Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-07-07
From the Toronto COlOniss, june 2s.I
OF the Burning OF the
Steamer Montreal.

treal, tes:-1he FIRE occurred at P. n. The |
Montreal had left Quebec at4 P n. The fire broke /
out IN the main saloonin midshps Immediately OPP |
posite the boiler room. Smoke was first seen to /
issue from one of the state rooms. II was very |
dense--so dense that in less than five minutes it /
apostolic to anything 10 the saloon In |
ten minutes the flames burst out and filed the sa- |
loon, and burst out on both sides was IN the |
stern of the vessel when this occurred lowered |
myself down by the side of the vessel and while
was doing so saw one man trying to get q boat
off the upper deck; he called me to bis assistance
he loosed the ropes of the boat and held one END
and the other to let her down; slid down the
rope. In less than five minutes the boat was uodef
water with the crowd that rushed on it. The flame
soon became so intense that l jumped out OF the
boat into the water and towards another
boat I saw coming to our rescue, but 1t snot past
me and made for the boat at the side OF the Mon
treaI / swan back, and got under the boat that
came to our assistance. There were nunoer OF
females in the water, and seven or eight of them
chung to me- These were taken up one by one,
and was dsentsngled. The boat took its load to
the Napoleon, ard Immediately after saws num-
Der of small boats from the Napoleon reach the
Montreal, and | understood that the boat when
first reached the Montreal did not belong to the
Napoleon, but pass niger on board; it was only
after violent alteration, and the passengers IT.
sisting on its being ut that it was sent heard
the Captain of the Napoleon cursing the owner OF
the boat In my opinion the whole affair was very
elapsed before assistance came from the Napoleon.
The Napoleon between 200 and 300 yards
off from US when the fire broke out The Mon
treal was $50 yards from the shore, and she was
headed for the shore in about ten inmates after
the alarm was given, and the flames had broken
out 10 the manner have already stated; think
she should have been headed for the shore sooner
She got aground in the attempt to reach the shore,
and stuck fast nearly far off the SHORE as she was
when the fire broke QUE. saw no one to give Oh
| TectiOns or to take command on board the Mon
treal; everything in utti r confusion. think
| she might have got the shore than she did,
| with proper management, and the destruction OF
| life have been less. Nobody saved anything what
| ever but what their persons There was
no time to look back. The Montreal is burned to
the waters edge. The boiler exploded some time
after the flames broke out. ! heard the Montreal
had been fire twice previously during the after
noon Of the same day, and that in consequence they
had person to watch. understand the furnaces
were badly secured and the wood work not prop
| ery protected by metal sheeting. heard this
| from the captain of the steamer Napoleon.
The scene was appallngly terrific beyond descrip-
| ton on board the Montreal, aud board the Ma
poleon afterwards the of distress were mos
heartrending. Here and there one saw persons
seeking for their children and children seeking for
their parents, with and dismay their faces,
anxious to catch tidings of those they loved. l
saw good many bodies badly burned and disfg
! ured, add many persons in intense suffering, which
|
| potatoes, &c. There from $50 to 500 per-
sons on board thirty of these were cabin passen-
! gers. One hundred and twenty-five bodies,
living and dead were taken out of the water; there
were sixteen dead bodies. l only noticed one
Montrealer. Mr. Leslie; | cannot tell if he is saved.
| A few swan to the shore and took the road to
| Quebec. We were about twelve miles from Que
| bee when the fire broke out. The steerage pas
sengers were principally Scotch emigrants, from
the John Mckenzie. There were also among them
| some Germans, Canadians and Indians. One fam
! lily was banned Meekle, of whom there were six
three of them are gone. The father of the family,
aged 81, is gone. | can't tell how many lives
| lost. think there must have been a great many
! burned. can't tell how many swan to the shore
| and reached Quebec.
| STATEMENT THE PURsER THE NAPOLEON.
About h,lf-past four o'clock the steamer Mon
treal, Rudolph, Master, took fire about half mile
! above CarOuge. The FIRE burst above the boiler
| deck. The Captain Immediately got out the hose,
and set all hands TO work, who did all they could to
| extDguish it. After working few minutes it was
! found impossible to stop the fames which gained
| so fast and spread so rapidly that they could not
| get them under save the boat. The mate then
got out the jolly boat into which he placed four la
dies, ca bin passengers, their maid and the cabin
| girl. 1t was his intention to get the women out
| first and he had given orders that effect; but
| when the male emigrants saw that, they made
rush down the side and into the boat, which was
Instantly swamped. The mate strove to cut the
hawser so to those in the boat but the rush
was so great it impossible. The Napoleon was
at considerable distance and kept a!oof from
the burning boat. She sent out, however, large
| batteau belonging to some raftsmen she had on
| board. Before il reached the Montreal the boat
was in flames all over, ana they were only aOe TO
pick up those in the wat or hanging the wreck.
| Fourteen of the crew drowned. The captain
purser, and all the officers were saved. The cap
tain the last man TO leave the wreck Mr. Viii
son, Jr., of the owner, escaped with difficulty
by swimming ashore. Andrew HAYES who was
saved, in the water for above an hour. He
had stripped himself to his drawers and had to
| borrow clothes from the officers of the Napoleon.
| He rendered assistance to several unfortuDates 10
the water, and we understand saved several lives.
TIE boat was burned 10 the waters edge, and up
| wards OF 200 persons must have persisted on board
or have been drowned. The number saved is from
| ITO TO 200 passengers, but their baggage and eff
fects are lost, and some OF the poor creatures
brought up by the steamer Napoleon were almost
in a state of nudity. The passengers were princi-
pally emigrants-ScOtch and Norwegaus. The for
mer the larger proportion; and most of the
saved have to lament the loss Of their nearest and
dearest relations Many of them women and
children. Amongst the latter Is beautiful infant
of about year old who picked out OF the wa
ter, but whom nobody claims. Several of those
saved are slightly wounded, but none Of them dan.
gerously The steamer the fire breaking out
was Immediately beaded towards the shore, but the
about 200 yards of the shore.
We are sorry record that the people showed
great inhumanity in not attempting 10 rescue the
sufferers but displayed great activity in stealing
their effects. The passengers treated with
the utmost kindness, and supplied with food anc
every comfort possible, on board the Napoleon
On the arrival Of the Napoleon here, hundreds o
our citizens congFegated on the wharf, anc
shortly after she was moored the acting Mayor am
several members of the Corporation were on board
also several of the officers of the different natona
societies, who all appeared solictous render as
sistance and take OF the sufferers. His wor
chip ordered those who had sustained injury to b,
at once taken to the hospital and the national so
cieties will take care of the others.
southern Commercial Convention.
To tie People Of the South:
The SOUTHERN COMMERCIAL CosvESTIoN, which
held its session at Savannah ia December last hav
ing designated Knoxville, and the 10Th day o
August next, its next place and time for conven
ing the undersigned, appointed for the purpose b,
the authorities and citizens OF Knox Sille tax,
pleasure in extending the hosptslities OF our city
and people to the Delegates and visitors who MAJ
contemplate visiting our city on that occasion.
We avail ourselves, furthermore, of this occasion
to suggest the Governors Of the Southern States
Mayors OF cities and towns. &c, the proprety O
appointing delegates to the Convention at as early
a day practicable, in order that the COMMITTEES
may be duly furnished with their names
We hope 20 obtain from the various Railroad
leading TO this place, accommodations equally Al
liberal as those extended 20 the Delegates TO tbs
Savannah Convention, of which timely notiee vii
be given.
| SAMUEL A WHITE. HaEOr.