Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1858-10-09
Of the Austria. Details Of the ca.
iamity. statsmtnt Of Mr.. Alfred vosin

among the passengers rescued by the French
bark Maurice Hc is young gentleman
ofiutelligence, and having been one Of the
last passengers to leave the after part Of the
burning vessel. and his recollection Of many
interesting incidents connected with the ca
lamity being distinct and vivid, his state
ment is one Of rare interest. Ills mother
aud two ssiers--the latter respectively o
and II years Of age-Occompanied him, and
were among those lost.
At o'clock in the afternoon. Mr.. Vein
was engaged in conversation in the after
| part OF the steamer, when woman came
aft from the stecrage, and said they we're
fumigoting the steerage. Thinking her to
be in jest, he laughed at her, aud though he
saw the smoke emit from the bows, he
thought il was smoke blown down from the
funnel. A moment after, largo numbers
OF persons rushed aft, among whom we're
many women and children. The movement
was accompanied by loud cries of fire. p
Soon the whole vessel above deck was alive
with excitement A moments observation
discovered the smoke escaping in large vol
umes from ihe forward hatchways, and this
increased the fearful apprehension of imme-
date danger. The flames began to creep
above the deck, and soon caught whatever
wood work was near. The vessel was head
ing to the wiad, and though she breeze was
light, yet the smoke and heat were tnrned
all, and large numbers of passengers we're
driven toward the quarter-deckS Mr.. We
zin's sisters were on deck, but his naother
was not. lie hurried toward the cabin in
search of ber, but was driven back by the
smoke and fire. Mr.. Brew took q Chair
aud dashed in the cabin skylght, when We
zln saw his mother down there with the
stewardess. Tie shouted for her to come
up on deck through the wheel-house, and
she did so She was weeping, but very
CalR and 6rm, holding her daughters by the
hand. The man at the wheel was asked to
alter the direction of the ship, SO that the
flames and smoke might he blown over the
side. No heed, however, was paid to the
request, as there were no officers visible to
enforce il the heat became more and more
uncomfortable, and the passengers were swept
still farther aft, crowding npon the little
poop deck over the wheelhouse from which
they were compelled by the flames to leap
into thes sea, Ia the midst of this fearfu !
scene there was not the FIRST Indication that
the officers of the vessel possessed the quail
ties necessary TO their position. When wo.
men were screaming and in Mysteries, chill
dren crying from the suffering they endured
from the heat, and passengers rushing abont
in wild confusion, not knowing what was to
be done, the officers behaved themselves
like imbecies or towards. When tile fourth
oGcer ran up from the Steerage, after care
lessly or otherwise setting the vessel on fire,
he rushed aft, jumped into one of the boats,
followed by several of the passengers
AS the boat was being let down the c9ptain
made spring after it, but did not succeed
in reaching it. He caught rope, kaweyer
but the speed at which the vessel was run
ming was so great that he was drawn nm
der, and he was soon exhausted let go his
hold and sank. The boat was smashed nm
der the propeller, and all on board of her
were lost. Some of the passengers sought
for buckets, but none were at hand They
tried to descend to the cabin, bnt they were
net by the flames and smoke, which rashed
up through the hatchway. At last, rope
was passed down the ventilator, and they
we're able 20 secure some tin pals in the
second cabin; but these were of noayail in
checking the progress Of the flames, which
had already communicated to the upper
deck, and were leaping from point to point
with fearful portent. In the cabin and
steerage the flames and smoke had full
sweep, cutting off tue escape of many scores
below, who were soon suGocated or burned
between decks. Mr.. Vein, with others,
succeeded in drawing up several, mostly la
dies. from the cabin, through the skylight.
And while those below saw no hope of es-
cape from their torments but in death, the
spirits of the few on the deck were aroused
by the appearance of two vessels in the
horizon. They were mere specks, and dis
tant many miles; yet so lost were many to
all presence of mind, that immediately on
observing them they commenced shouting,
"Ship ahoy." In the mean time the suffer
iugs of those on the after deck increased.
OF the four wooden boats aft, one was al
ready lost, by being dragged under the pro-
pellor. A second was burned before they
could get her tackle loose. In third a
large number of passengers, mostly females.
we're crowded, aud the hosting tackle be-
ing loosed, the strain on the chocks became
too great when the boat fell and all in it
we're lost. Another got off from the YES
sci with FIVE or six passengers on board,
and Mr.. Vein thinks that Mr. Hoxie, for
merly a jobbiug merchant of this city, but
more recently resident of PhiladeLphia,
who had been some years absent in Italy,
where his wife recently died, was among
the number The boat, however, had 20
oars, and was soon left far behnd-too Gar
to be discovered by the French bark, The
engines Of the steamer confined TO run
about an hour after the accident Left, as
they were, without boats, the period of ex-
isteuce Of over hundred persons assem-
bled on the quarter deck became one Of
physical endurance of the heat The flames
leaped mp the shrcuds, and licked along the
yards. till the sails we're wrapped in flames,
and burning fragments of them we're con
tinually falling on the persons of those be-
low. aud setting the dresses of the ladies
on fire. One garment after another was
in this way destroyed and the loss of each
only exposed them more and moro to the
| intense heat. When they could no Longer