The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-10-07
T HE DISPATCH
-.
THURSDAY MORNING. ..OCToBrI

I III E DIS P A TIC II,
THURSDAY MoRsINa...... .....ocToBER !. 1ss
The Rescued Passengers OF the Au,
tria-A Night OF Horror.
The passengers, whose arrival at Quebec on tn.
attn insf.' has been noticed by telegraph, farnist
| additional particulars relative to the burning n
the Austria They are persons who elung TO tn,
burning steamer all night, and were rescued in
| the morning. From their statement We learr
| that -
The pump on board the III fated vessel. In con-
| nection with the fire engine was not in workins
| order. some attempt WAS made to render IL avail
able, but the Progress of the flames was too rapid
The lie boats we're hanging amidshps, conse
9uentiy u was impossible to get at all Of them
One was lowered crowded with people, but beine
seized by those already in the water cspsized and
| swamped Another was long being lowered
tnat the people In It spraug into the sea to escape
last to Grains outside, and to these numbers cIuug
| but as the flames progressed, one by one gave
| away. and founda watery grave. On the bowsprii
the passengers were laid out tier upon tier piled
one on top the other, sometimes four deep This
was last resource, and from this they were final
Iy driven till only one man remained seated on the
extreme end Eighteen persons got hold of the chau
Tor ming the bowsprit stay,aDd chung toituntiI 4
. U ociocktne ioilow1nE morning. seaman clambered
from the stay to the bowsprit and fonnd there was
probability Of extinguishiDg what fire was there
and accordingly gave directions to those clingipp
TO the stay to dip portions of their clothing in the
sea aud pass the same up to him. This done and
The hre was so far subGued as TO render the bow
spirit place Of comparative safety They remain
ed there until the boats from the Catarina picked
them off.
| The following is the statement of Andrew Lund
| stein, Swedish passenger
About two O'Clock p NJ, on the 18th of Septem
ber when the fire broke out on board of the Aus.
| tria, was standing on deck abou: amidsbips and
saw the flames coming up through the windward
| batch, three or four feet high. On running for.
| ward perceived the flames breaking through the
| fore matches. At that time saw the captain
| rushing upon decB; / saw him take off his coat
and run to the side of the vessel if he going
| to jump overheard. Mr Sweensea, a Swsed, seized
| him by the arm pulled him back from the rigging
l and asked him "what he was going to dol" The
captains answer was to the effect that he did not
1 know what be was about. The captain then ran
aft and loet sight of him being on the f,repart
of the vessel, among the great bulk of the passen.
gers. / saw that the fire increased rapidly and
1 that it threatened US in awful manner The
passengers were so closely pressed that they we're
pushing one another overheard. MANAGED to
get as far as the rope rigging, and catching bold of
I rope made it fast to eyebolt With this rope
made sling so as to be able to sit in it about two
feet from the water succeeded in doing this about
! ten minutes after the fire had broken out. While
| in this position, and about three quarters of an
our after the fire had broken out, saw the fore
| aud mainmast go overheard on the starboarG side
and was in great danger of being knocked off by
| the yard, which hung on the side of the vessel,
and fell into the sea only when the rigging was
| burnt. Looking around to if anything was
| floating which could lay hold OF, observed the
| end of the maipmast sticki z about two feet ont
| of the water. The rigging on the top end OF it
| must have got entanglsd in the screw. let my
| self down and swan to take hold of this, got on
the top of it, and thus succeeded n keeping aloat
AT this time saw three persons hanging on to the
side OF the vessel by ropes, aod threw q piece If
rope to one OF them, VIII proved to be the cook
| pulled him to me, and held him up alongside of
| me, where we remained the whole night We saw
| number of bodies floating around US during the
| night. Until dusk the screw moved slowly round
whenever the steamer lifted at the stern. To pre-
vent myself being burned was Obliged to take off
my coat and soak it in the and put it on nv
side burned my shoulder once, mot being a. bic to
| protect that part of my body. l still suffer from
| numerous burns. When the fire broke out l oh.
served two vessels in the distance. One of them
French bark, hove to within a mile of the burnt 2
| steamer about p. NJ. and sent two boats towards
her, but neither Of these boats came nearer than
| haillng distance to the steamer; saw them pick.
