Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-07-03
The Catastrophe on the
st. Lawrence.


account Of the awful disaster on Friday
night on the St. Lawrence. 1t was one OF
the most frightful of those catastrophes
which of late years have given to inland
navigation on this continent, a character of
insecurity, equal to that of ocean travel.
Apparently the list lost numbers not less
then 300. We copy below the account
/, from the Herald, and can only add to it at
present the painful fact that our townsman
f. l.. Farrar, together with his brother, Mr..
5. Farrar was on board and among
the lost.
On Friday night tho montreal" left Quo
bee at four o'clock with about thirty pas
seneers on board, and some four hundred
and fifty or five hundred cmigrants. -
Among these was Andrew Hayes, ESQUIRE,
of st. Joseph Street. Mr. Hayes has furn-
ishcd us with the following information
When the Steamer reached about IL miles
from Quebec, above Mr.. Atkinson's place,
at Carouge Bay, Mr.. Hays came outside the
saloon Mt the aft part of the Steamer, when
he observed smoke rising up from the
mldships of the boat over the saloon. In
very short time a number of persons were
rushing with Jugs of water to extinruish
the fro. There was ono boat on board the
steamboat on the hurricane deck, and n
hand belonging to the steamer went up to
try to get her into the water. Mr.. Hayes
did the same thing, and between them they
got the boat over the side, and let 20 the
tackles. lie then got into her, and in
minute or two hundreds of persons crowded
in and the boat sunk. Mr.. Hayes then held
on to the tackle, and maintained himself
in that position for long time, till the
heat from the burning ship became too great
In the mean time crowds of persons were
constantly jumping into the water and
climbing down tho guards to get as near
the water as possible. In the meantime,
the boats head was turned towards the
north shore and she ran until she approach
| ed the shore to about one hundred and ffty
yards, where she appears to have sunk in
| deep water, or if not to have struck n rock
as some persons believe. At any rate, the
water was so deep that there was no posi-
bility OF reaching the shore otherwise than
| by swimming or in boats. The flames
after the smoke was at first perceived, did
not take more than ten minutes to involve
the whole vessel, and in Two hours she was
utterly destroyed, 30 that hardly vestige
of the vessel could be seen. The Napoleon :
had started at the Same with the
Montreal, and was at the same time of
the accident at the distance of about half
mile from the Montreal, and above that YES
sci. Probably from the fear of taking fire,
the Captain of the Napoleon did not Judge
1t prudent to approach the burning vessel.
a large boat or batteau was in tow of this
vessel, and after some contention, as it is
reported with the proprietor, she went off
m 70 3 ha -.
| burning vessel. She also had two other boats
of her own, which were despatched to the
scene of the disaster. There were also
some boats which came from the shore, but
none OF them could approach very close to
the steamer, so that every one who was
saved was obliged to make some attempt to
swim for their lives. Mr. Hayes, himself
alter remaining As he believes nearly half
an hour hanging on the vessels side found
I 1t too hot to remain there any longer. and
struck out boldly for n boat which was
approaching. lie swan to this boat but
as the men on board saw much larger
number of persons in jeopardy of their lives
hanging round the wreck they neglected
MIR. Hayes calls to be taken in, and it was
not till ha aunoeodod ia olu.ohi,. tho
boat and raising himself up by his own
muscular force that he felt himself safe
The boats with the persons who were
saved all went on board the Napoleon, in
which was received one hundred and twenty
live passengers and sixteen dead bodies OF
the passengers saved n great number were
sadly burned, and many Of them greatly
bruised Once on board they were treated
| by the Captain with every attention.
BESIDES those who We're taken on board
the Napoleon n few persons, Mr.. Hayes
thihks not more than twenty, succeeded in
swimming IN shore or to some rocks in the
immediate neighborhood of the beach
MI Hayes was acquainted with none of
the passengers on board the 'Montreal,' ex-
cept Mr. Leslie, of Carter, Kerry, x Co.,
and Mr. Phillips, Of Norcross, Phillips, &
| Co., neither OF whom were seen on board
the Napoleon afterwards, and as Mr.. HAYES
! believes, were both Of them drowned or
Dhfm"f. Only three cabin passengers are
! reported to be saVal cut Of the whole mum
Der.
1t appears from rumors which were anoat
on board the Napoleon, that the Mont
real had been on fire previously while get
ting up her steam, and that precautions
had been taken with n view to any such
casualty as that which finally occurred, but
! TINS is at present uncertain. After the fire
had been burning for q certain length of
time there was kind of explosion, which
destroyed nearly all the upper part of the
vessel that remained after the cata stropho.
1t appears that there was no boat on
board the Montreal which could be put in
the slightest use in saving the passengers.
Captain Rudolph and Mr.. Wilson, Jr., son
OF the owner of the Montreal, are said to
have saved themselves by swimming on shore.
The cmlgrant passengers were almost all
Scotch who had arrived out in the James
Mckenzie.
Among the passengers who came up in
the Napoleon was Mr.. Franchere, of the
trm OF Franche n Tourvlle, who took down
list OF the names eli the passengers by the
Montreal who are saved and who came up
on board this vessel They are as follows
VIZ:
Alex. Caldwell, i months old Kate
Laurie, Jessie Laurie, about 6 years old
James Gilchrist about, 4 years old, Geo.
Muir Agnes johnson, Peter McCaul, Rich
ard Devlin, Bridget Devlin, lady's maid Of
the Montreal Madam Provost, maid of
the Montreal James McDcrmot, bootboy
Montreal Catherine Clark and daughter
slargarct McAllster and three childron.-
Mary Mclean and son Mrs. Mckenzie,
Mrs. Margaret Dickson, Mrs. Margaret
bloomfield, David Wilson and one boy Jno
Hunter, VIM. Douglas, boy of II years .Tno
Campbell Maria Campbell, James Laurie,
Jeannatte Laurie. Jane Wylie, William
Cowell lhos. Gilgrist Mrs. Mary Pettigrew,
Archibald McAllister, Charles Cam
eron, Alex Colville, John IIaig, Alex,
ander McAllister, William Nicholson.
Alex. Bnox, Hugh Steward, William Black
James Malcolmson, Alex. Watson.
NAMES OF THE rERsoNs SUPPOSED TO BE LOST.
Mr.. Caldwell and wife, Mr. Laurie and