The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-07-24
THE DAILY DISPATCH.


TAsrsdsy sieralss. Isiy a, 1859.
BURNING OF THE STEAMER N0RTHERH
INDIANA. g g
| EXCITING ecHNH.
A brief account Of the burning Of the steamer
Northern Indiana, on Lake Erie, has been pubiish.
| ed. There were about lis passengers on board,
Of whom ii Il supposed % were lost--shs trip
sheet having been lost the number could not GER
| iainly be ascertaisted, W. H. wetmorc, the frs.
mate IN command OF the boat gives the following
account Of the disaster:
Thursday morning, about IL o'clock, saw Z
light underneath the main deck. turned about
aud ran 70 call the men. passing some the deck.
whom told 70 run TO the engineer. proceeded
to the forecastis, where two or three Of the men
were sleeping, and told them to rouse. I Iimmedi.
ately ran back to the engineer, and found that be
had got to work with the fire epgine and also saw
the flames bursting through the hatches. i saw
she was badly on fire, and ran to caf the second
mate, for the purpose Of altering her course Az
! got on the promenade deck, met him. and he
said. my God Mr.. Wetmore, what's the m attsri'
told him. shes burning up" ran into the pi.
los house and helped him 70 alter the course of the
vessel fer the nearest point of Point au sPeelee
Island, supposing she would make the island be.
| fore her engine would stop.sI then returned to
the main deck to the engineer, when found the
working
gine, and the flames madly rushing on. ] again
went to the promenade deck, and found the fire
bursting through tho upper deck around the en-
gine; thence / ran to my room, which was along
side the wheeEhouse to get nay axes, and had hard
work to get back through the flames, which burned
my hands considerably. As ] came forward met
the second mate and one of the wheelsmen who
ssid they hadthe boats out ON the cranes went
Immediately on to the promenade deck with my
axes, and when got there saw the forward bost
was crowded with men,. felt sure they would all
be lost, unless could get them out of it. I took
an axe in my hand aad ran forward, and told them
they would all be lust unless they got out
Mr.. Farrer, the engineer, and the second engi-
neer were trying to pull them out of the boat and
succeeded in getting some out by the greatest pos
sibe exertion. At that moment the cranes gave
way, by the weight of those in the boat and she
went down eud forward and spilled most of them
into the water. The boat would hold eighteen or
twenty. and was crowded to excess. When she
went down knew what would result, and did not
stop to look At her. but turned round and met the
men whom had sent aft. They said they could
not get aft, as the flames would not permit them
I then turned to the passengers, and begged them
to keep cool and would save them ALL at the same
time knowing there were about two cords of plank
about half way aft on the larboard side. 1 ran
where the plank was, and also called to the crew
and such of the passengers as were near, and
urged them to get the panks out brought out
an armful and then went back to the opposite side
| and brought another load. constantly urged the
safety. / got them at work getting out plank and
wood work, such as doors and pauellings. The
engineers and second mate were assisting me all
| the time. The panel work was all cut away and
| fast got out vas passed to the passengers
There was much excitement among the passen.
gers. Some would buckle about them the life pre-.
server before they were blown up and jump over
Those in the after cabin were forced overheard by
| the flames, which were driven back by the wind,
| and the panic and wild excitement is beyond de-
sciiption. st,s=a. t.c4 ..-7..4,st.s ..ss
We then rushed into the cabin and hauled out the
| diping tables and drew them forward. We then
spread them out in full length. and dropped them
overheard to the passengers who were floating in
the water. We threw them over bottom side ND,
aud likewise threw over side tables, sofas, arm
chairs, etc. which were in the cabin By this time
the boat had stopped l cannot tell exactly
when she did stop, but am confident she
could not have run over mile from the
time when the FIRE broke out. After getting
all out of the cabin, we commenced cutting away
| the Tenders and urging men to get npon them. I
then went forward on the promenade deck. The
engineer and second mate and wheelsmen went
below on the forecastle deck and commenced PASS
ing everything out of the forecastie deck About
this time one of the passengers called my attention
to one of the broken crane stanchions and tried
to get it out but did not succeed finally managed
to cut it off with an axe.
A woman shortly after came to me and said 81
am alone with four little children" She had one
at the time in her arms. Itook II and passed 1t
up to the passenger above spoke of, who was on
deck. The woman then passed me the other three
children. Soon after, another woman passed me
babe about six months old. s---.-s, 4,
Just previous TO this time, the Mississippi which
was about five or six miles astern when the FIRE
broke out, had picked up most of them in the
water. BY this time her small boats and those of
the propeller Republic came alongside to pick
those off from the Northern Indiana. The boats
were full Of life preservers. The persons in the
boats kept throwing the buoys overheard, and
called to the passengers to jump ever. The
| women seemed afraid to do this. A passenger
about this time said to me. Take this child and
viii go and put them (the passengers who would
not Jump overheard" took the child, and had
| another under my arm sndthree more clinging to
me. The passenger (whose name did not learn
worked heroicaliy, and succeeded In getting three
| women and some men into the water, and then
| lowered the children away to them by heaving
| lines My friend, the passenger was the last man,
with the exception Of myself, who left the vessel
Previous to leaving her walked aft from fifteen
| fotwenty feet, and stood there without experien-
/ cling any Inconvenience from the flames 4 then
lowered myself on the forecastle over the side to
| see II tnere was any one. l found no one and
lowered myself into one of the Mississippis boats
| to the stern of the steamer and took off two men
| who were hanging to the rudder I'VE then
! pulled round to the leeward and saw some in
| the wheel called out to them to swim out from
/ the boat they could. They not doing il we
pulled under the lee of the wheel house ana then
underneath, and found tive ladies and Gentleman.
got them on board and then told the men to back
away. - there was danger of the of the wheel
| house dropping on tous. -
A telegraphic dispatch states that the number of
| lives lost on she Northern Indiana were 26 and
that Rev. VIM. Cathcart and child were among
| them.
MINERALS VIZ EAT-"Au know" SAYS the
Portland Transcripts, 'that many men have
great deal of brass in their composition, but per-
haps all are not aware Of the variety of minerals
that enter into and form part Of the human sys-
| tenn A writer Ia Dickens Hosehoid Words thus
| tells the story - .sse.s.s
These minerals. which are interwoyen with the
living structure Of the plsnt, are taken up into
| the fabric of the animal And to Us they are ~