Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1858-10-02

Director Of Infrmary,
ISAAC b. STEVENS, Of Asbtabula.
TERRIBLE CALANiry.--F For several days there
has been gathering conclusion that one Of the
Atlantic steamers had been burned at sea, as in-
formation OF the fact OF a burning vessel having
been seen, but not identified, had been received
The suspicion at length become almost fixed
opinion that the in lated vessel was the steamer
Austria, of the Bremen line, via southampton
This opinion has been confirmed. The .qustria
left Hamburg on the I'd, and Southampton ~
the 4th with about 500 passengers all but about
40 Of the number. second cabin, or steerage,
which with the officers and crew carried the
Number Of souls on board up 10 about Coo
After unlavorable weather TO the 18th, a cheer
fsl hope was felt that n. Y. would be reached
by the 18TH Bot alas. for the uncertainty Of
earthly hopes. At.2 p. m. on the 18th, dense
smoke was discovered issuing from the forward
steerage, the vessel having taken fire in that
portion, by a careless effort at fumigation by
heating a chain and. burning tar, In beating,
the chain had been made so hot that il could
not be held in the hand and was dropped upon
The deck, and the tar being upset material was
furnished for rapid combustion. This caused u
panic,and little seems to have been done to extiE-
guish the flames. The ship was heading to the
wind, and this lent its influence to the progress
Of distraction The flames soon burst out of The
midship lights, and TO add terror TO the whole,
the magazine exploded, sufocating, or driving
the engineers from their posts. Speed had been
slsckened, and the ship put upon a difereit
tack, but the helmsman was soon driven from
the wheel by hest and smoke, when the ship be.
came unmanageble. Two boats were let down,
and Immediately swamped The mass Of the
passengers crowded on The poop, and the vessel
heading up TO the wind the flames and smoke
enveloped them on every side. Here the scene
was terrible; ali hope vanished, husbands aud
wives, parents and children, leoped into the sea
locked in each others arms, many Of the wo-
men with their clothes on FIRE, TO escape more
frightful death. Two men succeeded in reach
ing swamped boat, but were soon left far be-
hind the steamer. In half an hour the only per.
sons remaining alive on the Austria were some
so or 40 who had crowded out upon the bow
spirit Fortunately the French bark Maurice
Capt. Earnest Renaud, discovered the burning
ship and fastened to the sucCor ofthe survivors,
Before dark she succeeded in rescIing 40 per-
sons mainly from the bowsprit, a few being
picked up in the water. At o'clock boat
came up with % more making altogether 67
persons taken on board the Maurice, Of whom
So were passengers. These are all positively
known to have been saved, and some of them
were very badly burned. The next morning
the Maurice saw Norwegian bark cruising
about the burning ship; but it is hardly proba-
BILE that any more were found alive. The Mau-
rice sailed for Fayal on the l4th, and the same
dag fell in with the bark Lotus, Capt. Trefy.
bound for Halifax. Twelve Of those saved
from the Austria were put on board the Lo-
tus, arriving at Halliday on Sunday afternoon.
Itis, from these that our accounts are obtained
We annex another account By Mr.. CHARLES
BREw al intelligent English gentleman, one o {
the survivors I:
ct a little after o'clock p. m. 1 was on the
quarterback. saw dense volume Of smoke
burst from the after entrance of the steeTage
Some women ran AFT exclaiming, ~Tbe ship j.
on Gre, what viii become of us ?" The shiT
was instantly put at half speed, at which she
continued until the magazines exploded, from
which infer the engineers we're instantly suffo-
Gated. only walked from where was on the
quarter-deck TO the waist of the ship when !
Al. a., I. -.
amidships. As she was head TO the wind ih,
fire travelled with fearful rapidly / then wen
to the man at the wheel aad told him TO pu
the vessel with her side to the wind II
hesitated--prObably did not understand me, {
he was native OF Hamburg ] then got
German gentleman to speak to him. At th
time saw some persons letting down the boa
on. the port side Of the quarterback. Wha
become of the boat don't know, but think sh
was crushed under tue screw. then went I
lei boat over from TIE starboard side Of tn
quarterback. but the moment we laid our hand
on. The ropes, there were SO many people wh
crowded into il that we could not1ift ii of th
blocks We therefore left it for a few minute
until the people got cut, when we returned an
la1nched Il over the side Of the ship, when, ii
people all rushing into It again, il deseende
with great violence into the water, aud instan
y swamped. all the people being washed ou
cxospting three. who held on TO the sides. w
fhsn lei down rope, and pnled up one persol
who proved 10 be the steward Another in d
act Of being hauled up, was strangled BY Il
smoke. The hre now came on too fercely
atiempt 70 gei up any more from the swamPe
boat. An the 6rst cabin passengers were Z
the poop. with the exception Of afew gentlems
Who must have been smothered Ia the smoking
uooaa. Many ~ Me second cabin passenger
were clso 90 tie poop. hut number Of the
aot shut into their cabins by the fire. Som
5f them we're pulled up through the yentilato
hui The greater number could notbe extricatet
Ths issi Woman who was drawn up said iher
vera slx aIscaay suaIocaied' We DOW perceive
sbal the ship hsa got ber bead 20 the win