The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-10-01
The Burning of the Steamer rTi'
agara.

We gain from the Chicago journal o:
Thursday evening, some further par.
t%iculars relating to burning of the
steamer Niagara. That paper says
] The folio &ing Isl statement of the af
fair furnished Us By j H.sAllen. offCon-
card, y. Il. whG Was on board OF, the
! Hire2F@. 2
Tic regular b,at. the Ky Stoue State,
| lid :ot leave as csu4!, 1utng to h5r hay
| ,,.g hee1 badly damaged hi the storm
The Niagara took ker place, aud !ett
last Monday at two O'clock, with fron
l5e to IFS passengers She proceeded
IN far as Saeb ,ygan, aud left there
assst twenty-five Passengers principally
stceraes-
The &,at left Sht Loygan about 20.
cflck. MISUNDERSTANDING Afterwards,
while fJIr or Gxe mites off fort Wash
l. gton, FIRE was discovered by passtn-
gcrs IN the cab1n proceeding from the
/ engrze reom. The alarm was Instant
1 ty given by the passengers, but suca
consiernatiou seq d every one that 10
! efurts seemed tc lie made 20 stay'the con
I ~hagratioa. fp 3 Sery feW moments the
1 " mole C9Ulu w b III 1d1Co- OdntdlI
Miller was asleep at tae time i'll his cab
in, having been 1p ala the ulght before.
4 He x&s immediately awakened and
rushed out OIL deck. Attempts were
made to use tie hose but 1T was found
to be useless. Several of the passengers
after recovering tAeir presence of mind
some what began Ia break dewn the
doors and other wooden Terk aud throw
it eFer6oard. The two boa S upon the
hurricane deck, were immediately Or
dered to be lowered, but in the excite
n,ent aud confusion they we're thrown
overheard aud Immediately capsized, and
we're rendered useless.
The stern aud quarter boats we're
lowered and ali capsized but one, into
which about 20 passengers got in aud
were saved. Large numbers of the pas
sengsrs, paralyzed with fear at the first
announcement of the FIRE, jumped over.
board and we're drowned Immediately
Mothers threw their children overheard
and then wildly jumped themselves
Every one seemed perfectly insane with
fear, and threw themselves over with
out the slightest attempts to save them
selves. Our informant states that be
jauped overheard and swan under the
wheel, where he found the Captain and
Eve others clinging to it. The Trav.
Ter was about ten miles distant, aud up.
OIL discovery of the fire immediately put
off to their rescue. She succeeded after
much effort iE rescuiug thirty of the pas
seugcrs. All the saved give him grea'
credit for his noble conduct. The
Traveller towed the Niagara some dis
tanee, but was unable TO bring her intC
shoaI water, aud so left her.
Capt. Miller stopped at Port Wash
iugton to take care of those who wer'
saved. A-majgrity Oh -.-aasaanger
were women and children. The planl
Iife-preservers were all thrown ever
board, aud many were found clinging [
them. AZ the time f the 6re there va
a very heavy ground swell, but it va
nov very rough, The wind blew yer,
cola:
In regard 20 the origin of the FIR
painful rumors are IN circulation, but W
forbear at present giving them.
We are indebted to G. c. Wheeler
ESQ. Clerk of the Try Weller, for the fol
flowing statement:
Ire propellOr llllHolS PlCheu up aoo"
thirty PASSENGERS and landed them at Por
! Washington. When we left, it was in
: possible to get their names. Severa
sail vessels came promptly to the assist
4, ance of the Niagara, and did good serric
. in saving life. The Life boat from POI
t Washington was promptly Oh hand, an
e rendered timely aid. 1t is impossible
to tell how the fire originated. Whe
e first discovered by the officers OF til
= Traveller, she was completely envelope
4 in a cloud Of smoke. The FIRE appeare
to burst ont forward of the wheel on th
t, starboard side. 1t is supposed that
n hrst broke out nea the engine room
The LIST Engineer was not on board
From all the facts that could be learr
q ed, most of the crew were saved.
Among the saved was one old lad
who was found elinging TO a plank lif
p~reserver, nearly exhausted, with b,
;. shawl wrapped round her, binding b.
to il, and actually holding on with h
teeth. She was restored by the acti'
d sxertions of those on board the Trav