Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-09-23
A Sad Catastrophe on tho Lake of Geneva
Switzerland

1t il rarely tina, we hearoi terrible accident. IN
the Continent Of Europe. As n general thing.
steamers. railway aud all other means f eo,Aes-
ancc. under such strrt rcguli'inr- that thercs
n" room for carclcs>ne,s, nash less Cor tha-e dread
ful caastrnphcs which often urrA~iunci b, llo
ambition and rcrklc>snasS If employees in nnr
country. But last mouth there &c, urged on the
beautiful lake ot Geneva II scene which has filled
all classes Of the borllr.iug tnntons with horror
and sadness. The Sw,t Like Other lcuplc Of ..,
Continent, have but few wharvc.. puav> or jetlirs
The jealousy 9! II small number of miserable
b':,moa has long caused passengers us they en-
Iharked on steamers, 10 1e tossed about. to the
great risk of their lives, in cpckle.shcs, at Neyay,
Marsclles, Gen1o and lie horn.
On the first day ct last month two y nj loads of
travellers left the handing place Of the quiet tuwn
of Nyon. (about nine mic, from t'rmclal flr he
purpose Of going on b ard the two steamers buund
respectively for the opposite ends of the lake
The 1igic steamer arrived first at Nyon, and the
Helcetie. which WAS approaching from different
direction. SHOULD, according to the regulations,
have awaited nt n considerable distance until the
Aigi" had discharged AMI received her passengers
Instead Of this, the H1ettt bore down close to the
iigle and cut one Of the small boats in tive
There We're forty persons IN this boat, and nearly
one half of them We're instantly killed by the
wheels or drowned. \ private letter from Geneva
says:
The shock was terrible. The little boat was
not only cut in two by the steamer, but shi,cred
to pieces. Nne,een persons are asccrtained h be
no more, and one lady. who was rescued from
drowning. has bee insane from fright.
You cannot imagine what CONSERVATION per-
vaded the whole city If Geneva when the frlste
news was brough, thither. A great number of
shops became closed for the relatives and friends
of the merchants were victims OF this catastrophe.
As to the cause which brought ON this dcp.orabc
accident, some blame tie Uciretia-.thers the
stormy weather.
The inquest will doubtless cnlighten us on this
sad event. Whatever II may be, il is thought that
in view Of the nnmler u, the victims the Govern
mont will force the Steamboat Company hence.
forth to erect quays and ctys at all the princ pal
landing places 1T is "a that the greater pat If
the victims were killed by the wheels Of the Hell
vete, and all attempts To render them aid were
per consequence in VAN
Among those who thus found watcry grave
were young Englishmau and his WIFE who were
on their wedding tour. They were found EN-.
braced in each others arms
The whole of this sad affair might have been
avoided by the means mentioned. viz: whar, Is
and jetties. These peculiar to our race In
England they abound To extent which astonsl :
es foreigners but the coast Of the United States
they far exceed in number those of the mother
country. In the midst Of the remote islands on
the coast Of Maine, in sounds, bays and in
lets, and up our many rivers. whnr,es and iettics
are every where to be seen, and without them
our accidents, numerous us they are woad ho
doubled