Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-07-03
Ia FEST \EWS


"''''uooh' with thirty cabin pnsSenrcrs and four
n"'"rr' an NIFTY or five hundred emigran's
n"'i "t whom were Scotch A. the steamer
reached Garonge Bay, nbou, twelve miles from
Qn"hrc snoke was observed to arise amid bins
over the saleon, and Immediately II panic en-ue1
"n'on seems I" have paIalyzed alike the efforts
III crew on passengers to loek after their own
sairty or that of the vessel. The following de-
serlpilnn at the >ceae which foh,wcd i furnished
/, /. the Montreal lhpad Ivy Andrew Iayes, of
Montreal, n passenger:
I'm vnry short time n number Of persons
were rushing with Jugs of water to exlingui,h
The IRE. There bout on board
The steamboat. on the hurricane deck. aad hand
heionglng 10 the steamer went up to try 10 gother
into the water Mr.. Hayes did the same thing
and between them ,hey got the boat over the
side. aud let go the tackles. lie then got into
her, and III minute or two numbers of persons
crowded IN aud the boat sunk Mr.. Hayes then
hid on To the boat, tackle. and maintained him
sell IN that position Tor long TIME ill the heat
IRON the burning slip became too great. In the
mean time crowds Of persons were constantly
Jumping into the winter and climbing down the
Guards 10 get rs nfar the water possible. At
tlaS time the boat. head was turned towards
the north shore, and she ran until she approach
ed the shore to about one hundred aud fifty yards
Iron 1t, where she appears 10 have sunk IN deep
water, or 10 have stuck Il rock as some persons
believe. At any Iate the water was - deep that
there was ma possibility of reaching the shore
otherwise than lay swimming or in boats.
The flames after the smoke was at first per
ceivod, did not take more than ten minutes to en-
velppp the whole vessel, aud in two hours she
WAS utterly destroyed, 50 that hardly Il vestige
al the vessel could be seen. The Napoleon had
started at the same time with the Montreal, und
was,at the time of the accident at a d stance of
bout half mile from the Montreal, and above that
vessel. Probably from fear Of taking fire. the
Captain OF the Napoleon did not Judge il prudent
| 10 approach the burning vessel large boat or
batieau was in tow Of this vessel, and otter some
C intention a. it is reported with the proprietor,
she went eff to attempt to save the passengers
from the burning vessel. She also had two 9th
er boats Of her own, which we've despatched to
the scene of the disaster.
"lhere were also some boats which came from
the shore but none of them could approach very
close to tie steamer so that every who
saved was obliged TO make some attempt to swim
for their lives Mr.. HAYES himself after re
naming "a he believes, nearly half an hour hang
ing on to the vessels side found it too hot to
main there any longer and struck out boldly for
boat which he approaching. lie SWAN 10
this boat, but IA the men ON board saw u much
hrerr number "f persons ia leopard. of their
llves hanging round the wreck. they negl, cited
AIR. Hayes calls 10 be taken in, and il was not
I'LL he succeeded in elutchng the boat and rails
ing himself up by hi own muscular force that he
felt himself safe. The h"at-, with the persons
who saved, all went on hoard the Napoleon,
in which were received one hundred aud twenty
five passengers aud sixteen dead bodies.
.'Of the passengers saved a great number were
sadly burned, and many of them greatly bruised.
Once on board they were treated by the captain
with every attention.
"Brsdrs lhosr who were taken ON board the
Napoleon, a few persons, Mr.. Hayes thinks not
more than twenty. succeeded in SWIMMING on
shore or to some rocks in the immediate neigh
borhood of the beach.
MIR. Hayes was acquainted with none Of the
passengers on board the Montreal. except Mr..
Leslie of Carter Kerry & Co., and Mr.. Phillips.
of Norcross. Phillips & Co, neither of whom
on board the Napoleon afterwards, aud
as Mr.. Hayes believes. were both of them drown
ed or burned. Only three cabin passengers are
reported to be saved out of the whole number.
MIR. Hayes 80 long in the water "a to have
brought on excessive cramps which caused swell.
ling in the ioints,an1 afflicted hun with the most
excruciating pain.
"Whlle in the water. either hanging on to the
sic tmhnat or to the small bout by which he was
evidently saved, he was repeatedly grappled by
unfortunate persons in the net of drowning. and
at the moment when he laid hold of the boats
gunwale, he bclieves that six persons, chiefly
women, had hold of his skirts. Those the bout
men took in before they extended any aid and
comfort to him.
We learn further from the lleraldthat the bat
teaa. which was in tow of the Napolcon,and which
did SO much in the way of saving life, is said to
have belonged TO Mr.. Hamilton, of Kingston
Her captain according to the reports ON board
The Napoleon, was exceedingly unwilling that any
thing should be done with her for the purpose of
saving life and when the unortunates from the
Montreal were assembled afterwards on board
the Napoleon. he was very naturally the subject
of loud reproaches on the part Of those who had
Witnessed his nhuman hesitation.
The Montreal, which this sad accident oo
CURED. is not the celebrated steamer, SO long un
der the command of Capt. Armsrong,and during
that geutleman's tihe great a fhvorie with the
travelling public. The unlucky vessel just des
troyed was vessel about two years old owned
and blilt by Mr. Wilson, of Quebec. Her en-
gnes were the old ones belonging to the Syden-
ham Now that the disaster has occurredhere
are plenty of persons to say they had long fore
seen it. 1t is said that she has been repeatedly
on fire during this season. 1t generally sup
posed that she belonged to the Messrs. Torrance |
of this city but that is mistake arising from a
confoundng of her with the old Munreai.
II seems from rumors which were hiloat on
board the Napoleon that the Montreal had been |
on fire previously while getting up her steam
and that precautions had been taken with n view |
to any such casualty as that which tnnlly occur
rcd but this is at present uncertain. After the !
fire had been burning for a certain length of time
there was a kind of explosion, which destroyed
nearly all the upper part Of the vessel that re-
manned otter the catastrophe.
II arpears that there no bout on board'the |
Montreal which could be put 10 the slightest use
in saving the passengers, Captain Randolph |
and Mr. Wilson, Jr.. son oG the owner of the Mon
tre.l.nre said to have saved themselves by swim
ming to shore.
Irn,n the arrival of the Napoleon at Montreal |
the wounded were taken under the care OF the |
ST Andrews Society and the dead bodies, six ,