Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-06-11

Terrible CALAMITY Burning of q Cult
SeGmer.-About one O'Clock Sunday morn.
ing, May 3lst the steamship Louisiana, Capt.
Sheppard, took fire six or eight miles south
east of Galveston, in the Gulf and the result
was the total loss of the vessel, large amount
Of property, and what is worse than all, a
large number of human lives. The disaster
was reported by telegraph, and now the par.
ticulars have come to hand by mail. We copy
the following statements of passengers from
the Galveston papers:
" Mr. Grover, of Galveston says that he
had berth on the starboard upper deck; that
the first alarm was of persons asking where
the fire was at about one O. clock he stepped
out of his room and discovered smoke, but
no fire; passed round the stern to the lar
board side, where he saw from twelve to twen-
ty persons, preparing to launch the quarter
boat; moment after the flames burst up
amIdship; returned to the starboard side /:
saw few lowering down the quarter boat on
that side; went to his rooni picked up his
shoes and coat and returned, and slid down
with Others into Ethe boat on the larboard side;
the engines were still running, but fortu-
aately the boat was lowered down without fill
ing; saw no one remaining on that side of
the steamer. After getting adrift, they looked
TO discover if they could find any person to
were twelve in the boat, all passengers except
the second mate, Andrew Smith, to whom
MIR. Grover says they were all greatly indebt.
ed for their rescue. Mr.. G. learned from one
on the boat that the tiller rope must have bro
ken - was probably burned off - in conse.
quence OF which the steamer was unmanage-
able at the commencement of the fire. The
first efforts of the captain and officers appeared
to be to reach the fire engine, but did not sue
coed. All communication between the for
ward and after part of the boat was cut off by
| the fire, which must have broken out near thu
| furnace.
Mr.. Wheeler, another of the saved passen-
| gers, did not awake till about the time the
larboard quarter boat was being lowered
down, with some twenty persons in her. and
among them several ladies. He saw the beat
capsize as she struck the water. He saw the
ladies go under the boat, with some of the
men, and thinks most if not all of them
We're drowned. He then made an ex-
ertion, and passed the fire amidships, and
reached the forward part of the boat, where
| he found large number of passengers and
| others, none appearing to know what to do to
save themselves. The captain was then alone
| in the pilot house. At first he told them not
| to leave the boat, as he thought they would be
saved, as he was then heading the boat in
shore. But soon after the tiler. rope broke,
when he came down and advised all to save
themselves the best way they could They
| then began to leave the boat some taking
chairs, benches, Sc, and Others the hatchway
doors, or whatever they could get. Mr..
Wheeler threw over two chairs, tied together,
and then let himself down by rope, and
| saved himself by holding on to the chairs with
his hands, ahd swimming with his feet. There
were five or six Others floating near him, or
in sight in like manner. He saw the steamer
Galveston come in sight just at daylight, and
IN some half an hour after he and the others
near him were taken on board Of her.
Charles II. Huges, the purser of the Louis
lana, confirms Mr.. Growers statement as
regards the origin of the fire, which broke
out in the ire.room twenty minutes past one.
He states that the passengers were all asleep
when the fire broke out; that the larboard boat
capsized, and thinks some six or eight persons
were lost at the time. Mr.. H. and the engi
neer, Mr.. Finn, jumped overheard upon the
hatch door, which they had thrown over
| board. lie says at that time there We're some
thirty around him on boards and furniture
they had thrown over. They all soon separa-
ted.
There were one hundred and four souls on
board the Inflated steamer, of whom fortv-
nine are accounted for and tifty.fve are miss
ing Among those lost was Col. cambridge
OF the United States Army. Most of those
saved were picked up by the steamer Calves.
ton, the revenue cutter at Galveston, pilot
boats, &c. The efforts of Capt. Sheppard to do
all that could be done to save the lives of his
passengers, are spoken off terms of the high
est praise. He was the very last to leave his
vessel, and was picked up clinging to some
preserving chairs, nearly exhausted. Some
OF the passengers lost large amounts of money
-ohe lost $4,000, another $4,000, and third
between $4,000 and $l4, 900.