Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-10-01

sci under sail approaching. She reached
the steamer about five o'clock, p. NJ
We continued pulling towards them, and
about l-2 o'clock. after being five hours
in the water, got within hail of the sail
ing vessel, which PUT CT boat and took
us in.
She proved TO be the French ba.auc
Maurice. Captain Ernest Renaud, Of
OF Nantes, bound from Newfound-
land for Isle of Bourbon with Ash.
She had, up TO that time. rescued forty
passengers of the burning steamer, chief
ly taking of bowsprt, few were picked
up floating around About 8 o'clock
one of the metallic boats came up with
about 'twcnty-threc persons. including
first and third officers. Afterwards three
or four men were picked up floating on
piece Of broken boat. Second officer
was taken up, having been swimming
with nothing to float him, for six hours.
Second and third officers were severely
burnt. One male passenger was burnt
trightfully. Some other male passen-
gers slightly. There were but six women
saved, three Of wh1m were burnt, one in
a shocking manner.
Captain Ronaud acted with the utmost
kindness, gave clothes as far as he could
furnish them to suffering passengers,
acted as nurse, doctor and surgeon to
the burned people, dressing wounds of
females with Tenderness that evinced
benevolent and amiable disposition.
did not see an officer of the ship
during the fire, and am certain there was
not ono of them or crew on the poop
except the man at the wheel for short
time. l understood that when the cap
tain heard of the fire he rushed on deck
without cap, and when he saw the flames
he exclaimed, ave are all lost - He
tried to get out n boat, which, when let
down, was swampcd and he. whether
accidentally or not do not know, fell
into the sea and was soon left far be-
hind. The fourth officer was in this
boat. lie cut her loose from the dayits,
and she was carried under the screw ard
smashed. Several in her were drowned
Three or four men escaped on fragment
and were picked up by Maurice as before
stated.
| About the same time one metallic
, l,fc-boat was let down from the port
bow and swampcd but got cleared away
with about thnty-thrce persons in her.
including the first and third officers and
I several women. The mcn in this boat
cap>izcd her two or three times trying to
clear Ter of water. Ten persons were
/ thus d.owned, including some women
They afterwards bailed her cut with life.
preservcrs cut in two. and pulled to the
Maurice, having picked up two or three
passengers before reaching her.
Altogether there were sixty-seyen
souls taken into the Maurice. During
the night a Norwegian bark came up
with the steamer. Neat morning a boat
was observed going around the burning
ship. They may have picked up few
persons, but only very few. Tho Maui
rice had no communication with the
Norwegian. About seven o'clock the
Maurice sailed for Fayal to dcposit the
rescued passengers. About two clock
the same afternoon fell in with bark
Lotus. Capt, Trcfry, Of Yarmouth, Nova
Scotia. from Liverpool for Halifax.
As was anxious to get on British ter
r;tory Capt. Trefry kindly gave me pas
sage. Tic was also anxious to take az;
American citizens, but as there was such
a rush Of foreigners into the boats tina,
only one load of eleven could be got off
Even several o.! these were forei sners.
The fire is known to have arisen from
very culpablc negligence of some of the
crew. The captain and surgeon consid-
cred it c1pedient to fumgate the steer
age with burning tar. The operation
was to be performed by the boatswain
under the superintendent of the fourth
officer. The boatswain heated the end
of a chain to dip in the tar to produce
smoke, and, become too hot to hold, he
let it drop upon the deck, to which it
set fire. The tar upset and Immediately
all about was in flames. \ feeble attempt.
was made to extinguish it, but without
effect. There was nothing at hand to
meet such an emergency.
The rescued passengers saved nothing
but the clothes on their backs. Even
the greater part of these were torn off
and otherwise lost.
Six hundred souls are supposed to
have been on hoard, among them many
women and children. Mr.. Ryew is the
only British subject saved. lie is in
tho British civil service. ON his way to
British Columbia and will proceed to
Boston per steamer Eastern State, Tues.
day, on rout for New York.