The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1858-11-18
More Light on the Burning OF the
Steamship Austria.

Steamship Austria.
Orr readers have not yet forgotten the burn
ing of the steamship Austria, few weeks ago.
in mid-ocean, by which some four hundred hui
man beings. in the midst Of life and health, in
few short hours, were doomed as brands for the
bnrning. or a watery grave 1t produced a
shock that has not yet been forgotten. fthere
is any one scene in this world more horrible than
all Others, we conceive it must be that of large
vessel, loaded with human freight and burning
Nh at sea- with no other vessel near to help them
in their distress LanguageAentirey fails to.
give an impression equal to the reality In its
painful yividness and fearful sublimity, especially
at night. The case of the Austria appalls and
sickens us. even now, as we review in our mind
the horrible and terrific scenes that must have
attended the drama of its burning. Many of
these scenes have been described butNthose OF
us who were not eye witnesses can never realize
them in their terrible reality. We sincerely
hope that we all may be spared from even par
ticipating in such scenes, that even now makes
us Shudder and our blood run cold, when we
contemplate them, and we would fain drop the
curtain and shut out for ever from sight the
dread picture. But duty compels us to review
such matters for the purpose of looking into the
causes, and if possible, to make provision to
prevent such disasters in the future
We hadoall settled down on the tar pot theory
as the cause of the disaster. But new phase
has been put upon it by the publication of a
letter, Originally in the New York Times,)
written by Phillip Berry of New Brunswick,
which we publish elsewhere in our paper of to-
day. Mr.. Berry, who was a passenger in the
Inflated steamship, is a gentleman well known
in the eastern part Of our State, and wherever
he is known, implicit reliance will be placed in
his statement of facts. We think that no one
who reads that letter will believe that the tar
bucket (Which was stupid carelessness) was the
sole origin of the fire; but will come to the con-
cluson that there was gross, criminal, miscon-
duct in the chief officer of the ship, and some of
those under his command; and that it was
through their wanton recklessness, rather than
mere accident, that this thing happened. There
must have been tremendous fire in the fur
naces to cause the flames to shoot up with their
savage lurid glare twenty feet above the smoke
pipes, and to cause such an intense suffocating
heat in the passage ways of the vessel, for day
previous to the fire. If we believe Mr. Berry's
statement our wonder is that the vessel did not
burst its boiler or take fire sooner than it did.
The captain of the vessel-poor man can
place no more human lives in jeopardy. The
seething waves claimed him for victim, and he
has gone to his last account His case is but
another commentary on the utter recklessness of
those who have the command of boats and ships
propelled by steam. We would naturally think
that their own safety, self-protection, would
cause them to be ever careful; but the hundreds
of accidents that have happened to steamboats,
from racing, &C., prove the contrary. 1t seems
that by use they become hardened and careless,
not only fearless of danger, but thoughtless
of its presence.
Accidents happening from the racing of yes
sels forcing them with steam beyond their ca
pacity, crowding the furnaces with rosin and
other combustible materials, and loading the |
safety valves, and then the bursting of boilers
or fues, or the burning of the boat, are but
every day occurrences. All this is criminal
recklessness, even on our rivers, but when it is
done on the ocean, hundreds of miles from any
land, and from any ship it may be, we cannot
find words of condemnation strong enough with
which to censure it. This case of the Austria
will not be likely to increase the confidence of
the travelling community who go down to sea
in ships" in their own safety. Steamship own
ers should never employ captains except such as
are known to be possessed of moral integrity
that could never be swerved from duty, and who
possess ceaseless untiring activity, that would
ever be vigilant and watchfu Of danger. They
must ever be on the lookout for danger if they
would successfully guard against it.
We commend to our readers a careful nerusal
of Mr.. Berry's letter.
HTnterdOn Go11ufu To;r