The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-11-19
7IiRILLLN0 NARRATIVE DESTRUCTION or
TIE BRITISH SNIP EASTERNCITY

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Mr. John Fowler cabin passenger ON board the East
City furnishes graphic account of the burning OF
that vessel the passage from Liverpool TO Melbourne,
South Australia The Eastern City ship of 1868
burden and the property of Messrs Bnes Co, Of
Liverpool She commanded by Capt Johnstone, and
had crew of Al men, including officers She left Liver
pool the 10th Of July with lSo passengers and 600
tons OF general cargo
According to Mr. Fower's narrative the Eastern City
reached the equator the lth of August after long
continuance OF contrary and battling winds, and the pas
sengers in expectation OF reaching Australia in 10
rs days On the 2Is of August the wind blew strong
from the northwest, and the following day it in
creased to half gale with heavy the ship rolling
great deal ani frequently going from II 70 II Knots
hour.
On the 23d the wind veered round to the Southwest
but the continued high and at p m. an alarm of
fire raised and smoke Issuing from the fore
hatch. The passengers and crew were all ordered ON
deck, and il believed that all had obeyed the order
but aerwatd discovered that of the stcerage pas
sengers, named Mclean, missing, and he is supposed
to have been suocaed in his berth Hopes entertain
cd at first of extinguishng the fire. as it did not to
increase but after half hour it found that pro-
gress made, notwithstanding the vast quantities of
water that had been pumped into the hold 1t
apparent that the only chance to edeavo to smother
the fire Accordingly, blankets shawls, plaids and old
sails used for that purpose; but all in vain The
and children, about 60 in number We're removed
to the poop The captain hauled the courses and put
the ship before the wind had the boats provsoned and
everything in readiness to lower away at moments
tce. Both passengers and worked all night in their
endeavor to subduc the flames the captain cheering them
all the WHILE and never leaving the deck for moment
His courage described as admirable and he never ceas
ed to comfort the and children by that
they would be all safe in the boats
To add to their danger they than GOO miles
from the nearest land the boats could carry more
than oneha the persons in the ship, and the
high that no boat could be launched in safety, live
long, crowded they must necessarily have been Their
only chance of being picked up but this was orlon
,,,f rf l,fx.
who realized the full extent of their danger felt that their
destruction simply question ofhous Still they work
cd with will, adopting every means to smother the fire
The morning the oath broke at length but the still
ran high and the ship scuded before the wind About
the oreyard came down by the run, but without
injuring any There was evidently very little hope
and many of those board became quite resigned to
their terrible fate The decks became very hot and the
flames expected every moment to be issuing
from the bows and they were in dread of the foremast
giving away which must have prccipated their fate as
its fall must have torn up part of the deck through
which the flames would burst. At this stage the captain,
purser and Mr. Fowler threw bottles overheard contain
ing details Of the sad catastrophe Their from i'm
pending death is thus described by Mr.. Fowler
srhe captain chief officer puser Doctor Mr.. Warner,
the other chief cabin passenger and myself went into
the saloon at clock p m, to eat something, for
all becoming faint We eating what we be-
.lieved to be last meal but all calm, and
cheerful Captain Johnson asking to be excused for
the in which he breaking up the preserved
salmon which, with few biscuits to form din
and for appearing at dinner in such guse, being
Utterly covered hands and face with tar At about 30
o'clock, p M, and when about to say good-by,' in
of not meeting again before the final catastrophe
startled with the cry of "A sail L do not know
how all tumblcd deck, but there in in
slant. How looked to windward and how faint and i'll
felt when at first failed to perceive anything but the
ocean and black clouds just the edge of the hori
zon how all at last the sail just like distant
gull she coming down upon close by the edge of
the sun the how weall chcered and wepand
o,Iln lol nl.1,cp fhng
cheered again. In less than half hour from the time
first sighted her, the vessel, which proved to be the
Merchanman of and from London with troops for Cal
cutta, passed close under stern. How checrcd
her and she returned cheer. Our captain hailed
through his trumpet Eve on fire. will you stand by
MS TO which Captain Brown returned hearty AYE,
aye, and send my boats to assist yon.
iSoon two of the Merchantmen boats and three Of
own were launched but the sea still high, and we
expected every moment to of them swamped
dashed in pieces alongside but thanks to the first and
second officers of the Merchautman and Of Off
in charge Of the boats they conducted between
the vessels without single accident We first
barked the women and children, and by g. p m. we !
all safely board the Merchantmen, captain
being the last to leave,
s'On arriving board the Merchantmen, everything
had been provided by Captain Brown for the relief and
comfort of the rescued passengers in which he
sisted by Captain Dawson, commanding the troops. They
prepared hot tea aud biscuits for 400 The and
children accommodated in the cuddy and officers
rooms and the and passengers mustered and told
to with the soldiers aud sailors without the
slightest confusion The Mcrchantman stood by the /
burning ship during the night, and at about 2, a. m.
the flames burst forth the opgallantmast orecas
tie after the forcmast went the side, and in
half an hour the main and mzzcn- mass went and
after she was q mass of flames We could sec her still 4
burning until about o'clock, m when the Merchant
having stood for Table Bay the distance became too
great for to distinguish other than dark cloud rest
ing against the dim horizon, which the last we
of ship
awe in the first cabin saved portion of our luggage
but the whole of the other passengers and the majority
of the lost everything But all truly thank
ful for preservation from terrible and inevitable
DEATH and all feel that the finger of Providence
in IT, for had the Merchantmen not been obliged to put
into Rio de Janero in consequence of the illness of her
medical officer then in charge of the troops, she could
not have been far out of her course and in position
to rescue us.
The origin Of the fire has been attributed to spontane
combustion the friction of badl stowed packages
during the previous day, when the ship rolled heavily
in tho high The ship cargo and property belong
ing to the passengers have been estimated at f9O 900 or
Judge Eces has arrived at ST. Louis having in charge
Henrietta Polidore, rescued from the Mormons writ
OF habea corpus at the request Of the British government
having been abducted from Gloucester, England, four
years ago. Elizabeth Cotton, the author of the celc-
braed letter in regard to Mormon life, has also arrived
en- route for England,
90.