Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-10-02
hear'rending Misunderstanding Of
tne Ausaria.-.Nearly Four Hundred
Lives Lost!
HALIFAX, Sept. 81.


HALIFAX Sept. q.
The bark Lotus, from Liverpool arrived
In Halifax harbor on Saturday afternoon with
| twelve OF the sIxty-seven SURVIVING nssse,,erc
Of the steamship Austria, burnt AZ sca S.,
18th, in lat. l4:5l long. 4 20. taken frau
the bark Maurice, Capt. Ernest R,.nard an
The l4th At little after O'Clock. on the
18th, dense volumes OF smoke burst fir IN the
after entrance Of the steeraee. The ship was
Instantly put at half s. eed, at which she con.
tlnued until the magazi"e expl ,ded. The
engineers, it is inferred, were instantly sufo-
Gated.
Fire was next seen breaking through the
lights amidshps, and Travelled with fearful
rapidity Some persons let down boat
from the port side of the quarter deck, which
was thought to be crushed under the screw.
| An attempt was ma 10 launch boat on
the starboard side, but it was swamped from
The numbers who rushed into it, and AL We're
| st. All the first cabin passengers were on
| the poop save tw gentl men who must
nave been smOi hered 10 the smoking room.
| Many second cabin passengers were also
on the poop, but number of them got shut
into their cabin by fire; some of item were
| ,ullcd up through the ventilator but the
greater number could not be extrlcated.
The last woman drawn up said there were
tx sufocated. The ladies and gentlemen on
the poop jumped into the sea by twos and
rhrees; some OF the ladies hesitated, but were
irven to it at the last moment. ln half al
hour not a soul was to be seen on the pc p.
he French bark Maurice, Capt. Renaud,
came along side the steamer al aboIt 3, P. NJ,
and received 40 passengers, chiefly taken Oh
the bow-sprit. few were picket up float
ing around. AT about o'clock one of the
metallic life boats came up with % persons
ID II, Including the first and third officers.
Afterwards three or four men We're picked up
floating on piece Of broken boat.
The I'd officer was taken up, having been
swimming for six hours. He and the Sd
off er were severely burned.
One male passenger was burned frightfully,
and some ot-ers slightly. Thee were but
six women saved three of whom were bum
ed. A Norwegian bark came up with the
steamer next morning, and boat was obser-
we'd going around the burning ship.
They may have picked up a few persons,
but only a few. The Maurice had no COM
municalion with the Norwegian. The list of
the saved has not been received up to o.
clock, but should it come to han before the
close of business hours it will be published
immediately.
LATER-At o'clock the Maurice sailed
for Fayal, to deposit the rescued passen
gers. AT about two o'clock the same p. NJ.
she fell liz with the bark Lotus, Capt Trefy;
If Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, from Liverpool
TOR Halifax. The fire is known to have atis-
ell from the very cul pablo negligence of some
# the crew. The Captain aud surge, n con-
sidered 1t expedient to fumig tie the steerage
with burning tar The operation was to be
performed by the boatswain, under the SUI
, super enence of the 4ih officer.
Ihe boatswain heated the end Of a chain
70 dip in tar, to produce smoke. The end
became too hot to hold, and he let it drop
upon the deck, to which it set fire. 4 feeble
,ttempt was made to extlnguish it, but with
out effect There was nothing at hand to
meet such an emergency. The rescued pas
Sengers saved nothing but the clothes they
lad on their backs, and even the greater part
If these were torn off and otherwise lost.
600 souls were supposed 10 be on GOard
icluding many women aud Children. MIR.
Brew is the only British subject saved. lie
:, is in the British cruiser On his way t, Brush
=, Columbia.
!, When Capt. Waters of the Prince Albert
- ,>certaini.ig that II of the Austrits survl-
;, vors had arrived he kindly offered all a tree
passage, and d. tanned the steamer for the
purpose of allowing them to emoark. Ten
4 them awaited ihensclve OF his generosity
and sailed for New Yord on Friday, at )
n'c Ock p NJ