The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-08-15

The BURNING or TIE SrEAMER JoiIN JAY.
From various sources We have full par
ticulars of the sad affair which occurred on
Lake George on Tuesday last. The Tran
script has the following account Of the Of.
fair from one Of the party:
"On Tuesday, the 18th ult., ut about a
quarter before @ p. NJ, some 70 or so pas
sengcrs left the landing on Lake George
near Tic ,ndcroga, for Caldwell, by the
steamer John Jay. All were in high glee ;
the larger portion being acquaintance or
intimate friends, and anticipating a bcauti.
full sail down the lake but in less than an
hour, when about 10 miles on cur trip, and
nearly of Hague, our mirthfulness was
changed by the cry Of fire to tho most ago
nizing CONSERVATION and despair. For a
few moments tho passengers were quieted
by the assurance Of the Captain that there
was no danger, and that the fire would be
easily extinguishcd but the small quanti'
ty Of water the men were enable to throw
on the flames with the three or four buck
cts which they had, seemingly had little or
no effect, and it was soon evident that the
boat must burn up. 1t was then that pam
ic seized the passengers, and scene follow
ed which literally defes all description
frantic screeches, groans and supplication,
blended together, seemed sufficient to rend
the very rocks which bound the shore.
Great blame is attached to the Captain
for not ordering the boat headed for the
shore at once, thereby to secure good
landing on small strip of sandy beach a
short distance above the rocks, where she
finally struck. The pilot not receiving IN
stuctions from the Captain, kept the boat
on her course, not needing the repeated or
ders from the passengers to head in shore.
It seems that he was not aware of the extent
of the fire that was raging below, until the
tiller ropes were burned of, when hc jump.
ed for the rudder, and headed for the near
est landing, which unfortunately was
rocky bluff, surrounded by very deep water.
All the passengers remained on board until
she struck the rock on her starboard bow.
Instead of remaining on the rocks as We
had hoped, she rebounded so suddenly, and
with such force, that before we were aware
of our situation, she was some distance
from the shore, heading out for the middle
ofthe Lake. The passengers then commenc-
cd jumping overheard. Fortunately for
those who remained in bows Of the boat,
1.-THE other portions being by that time all
in hames) the engine ceased working, prob
ably dlsordered by the shock received when
she struck the rocks. The boat soon lost her
headway, and the wind, which was at that
time blowing strongly in shore, drifted her
toward small bay just below where she
struck at first.
Some Of the passengers and one or two
of the crew, who remained on board, COM
menced throwing over baggage, and follow
ing after it, in hopes to save themselves by
clinging thereto, while it was drifting a.
bout. At the same time, boats were seen
coming of from the shore, but before they
reached the wreck, nearly every passenger
was forced to take to the water, on account
of the intensity of the heat but the beats
succeeded in picking up nearly all of those
floating about.
The unfortunate persons who werc lost,
as nearly as can be ascertained, were in the
stern OF the boat, and oblige to jump into
deep water, near the rocks, rs the fire had
reached the ladies' saloon, while the bow
was comparatively safe. The list of those
who were saved and lost has been publish
ed.
Too much praise cannot bcawarded to the
inhabitants of Hague, or" Garfeld's" US 1t
Is sometimes called. They were unremitt-
NO in their excrtions to save the passen-
GERS, and to make them comfortable du-
ring the night, checrfully giving up their
own beds and the dry clothing they had,
and also furnishing us with the best food
they could procure.
From the time il was asccrtained TO n
certainty, that the boat must burn up, no
satisfactory account can be obtained Of the
whereabouts or actions Of the captain. lie
was not to be seen in the bows, and persons
in the stern report they did not sec him
there, although he says he st'od at the
rudder until he was driven away by the
flames. Tho passengers saw no one in au-
,hority but the pilot, and he was evidently
n yery inefficient man, who ought never to
have had the lives Of so many people in
trusted to his charge.
The life boat, which might have saved oil
the people in the stern, some twenty per-
han. in number, was burned on the cranes.
There are many particulars which would
undoubtedly be interesting to many of those
who had friends on board, but my limited
tune will not permit me to write them out.
The cause ofthc FIRE, believe, as has been
stated, was q stoppagc in the smoke Pipe
which was known and commented upon by
the engineers before starting on the trip
or this fact there is the most ample proof.