The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1856-03-19

The House then resumed the considera-
ton of the report of the committe on
Elections.
Mr.. Washburn, of Maine, gave notice
that he would press to a vote on the res
~olution to morrow.
Steamboat Dlsaster-Over Twenty
Lives Lost.
We give below the particulars of the
disaster of the Henry Lewis, which left
Cincinnati on the 9th inst, for New Or
leans, with a full cargo and forty passen-
gers:
The disaster occurred in the Ohio riv-
er, about four O'Clock, Saturday, a clear
starlight morning. The Henry Lewis
was descending the river just below Troy,
"hugging the Kentucky Shore" at the
head of Anderson's bar, when the E. How
ard, ascending, came up, or rather out
from behind the point, and a collision oc-
Cured, sinking the Henry Lewis in about
three minutes, in about twenty feet of wa
ter.
AT the moment of the collision, the
widest scene of terror and excitement en-
sued among the passengers and crew of
the Inflated boat ever conceived of or ex-
perienced on the western waters. The
passengers were all asleep in their berths
but a moment before, and at the next in
slant were hurriedforth amid the crushing
of timbers, the Kissing of steam, the hur-
rying to and fro, the alarm of fire and
cries of drowning wretches, to find them
selves surrouded by death in its most hid
eous forms. The shock of the CO lision
threw the boat around, with her bow up
stream and her entire cabin broke in two,
or was rather crushed in by the great
weight of freight upon the roof, and at the
same time it careened over, a portion of
the roof on one side, being entirely under
water. The passengers, including a num-
Der of ladies and children, escaped in their
night clothes, and took refuge on the hur-
ricane deck, exposed to all the inclemen-
cy of the weather. The boat also caught
fire, and amid the smoke, falling ruins,
and rushing waters, their chances ~ofescape
seemed hopeless indeed. The boat lucki-
ly settled to the bottom of the river, leav-
ing the hurricane roof above water, and
there the survivors congregated to await
assistance.
The loss of life by this disaster will
probably never be known. Many of the
survivors think that twenty or twenty-five
were drowned, but from all the information
we could get we can enumcrate but fifteen.
The officers of the f. Howard merit the
warmest thanks for their unremitting ex-
e%rtions in behalf of the unfortunate peo-
pie on the wrecked boat. At the time of
the disaster the cabin caught fire, but the
flames were eXtinguished by the crew of
the Howard, and about three quarters of
an hour elapsed from the time the acct
dent occurred before the people On the
hurricane roof of the Henry Lewis were
rescued. The time that elapsed had been
employed in extinguishing the fire, stop
ping q leak i'll the other boat, and saving
the people aioat in the river.
From what WE can learn~of the affair,
it appears that the signals of the respec-
tive pilots were misunderstood. The
Howard was coming up under a sort of
point, at the head of Anderson's bar, the
other boat was descending along the Ken
lucky shore. She was so much covered
up with freight around her decks and on
the roof that the pilot of the Howard
did not Immediately discover her lights.
He blew the whistle once, signifying to go
to the right, when the other boat answer
ed by blowing her whistle twice, which
was to so to the left. The boats were
less than one hundred yards apart, and d
collision was inevitable. Both reversed
their engines, and were backing when they
struck, the bow of the Howard taking the
Ii. Lewis on the starboard quarter, just
in front of the forward end Of the boilers,
crushing through her guard and into her
hull, square head on.
After the collision she made two or
three revolutions ahead, and sunk in about
three minutes, with her bow up stream,
within about seventy-fve yards of shore
and the stern quartering out in the river.
The Howard hit her head on, just in front
of the boilers, on the starboard side.
PATRIOTISM OF THE ABoLITIoNIsTs.-
The London News, a paper generally lib
eral in its tone and well posted up in the
affairs of this country, when referring to
the event of a collision with Great Brit
ain, speaks confidently of aid to England
from Abolitionists here. Its editor says,
awe speak what we know" and makes
the following declaration: However
strong is the unprinciPled appeal at pres
e it made to the anti-British feeling of the
Northern States that feeling is counterbal
anced by another, which has grown up
within the last quarter of a century. THE
A5ohsonists could be aoiM as to a man.
The best Of them are SO aoU."
ESY- The Liverpool Journal insists
that Louis Napoleon, through an agent,
has been specializing in the English funds,