ing up persons floating about. They kept on the
windward side of the steamer. | saw them oply
occasionally, when the steamer swung around
The boats were employed in this way until dark
when they returned to the bark. 1 perceived a
light hoisted on her mast till about 10 O'Clock
| think saw the vessel the next morning
| about A. NJ. On the 14th saw q ship close ia
| the wreck, which proved to be the CafariDa The
ship having to make tack to the wndward OF
the steamer, il was about daybreak when the Cap
tain Of the CstariHa sent his long boat to pick us
| up: eighteen persons were then found on the bow
| spirit: three including myself, in the water at the
vessels side, and aft on the railing Of the
steamer. young girl had remained all night on
| the bows2rit, hanging on by the Ii5ging. We were
| picked up by the Catarna in about half an hour
| | was the last but one picked up, and do not be-
| lieve could have held on much longer, as l was
getting exhausted and the sea becoming rougher
| though, indeed, it had broken over ME ali the
| time.
| Among the interesting accounts Of escapes from
taking passage on the Austria in the papers, we
| find the following:
good story, which, however, looks like one Of
those that 'require conirmation," is told of a lady
who had taken passage on beard the ill .fated Aus
| tris It is said that the lady, on looking at her
berth, was dissatisfied with it, but, the captain
| would net return her passage money. she took
her passage in another vessel. In consequence OF
| certain misgvings, however, that something would
| go wTopg on board tho vessel in which che was
| coming out, she sent her jewels by the Austria -
| The sequel is known-the Austria was DESTROYED
| by fire, and the lady has arrived safe, deeply
thankful that she is saved, at the cost of heI
| jewery.
| gard to the fate Of Anthony Flaps, OF that city
who is supposed to have been on the ill-fated Aus
tria. BY the Arabia, his brother received a Iette,
| from him, In which he stated his great vexati2n
| and disappointment at having missed that steam
| er, in which so many of his friends and country
men were coming. He had taken the cars for
| Hamburg to embark in the Austria, but arrived
| about an hour too late.
|
| BUSINESS WohAE.-Chr istina. dowager Queen
Of Spain, is one Of the richest individuals in Ed
| rope, and probably the greatest business woman in
the world Her operations not confiued to an
one country or any single class of securities She
dabbles in everything. Driven from Spain she
has her fst in every speculative project in the Pc
| ninsua She has contracted with the Pope te
build the railways of the Papal States. Her in
vestmenis in the French rail ways have been lar ge
she has bought Malmaison the former residence OF
JosephiBe, and now owns the Courier de Paris
newspaper She has been of the most success
ful operators in the Cuban slave trade and has
innumerable projects in Cuba-amonR which are
the havana gas works, several fine sugar estates
and many tracks Of inc hands. At one time. wbe1
she was paramount in Spain, it is said she offered
| to lend her influence to the sale of Cuba TO Ms
provided we would give her the land the walls O
Havana stand on. She mas two or three agents il
this ccuntry--one being in Philadelphia, one in
New Orleans, and another without fixed locs-
tion. Each Of these is supposed to control invest
ments to the amount Of one two millions q
dollars scattered in real estate railway securitje:
and State stocks.
| THE QUEEN OF SPAIN IN Coal Prr.-The Espa
ns contains an account of the Queen having vsi,cg
the coal mines in the neighboThoed of San Juaa
Her Majesty expressed desire to descend in TO the
principal pit, which is upwards of $50 feet deep
and TO go further n the pit than any one had ever
been. The President Of the Council, Marsha
| 0Donnell, recommended Her Majesty not to make
the descent, as it might be atteuded with sons
danger, but the Qaeen persisted. The Minister
and General Lemery then went down to receive
| the Queen, aud her Majesty, accompanied by the
King, and attended by the Director, and BY the
| engineer, Mr.. Smith, afterwards descended. When
the Queen got to the bottom she cried TO her suite
that they might follow her without fear. The
Queen then went along the principal gallery Of the
pit, which goes on an incline upwards OF 800 yards
great psrt of this under the sea. Arrived at the