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


deserted his post aud that the vessel. being len
to herielf, beaded to the wind Of her own ae-
cord AZ this time the scene on the quarter
deck was indescribable and truly heart rending
Passengers were rushing frantically TO and fro
Husbands seeking their wives wives in search
of their husbands, relatives looking after rela-
tives, mothers lamenting the loss of their child
rem, some wholly paralyzed by rear others mad
lycryng to be saved but a few perfectly calm
and collected The flames pressed so closely
upon them, that many jumped into the sea, rel
atives casped in each others arms, leuped over
and met watery grave Two girls supposed
to be sisters, jumped over and sank kissing each
other. A missionary and wife leaped into the
sea together, and the stewards, and assistant
steward, arm 10 arm, followed. One Hungarian
gentleman, with seven fine children, four OF
them girls, made his wife jumpin, then blesseu
bis six eldest children, made them jump IN one
after the other, and followed them with an IN
FAINT 10 lis own arms. J. about tins time, was
standing outside the bulwarks, holding on hy
the davits leaning out to avod the flames, which
were leaping towards me. saw swamped
boat under me, spinning by rope still attach
ed to the ship. As the oars were tied in her,
1 thought, If l could get to her, would be en-
abled to save myself and some others. l let
myself down by rope, passing over man
who was cngng TO it, but who refused to como
with nc l took out penknie to cut the
tackle the large blade broke and then sew
cred it with the small blade, The ship passed
ahead. As tie screw approached fonnd the
boat drawn towards it. ! tried to keep the
boat off, but the screw caught and capsized her
over me- / dived away from the ship aud
came TO the surface near a boat which was keel
upward got on her, and by pressing on one
side, with the assistance OF a wave she righted,
hut still swamped. The oars had been knock
ed out by the screw. The only thing ! could
fnd 10 her TO paddle with was some lath rallied
together for sheathng for the sides. When
looked around, the ship was quarter Of a mile
away from me. could see the ladies and gen
tlemOn jumping off the poop into the water in
twos aud threes, some Uf the ladies 10 flames
Several hesitated to leap from the burning ship
until the last moment, as the hight was twenty
two feet, and were only compelled TO throw
Themselves off TO avoid a more painful death.-
In half an hour bot a soul was TO be seen Oh
the poop. t1u
pulled after the ship and picked up
German who was swimming strongly; aud
we padded after the ship with the laths;
] now saw vessel under sail approaching;
she reached the steamer at about D p. m !;
we continued pulling toward them, and
about seven O'clock, after being five hours
in the water got within hail of the sailing
vessel, which put off boat and took MS
on board. She proved to be the. French
bark Maurice, Capt. Ernest Renaud, ol
Nantes, bound from Newfoundland for the
Isle Of Bourbon, with fish, She had, ur
to that time, rescued forty passengers oi
the burning steamer, chiefly taken off the
bowsprit, though a few were picked mp
Ioating around At about o'clock one
Of the meta lie boats came up, with about
% persons, including the first and third Off
GERS; afterward three or four men were pick
ed up, floating on piece of the broken
boat The second officer was taken mp,
having been swimming, with nothing TO float
him, for six hours The second and third
officers we're severely burned; one male pas
senger was burned frightfully, and some
other male passengers slightly. There were
but six women saved, three of whom were
| burned, one in shocking manner. Capt.
Renaud acted with the utmost kindness
I did not see an officer of the ship during
the FIRE. and am certain there was not one
Cf them OF the crew on the poop, except a
man at the wheel for a short fine. | un.
derstood that when the Captain heard of
! the fire, be rushed on deck, and when he
saw the flames, exclaimed, I'VE are all lost"
He tried to get out boat, which, when let
down, was swamped, and he, whether acct
deltaly or not do not know, fell into the
sea, and was soon left far behind. The
| fourth officer was ia this boat. lie cat
her loose from the davits; she was carried
under the screw and smashed, and several
! in her drowned; three or four men escaped
on a fragment and we're picked up by the
Maurice as before stated. About the same
time one metallic life-boat was let down from
the port bow and swamped, but got cleared
away with abont 33 persons in her, includ
ing the first and third officers and several
women Tie men in this boat capsized heI
two or three times, in trying to clear her Of
water. Ten persons were TINS drowned
including some women. They afterward
baled her ont with lfe-preservers cnt in two
and pulled to the Maurice, having picked
up two or three passengers before reaching
the bark Altogether there were 67 soul,
taken into the Maurice during the night
A Norwegian bark came up with the steam
er the next morning, and boat was oh
served going around The burning ship
They may have picked up few persons
The Maurice had no communication will
t the Norwegian. Al about o'clock th'
e Maurice sailed 10 Fayal TO deposit the res
2 cued passengers At about o'clock tn
n same afternoon, she fell in with the harl
Z Lotus, Capt. Trefy, of Yarmouth, Nov
Scotia, from Liverpool for Halifax Capt
. Trefy kindly gave me passage, and eleye
others. The fire is known to have arisei
from theyery cnlpable negligence of some o
the crew, in an attempt 10 fumigate th
: Steerage with turning tar. The rescue,
5 passengers saved nothing hut the clothe
D on their backs, and even the greater mar
a Of these were torn of and otherwise lost