The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-10-02
Public Speaking.


Friday, October 9Th; Germantown, Satur-
day, October 9th
Gibson Comttg-Princeton, Thursday
September I'd; Francisco Friday, 3D. ;
Owensyil.e, Saturday, 4th; Patoka, Mon
day, 9th.
K',Or county-Dickensbu Tuesday, Sep
tember 7th; Vincennes, Wednesday, 9th !;
Edwards Port, Saturday, %; Bruccyille,
Monday, 81.
Pike county-IIornbrooks Tuesday, Sep
tember Ia; Pctcrsburgh, Wednesday, IS;
Crossroads Thursday, lG.
DarieSs coantg-N ashiugton, Friday,
September II; AlfordsviIle, Saturday, l8;
Raglesville, THURSDAY, %; Owl Prairie,
Friday, 24
Martin cotaltv-Loogootce Monday, Sep
tembcr 20; Halberts Bluff. Tuesday 81 !;
HarrisonTille, Thursday, -.
Posey countg-Mount Vernon, Monday,
October 4th; New Harmony, Tuesday, 5th;
Wadesrillc, Wednesday, 6 Union church,
Thursday 7th.
Speaking to commence at l o'clock, 2. VI
THE BrRHISG OF TIE ACsrRIA-The fol-
lowing is the account given by Mr.. Charles
Brews, one of the survivors of the ill-fated
Austria
took passage at Southampton on the 4th
in the steamship Austria, Capt. Heydtmann,
VIII ch left Hamburg on the I'd. Wesailed at
p NJ. On the 10Th the weather was more
favorable, and on the 18th speed of eleven
knots had been obtained, and all were in
high hopes of reaching New Y orl by the
18th. At little after 2 o'clock P. NJ, |
was on tie quarter deck. saw dense
volume of smoke burst from the after en-
trance of the steerage. Some women run
aft, exclaiming, The ship is on fire, what
will become OF us +" The ship was instant
ly put at half speed, at which she continued
until the magazine exploded, from which I
infer the engineers were instantly suffocat-
ell. only walked from where l was on
the quarter deck to the waist of the ship,
when / saw the flames breaking through
the lights amidships. & the ship was head
to the wind, the lire travelled with fearful
rapidity.
[ then sent 10 the man at the wheel and
told him TO put the vessel with her side to
the wind. lie hesitated-probably did not
understand me, as lie Was It native of Ham,
burg. | then got a German gentleman TO
speak to him. At this time | saw some
persons letting down the boat on the port
side Of the quarterback. What became of
the boat | don't know, but think she was
crushed under the screw. ! then went to
let boat over from the starboard side of
the quarterback, but the moment We laid
cur hands on the ropes, there were so many
people who crowded into it that we could
not lift it Off the blocks. We therefore left
it for a few minutes, until the people got
out when we returned, and launched it over
the side of the ship when, the people all
rushing into it again, it descended with great
violence into the water, and was instantly
awamped, all the people being washed out
excepting three, who held on to the sides.
We then let down a rope, and pulled up one
person, who proved to be the steward
Another, in the act of being hauled up, was
strangled by the rope.
The fire now came on too fercely to at
tempt to get any more from the swamped
boat. All the first cabin passengers were
on the poop, with the exception of few
gentlemen, who must have smothered in the
Smoking-room. Many Of the second cabin
passengers were also on the poop, but
number Of them got shut into their cabins
by the fire. Some of them were pulled up
through the Yentilat0r, but the greater num-
Der could not be eXtrcated. The last
woman that was drawn up said there were
six already suffocated We now perceived
that the ship had got her head to the wind
again, SO that the flames came over the
quarterback. In consequence of the crowd
| could not get to the wheel-house to ascer-
tain the reason, but | was informed that the
helmsman had deserted his post, and that
the vessel, being left to herself headed to
the wind of her own accord. At this time
the scene on the quarterback was indie
scribable and truly heart-rending. Passen-
gers were running frantically to and fro
husbands seeking their wives, wives in
search of their children, relatives looking
after relatives, mothers lamentjng the loss
of their children, some wholly paralyzed by
fear, others radly crying to be saved; but
few perfectly calm and collected. The
flames pressed so closely upon them, that
many jumped into the sea, relatives clasped
in each others arms, leaped over and met a
watery grave. Two girls, supposed to be
sisters, jumped over, and sank kissing each
other. \ missionary and wife leaped into
the sea together, and the stewardess and as
4 sistant steward arm in arm, followed. One
/ Hungarian gentlemen, with seven fine chill
dren, four of them girls, made his wife jump
! in, then blessing his six oldest children, made
them jump in one after the other, and fol-
! lowed them with an infant in his own
arms. l, about this time, was standing out
side the bulwarks, holding on by the davits,
/ leaning out to avoid the flames, which were
leaping toward me. l saw a swamped
] boat under me, spinning by d rope still at
/ tached to the ship. As the oars were tied
1 in her. l thought, if could get to her,
! would be enabled to save myself and some
i others.
let myself down by rope, passing over
a man who was elinging to it, but who re-
fused to come with me; l took pen-knifc
to cut the tackle; the large blade broke, and
l then severed it with the small blade. The
ship passed ahead. AS the screw approached
l found the boat drawn toward it. l tried
to keep the boat off, but the screw caught
and capsized her over me. 1 dived away
from the ship and came to the surface neal
a boat with the keel upward; got on her
and by pressing ON one side, with ehe assist.
ance of wave she righted, but was still
swamped. The oars had been knocked out
by the crew. The only thing could fine
in her to paddle with was some laths nailed
together as sheathing for her Sides Whel
l looked around the ship was quarter o
mile away from me- could see the ladie