Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1858-10-02

at the wheel for a short time. ] understand
that when the captain heard Of the fire, he
rushed on deck, without a cap, and when he
saw the flames, exclaimed, ave are all lost r
lie tried to get out boat. which, accidentally
or not do not know, fell into the SEQ, and
was soon left fa- behind. The fourth ofhcer
was in this boat. lie cut her loose from the
davi,s. She was carried under the screw aud
smashed, and several in her we're drowned
Three or four men escaped on fragment,
and were picked up by the Maurice, as before
stated. About the same time, one metallic
life.bo was let down from the port bow and
swamped, but got cleared away, with about
thirty. three persons in her, Including the hrst
and third officers aud several women
| The men in this boat capsiZsd her two or
three times, in trying TO clear her OF water.
Ten persons were thus drowned, including
some women. They afterwards baled her
out with lile-pressrvvrs cut in two, aud pulled
to the Maurice, having picked up two or
three passengers before reaching the bark.
Altogether there we're sixty.seven souls
taken into the Maurice during the night.
A Norwegian bark came up with the
steamer the Hext morning, and boat was
observed going around the burning ship.
They may have picked up few persons, but
only very few
The Maurice had had no communication
with the Norwegian bark.
At about o'clock the Maurice sailed for
Feyall to deposit the rescued passengers.
At about 2 o'clock the same afternoon she
fell in with the bark Lotos. Capt. Trsfy, of
Yarmouth, n. S., from Liverpool for Hall
fax. AS | was anxious TO get on British
territory, Capt. Trsfy kindly gave me pas
sage. lie was anxious to take all the Ame
ricun citizens, but there was euch a rush OF
foreigners into tho bosts, that only one load
Of eleven could be got off, and even several
Of these were Foreigners. The fire is known
to have arisen from very culpable negligence
of some Of the crew.
The Captain and Surgeon considered it
expedent to fumigate the steerage with
burning tar. The operation was to be per-
formed by tho boatswain, under the superin.
tendence Of the fourth officer. The boatsw
heated the end of a chain to dip in tar ir
order to produce smoke. The end became
too hot TO bold snd hs let it drop upon the
deck, to which it eet fire. The tar upset
and imme diately all about was in flames. A
tseble attempt was made to extingush it,
but without effect. There was nothing at
hand to meet such gu emergency!
The rescued passengers saved nothing but
the clothes on their hacks, aud even the
greater part of these were torn off and other
wise lost Six huHdre6 souls were supposed
to bo on board, including many women and
children.
The engine and boilers lay some twenty
feet below deck, and are surrounded by sheet
iron, so "a TO confue fire commencing in the
furnsce.room 10 its place Of origin. Ten |
water.tight compartments protect her, iu
great measure, against danger from leak. |
The Austria was valued at about $3.50 900 |
Her cargo mas large and very valuable
one ]
The Austria sailed from Hamburg on the |
lst OF September, with 40 men and women
and o ctildren 10 tho first cabin l03 men
aud women sud children in the second
cabin aud Il men and women and 80 chill |
dren as stearage passongers-making. in oil,
420 The crew consisted Of about l00 per-
sons besides which she may have taken, at
Southampton, some so or 20 extra steerage
pssseugors-ma making. iu all, about $50 soals.
The cOusignees are in some doubt about the
number Of steerage passengers, as one Of their
letters from Hamburg states the number at
only 220. The Austria had eight life. boats,
which could not contain anything like the
number Of passengers she had on board
Mr.. Brew is the only British subject saved.
lie is in the British civil service, aud on his
way to British Columbia. He will proceed
to Boston in the steamer Eastern State, on
Tuesday, en- route Tor New York