American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1856-03-22

to find themselves surrounded by de,n
in it's most hideous forms. The sbn"i
of the collision brought the boat arourS
with her bow up the stream, and lbo
entire cabin broke in two. or was ro,L.
er crushed in by thu great weight rs
freight upon the roof and Ut the samo
time it caree ned over. portion of thu
roof at one side being en'isely unde,
water. The passengers. including
number of ladies' and children, cs ca mol
in, u.eir nigh. clothes and took refu,a
ION the hurricane deck, exposed to ali
The inclemency Of the weather
Many of them were.sorely bruised bv |
the boxes of g glassware and other article,
that fell in upon them from tho roof
The boat also caught FIRE, and amid ,b0
smoke, falling ruins and rushing water,
their chances ofescape seemed hopeless
indeed. The boat luckily settled to the
bottom of the liver. leaving the hurri.
cane roof above water. and there thu
SURVIVORS congregated to await assis.
stauce. %GacFtfe3 rsf
Among those known to DO lost were
two children, on deck belonging 10
poor Irish woman going to NewO,leaus,
a woman unknown was also lost from
the dock. Four of the fugitive slaves
of Ma Gaines were on the boat mclu.
ding Margaret and her infant child
The child was drowned, and the Others
saved. They were takcn on the boat
last Friday from this city, and were on
their way to Gaines landing, Arkansas.
1t was thought that two cabin passen.
gers, from Poltsmou tn. Ohio, were o.
mong the drowned. and two others wero
missing. All the rest some 35 in nun.
ber, were saved, including several We.
men and children. The Captains wife,
daughter, and email child were OH board
and all saved, ,houghat ONO time, it was
thought they were lost. The captains
wife during the terrible excitement that
prevailed was caln and perfectly self
possessed, urging upon her husband to
be collected and firm. exhibiting no fear
ofthe awful death that threatened her.
She like most of tho others, was in her
night dress, with bleeding. naked feet
stood upon their narrow foothold pa.
tiently awaiting relief, and in momenta.
ry expectation Of seeing the wreck dis.
appear and leave them to the mercies
of the waves.
The loss of life by this disaster will
probably never be known. MANY of
the survivors think that twenty or TWEEN.
ty-five were drowned, but from oil the
information we could get we can enum.
crate but fifteen. The officers Of the L.
Howard merit the warmost thanks for
their unremiting excrtions in behalf of
the unfortunate people onthe wrecked
boat. AT the ime of the disaster tho
cabin caught FIRE but the flames were
extingnished by the crew Of the How
ard, and aboutihree quarters of an hour
elapsed from the time the accident oc-
Cured before the people on, the hurri.
cane root of the Henry L4s,S&s wero res.
cued. The time that elapsed had been
employed in oxtinguighing the fire, stop.
ping leak IN the other boat, and say.
ing the people ahoat in the river. 1t
was terrible sighthand will long be re-
membered by the pass ngers of the i'll.
fated boat. 1t is the most complete
wreck ever seen, with her chimneya o.
verhoard, cabin crushed in. and tho riv-
er four or FIVE miles covered with arti-
cles and petitions Of tho wreck. HE
The cargo consisted of about 700 tons
of pork, lard oil, candles, cheese and
such other articles of produce usually
shipped from Cincinnati.
The loss Of, The Henry Lewis would
not have beenso great if her cabin had
not been broken by the accumulated
mass offreight ofall kinds slowed on
the roof This also prevented the pilot
of the other boat from seeing her lights
and we think masters and owners o (
boats should use moro discretion, and
not oSer-burlhen their boats in the man
Der this one was. She had about foty
passengers. and crew Of twenty. four
men, in addition to the officers aud cab
in