Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-11-19

A Thrilling Narrasive.
Destruction Of the British Slip Eastern City
5V Fire.

Destruction Of the British Slip Eastern city
by Fire
Mr.. John Fowler, cabin passenger on
board the Eastern City, furnishes graphic
account of the burning of that vessel o. the
passage from Liverpool to Melbourne, South
Australia. The Eastern City was ship of
1858 tuns burden. She left Liverpool on the
10th of July, with $50 passengers and 500
tuns of general cargo The Eastern City
reached the equator on the 18th of August,
on the 2lst Of August the wind blew strong
from the north west, and on the following
day it increased to half a gale, with heavy
sea, the ship rolling great deal, and fire.
quently going from IL to IA knots an hour
On the 23d the wind veered round to the
south west, but the sea continued high, and
at p. m. an alarm of FIRE was raised, and
smoke was seen issuing from the fore hatch.
The passengers and crew were all ordered on
deck, and it was believed that all had obeyed
the order; but it was afterward discovered
that one of the Storage passengers, named
Mclean, was missing, and he is supposed to
have been suhocated in his berth. Hopes
were entertained at first of extnguishing the
fire, as it did not seem to increase; but after
half an hour it was found that no progress
was made, notwithstanding the vast quanti-
ties of water that had been pumped into the
hold. 1t was now apparent that the only
chance was to smother the fire. Accordingly,
blankets, shawls, plaids, and old sails were
used for that purpose, but all in vain. The
women and children, about sixty in number,
were removed to the poop. The captain
hauled up the courses, and put the ship be-
fore the wind, had the boats provisioned, and
every thing in readiness to lower away at a
moments notice. Both passengers and crew
worked all night in their endeavors to subdue
the flames, the captain cheering them all the
while, and never leaving the deck for mo-
ment. His courage is described as admirable,
and he never ceased to comfort the women
and children by assurances that they would
be all safe in the boats. To add to their dan.
ger they were more than six hundred miles
frsm the nearest land, the boats could carry
no more than one-half Of the persons in the
ship, and the sea ran so high that no boat
could be launched in safety nor live long.
crowded as they must necessarily have been
Their only chance was OF being picked up but
this was forlorn hope, as they were out of
the track Of vessels, and those who realized
the full extent of their danger, felt that their
destruction was simply question of hours.
Still they worked with a will, adopting every
means to smother the fire. The morning OF
the Z4ln broke at lenBtn, Dut the sea still ran
high, and the ship scudded before the wind.
About noon the foreyard came down by the
run, but without inJuring any one. There
was evidently very little hope, and many Of
those on board became quite resigned to their
terrible fate. The decks became very hot,
and the flames were expected every moment
to be seen issuing from the bows, and they
we're in dread of the foremost giving way,
which must have procipitated 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.. Fow-
Ter, threw bottles overheard, containing de-
tails Of the sad catastrophe, Their rescue
from impending death is thus described by Mr.
Fowler
"rhe captain, chief officer, purser. doctor.
Mr.. Warner, the other chief cabin passenger,
and myself, went into the saloon at two O. clock
p. M, to eat something, for We were all be-
coming faint. We were eating what VIC be-
lieved to DO our last meal, but we were all
calm, and even cheerful, Capt. Johnston ask-
ing to be excused for the manner in which no
was breaking up the preserved salmon, which,