Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-10-01
Terrible Calamity at Sea!
BURNING OF THE AUS
TRIA

BURNlNG OF THE AUS
TRIA
Orer 500 Lives Losf-On7y Si,fy- Ser
en- Sared- Thrilling Mcidenis-Pas-
sengers burning and Drmyned- ORR
gin ofMc Fire.-EnH Particulars
HALIFAX, Sept. 81.
Barquc Lotus, from Liverpool, arriv.
ed in Halifax Harbor Sunday afternoon,
(26th) with twelve of the sixty.scven
surviving passengers from the steamship
Austria, burnt at sea sept. 18th in lati-
tudc forty five one, longitude forty.onc
thirty. taken from the bark Maurice on
the 18th.
The Agent Of the Associated Press
Immediately boarded the Lotus and OBJ
tanned the following particulars -
CHARITIES BREw's STATEMENT.
Took passage at Southampton on the
4th in steamship Austria. Captain Hey
d,maun, which left Hamburg Cd inst
We sailed at 5 =. M. The evening being
little misty. anchored in consequence
between Isle Wight and main land
Sailed again at O'Clock following morn
ing. In weighing anchor an unfortunate
accident occurred by which one of the
crew lost his life. Owing to some mis-
managementthe anchor ran out, whirling
capstan round with terrific force, hurting
the men in all directions. Two were severe
ly injured and one thrown overheard,
and supposed to have been instantly
killed, as Nc never rose to the surface.
From the time the ship was laid on
her course we experienced strong wes-
tcrly winds. On the 18th the weather
was more favorable. On the 18Th eleven
knots had been attained, and all were in
high hopes Of reaching New York by the
18th.
Little after o'clock P. NJ. l was on
the quarter deck. Saw dense volume
Of smoke burst from the after entrance
to the Storage. Some women ran aft
cxclaimirg. 1.-THE ship is On fire. What
will become of u.s. The ship was in :
stantly put at half speed, at which she
continued until the magazine exploded,
from which infer the engineers were
instantly suffocatcd.
only walked from where | was on
the quarter deck 10 the waist of the ship
when saw flames breaking through the
lights amidships. AS the ship was head
to the wind the fire travelled aft with
fearful rapidity. went to the man u,
the wheel aud told him to put the vessel
side to the wind; he hesitated. As he
was native of Hamburg. got a Ger
man gentleman to speak to him. At
this time | saw some persons letting
down the boat on the POI. side of the
quarter deck. What became of her !
do not know. think it must have been
crushed under the screw. went with
some others to get out the boat on the
s'arboard side Of the quarter deck. The
moment we laid hands on the ropes, so
many crowded in that we could not lift
it Of the blocks. We left it for few
moments until the people got out /; re-
turned and put it over the side of the
ship. They all rushed in again. 1t
descended with violence into the water
: AMI was Immediately swamped. All
the people were washed out except three,
; who held on We ie; down rope and
: pulled up one who proved to be the
steward. Another ia the act of being
hauled up was s,raEs led by the rope.
F, Fire cane on too Gercely to attempt to
get up the third. All tho first cabin pas.
, sensers were on the poop with the excep-
ton of gentlemen who must have
been smothered in the smoking ROOM
Many second cabin pas scngcrs were
also on the poop but number of them
got shut into their cabin by the ire
Some of them were pulled up through
the ventilator but the greater number
COLD not be extricated. The last woman
drawn up said there were SIX already
sutiocated
Now perceived that the ship had got
head TO the wind again so that the flames
came over the quarter deck. In conse-
qucnce ofthe crowd could not get 10 the
whccl-housc to ascertain the reason, but
was informed that the helmsman desert.
ed his post, and the vessel, left to her
self, headed to the wind.
At this time the scene on the quarter
deck was Undesirable and truly heart
rending. Passengers were rushing fran
tically to and fro, husbands seeking wives
in search of husbands relatives looking
after relatives, mothers lamcnting their
children, some wholly paralyzed by fear,
others madly crying to be saved, but
few perfectly calm and collected. The
flames pressed SO closely upon them
that many jumped into the sea. Rela-
tivcs clasped in each others arms leapcd
over and met watery grave. Two girls
supposed to be sisters jumped over and
sunk, kissing each other. A missionary
and wife leaped into the sea together,
and the stewardcss and assistant steward,
arm in arm. followed. One Hungarian
gentleman with seven fine children. four
of them girls. made his wife jump in,
then blessed six eldest children and
made them jump in one after the other,
and then followed them with an infant
in his own arms.
about this time was standing out
side the bulwarks, holding on by the
davits. Leaning ont to avoid the flames
which were leaping toward me, l saw a
swamped boat under me spinning by
rope, still attached to the ship. AS the
oars were tied in her,I thought If could
get to her | would be enabled to save
myself and some others. l let myself
down by the rope, passing over man