The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-12-10
BURNING OF THE STEAMER RAINBOW.


| On the morning of the 2lst, about 2 O'Clock.
/ the steamer Rainbow, Capt. Holcrafr, On her
+ way from New Orleans to Louisville with a
+ fell cargo Of sugar and coffee, and with about
+ $50 souls or board, whilst under way, about
/ ten miles above Napoleon, and near the head
OF island ~ was discovered to be On fire, and
the officer Of the deck, Mr.. c. Whitlow, q. once
gave the order to run her on shore-which
order was Immediately executed by Mr.. Lamb.
the pilot at the wheel but by that time the
entire boat was enveloped in hames Those of
the passengers and crew that were on the fer
ward part of the boaut escaped without diff
Guilty; those on the stern were cut off without
any means OF escape. except By jumping into
the wster-and although it was only few Yards
( to the shore, but few escaped thar got into the
water, and many we're burnt as they Law in their
berths-sone were overcome with fright, and
knew not which way 10 move, and thus were
i lost.
+ The books and papers being lost, it is mat.
( ter OF utter impossibiity to ascertain the names
OF the lost or saved but, after carefully compar.
ing the statements of those that were saved,
we cannot make the loss less than seventy. e We
human beings, all ushered into the presence OF
their Maker without moments warning
I The officers OF the boat agree that the fire
4
cEaCred, they think that the FIRE was under full
way before bursting out, and then it was 90 far
started that nothing could be done to arrest its
! progress.
/ Her cargo consisted of sugar, molasses, and
coffee, for Louisville-about 300 tons in ala
total loss
! The passen gers, or a ma GRITTY of them, were
returned Californiaus, with their treasures OF
gold ard their families, coming back to their
.fddertand, but, alas, to meet With the cold
embrace of death in its most horrid form. in
stead Of that Of kindred snd friends from whom
they had been so long separated.
/ AL the passengers lost everything-money
/ clothes, and all they had, except that which
| they had on. Forty or fifty thousand dollars in
gold and twenty thousand in jewelry was I'M
/ doubtedly lost
| TIE boats safe With contents was coon recov.
cred, and those Of the passengers who had de-
posted their money il the Office were saved
! from loss in that particular.
Mr.. Wheatley, from California, with wife and
child, jumped from the stern, and struck boldly
out for the shore, out the wife, having 3, 400
| in gold on her person, soon sunk to rise no
more; the father with his infant in his arms
still bravely battled for life, but being numbed
from cold, the child slipped and was lost; the
father was saved by those on shore who had
witnessed his brave struggle against the fstes
| He had e, 500 in the safe Of the boat, which
was recovered and placed il his hands He
remained q. the wreck, to recover, if possible
the remains Of his lost companion and child.
| Mr.. Whitler, the mate, picked up five persons
hanging on to one small piece Of timber; al
we're saved, though. In two Of them, life was
| apparently extinct.
| Mr. Maddox, q travelling agent of Philade
phia house. lost $50 900 worth of iewelry, saved
nothing but bis pan.s-no coat, no hat, moth
ing.-LOuisrille Journal.
The. LOCATION or LovER's HEART-The
position of The heart Is supposed to be tolerably
well understood, and yet there Is difference
OF opinion about the matter. The tragic actor,
who. as he rolls the with the rattle of horse
fiddle, Sexclaims, This hea-rr.r-rti" and 81
multaaeously slspp;ng his right hand on his
left breast, is understood to have hit it. But
perhaps he is mistaken. We saw an actor the
other evening, who, in "suiting the action to
the word" indicated an entirely different local
ity for that important organ. The scene was
something Ike this: Actor, Economically. y
The angel! l have her picture here-I always
wear it next my hearth" And here he produ-
ced the precious Daguerreo,ype, not from his
bosom, but from a pocket in the tail of his
coat There was some laughter about tina. time
among the JolLer sort of spectators, while the
| sentimental and romantic were visibly shocked
by this unsupported turn of "stage business
and hid their bushes in their handkerchiefs.-
Boston Post.
CHARGE AGAINST AINIsrERs.-The Elizabeth
City IN. c. Democratic Pioneer, in an article
on the Virginia Conference, now IN session at
that place, says a charge was brought against
the Revs. j. E. Edwards and Leonidas Rosser,
for indulging in game of ten-pins at the
Virginia Springs during the past summer.
The charge was founded upon the ststemen,
made By correspondent of the Elizabeth City