill ciinging TO him carried him down.
After great eff3r,s to extricAte himself he
succeeded, the woman drowning immedi'
a,ely. He xas afterwards saved by life
boat.
The Mississippi stayed alongside for two
hours; Captain Langley, the crew, and the
passengers doing everything in their power
TO save the sufferers. When the saved
cane on board trunks and wardro5es few
open, and they were provided with what
ever they desired, they had only TO hell
themselves. A meeting was then organized
Oh board the Mississippi and $500 in casl
we're raissd for the sufferers. The meeting
adjourned to meet at Larned's hotei, Detroit
When the boat landed at Detroit, Mr.. Rice
the SIP ,rintendent Of the Michigan Centra
Railroad came aboard and announced to the
saved that the railroads IN every direction
was at their disposal, and owere the hotel,
free to all. They should be well taken care
Of, and all their wants supplied.
When the members Of the adjourne.
meeting went ashore, they found that tn,
citizens Of Detroit were already beforehand
with that they had already raised 81 400 fo
the sufferers. Among those subscribed
were Eber Ward $50; VIM. Rice, Super
intendent, $50; ]. Hurd g. Co., Sloo. Th,
proprietors Of the Michigan Exchange
M ssrs. Lyons snG Bsrstow, placed thei
houses at the disposal Of the sufferers. with
cut price. A generous act, Mrs. Jacob NJ
Howard, who went up on the Mississippi
and who is resident Of Detroit, in shor
time collected large quantity of clothe
which she brought to the sufferers and dis
tributed amohg them. The passengers wer,
eat enely sensible of all this real kndnes
and mshy of them wep; with 10Y. Th
Northern Indiana was valued at $2O0,o
No insurance The hull will be saved.
Capt. w. HI. Weimore, OF the Northern
Indiana, says:-"We left Buffulo on Wed
nesdpy evening, July 10, at 10 o'clock, witt
medium load, and, l suppose, about 100
passengers The crew numbered between
fifty and sixty. Nothing occurred of an,
importance until about 10 minutes past L
on Tuesday morning, when we were abou
Bal way between Point Au Pelee Reef AM
Point Au Pelee lighthouse. was on decl
by the pilot house. The .engin.er sent ,
man on deck, and said he wanted me below
tuppo led at the time there was some diff
Gully with the men. ran below as fast a
! could, it being an uncommon thing t.
leave the deck when out i Ie even for meals
when got below, the first engineer, Farrar
was getting ready N the fire engine. H;
ssiG-'Mr. Wetmore, my God, she's fire.
II ere was round hole usually covered
viii Pla'e seiron, viii was off, between
the engine room and the smoke-pipe on tn,
siarboard side. cast my eye there, ant
saw light something like the reflection o
. commcn lamp underneath the main dech
turned and ran to call the men; | passed
some on Geek, and told them to run to tht
engine. | passed on towards the forecastle
and found two or three men, tod them Il
run TO the engine. Then passed into tn,
iorecastle and told them the same. | i'm
ntd siely ran back to the engine, and foun,
the engineer had get to work with the fir,
engine, and saw the flames bursting thr ,ugl
the hatche saw she was badly ON fire
and ran to call the second mate for the pur
pose of altering her course. As | got ol
tie promenade deck met him. He said
My God, Mr.. Wetmore, what's the matter
Sad |, She's burning up; get cut your boa
forward / ran into the wheel-house, an
helped alter her course for the nearest poin
Of Point Au Pelee Island, supposing sh
would make the island before her engin
would stop, | then returned 10 the engin
on the main deck. When got there tn
flames had driven them from the fire engine
and she was all fame there.
turned and went to the promenade dec
again, and found the flames bursting throug
the upper deck around the engine. | the
ran Cor my room which was alongside of tn
Hheel-house, to get my axes and had har
work to get back through the flames. a
came forward met the second mate an
one Of the wheelsmen. They said they ha
the boat out on the cranes but not lowered
tod them TO run aft and get out the iii
boat. 1weatimmediately on the promenaa
deck with my axes when | got there "a,