Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1858-09-30
BURNING OF THE STEAMER AUSTRALIAN
AWFUL CATASTROPHE.

AWFUL CATASTROPHE.
TelegraPhic dispatches from Halifax confirm
the belief that the burning steamship seen q
the 10Th inst. was the Austria, and announce
terrible wholesale destruction of life among he,
1crew and passengers. OF nearly six HUNDRED
lpersons On board the dictated steamer only six
Ety-seven are said to have escaped. Twelve. d
the saved have arrived at Halifax IN the bark
Lotus, and communicated intelligence of 8 ca
lamity almost unparalleled in the destruction Of
life and in the fightfnl circumstances. Under
which It occurred The ere broke out IN the
steerage on the afternoon of the 18th. III spread
with great rapidity, causing il. its progress the
explosion Of the powder magazine, and appar-
emily cutting of at once the escape Of the Das-
sengers from below. The greater number of
those on board persisted misefabfy between
decks, either suffocated or burnt to death. and
unable to reach thenpper deck, where, perhaps.
their chance of final escape would scarcely have
been improved. Some few were pulled up
through the yentilators. y The flames in the
meantime spread so that even those on deck.
were forced by twos and threes to plunge into
the sea, whilst others, and the majority of those
saved took refuge on the bowsprit, from whence,
after some hours of exposure. they were rescued
by the French bark Maurice. Others were
picked up from the water, and. tvs;sss syy-two,
who had got into one of the metallic boats were
subsequently, rescued. Two of the boats were
lost IN the: attempt to use them. As it is I'M
derstood the steamer had eight metallic boats on
board it's possible that some others were launch
ed, and there is, therefore, still slight chance
of mn afor T.
For the large proportion of the passengers who
were below there is, however no hope. Shut up
in furnace of flame and smoke, q brief but ter
rible interval Of suffering must have ended the
existence of hundreds under circumstances of
horror which it is well for shudderiag humani-a
ty no living eye witnessed. Of the remnant
saved, a number are shockingly burned. Six
women only were rescued, and three of these are
terribly burned
The Austria had on board when she left Ham
burg four hundred and twenty passengers, and
her officers and crew numbered one hundred
persons. AT Southampton, she received thirty
or forty more passengers, increasing the aggre-
gate of souls on board to near six hundred. Of
this aggregate, the safety Of but sixty is
assured, rendering it probable that five hundred
lives were lost by fire and water. Soswift, ter
rible and unexpected q destruction is scarcely
equalled in the annals Of ocean experience. In
the number of lives sacrificed and in the circum-
stances Of suffering by which it was surrounded,
the destruction of the Austria outhorrors all the
instances of disaster that have befallen any of
the lines of ocean steamers.
Further dispatches received last night furnish
a list Of the saved and additional details of the
fearful calamity. The fire originated from care
lessness in fumigating the Storage with burning
a boat, Immediately after the discovery of the
fire, fell overheard and was drowned. All those
known to be saved were received by the bark
Maurice. Twelve of the aumber were after
wards transferred to the bark Lotus and taken
to Halifax. The Maurice, with the others on
board, kept on to Fayal, whittier she was bound
Ten of those brought into Halifax accepted pas
sage in the steamer Prince Albert, which touch
ed at that port en- route for New York, where
she will be due tomorrow or Thursday.-B0z-
tinaore american Of Tuesday.
INTERESTING FROM MExIco.-San Luis dates
of September s, received at New Orleans, repre-
sent that a battle was soon expected to take
place between the forces of Vidaurn and Mira
mon. The latter has about 1000 men, and the
army Of the North counts upon 5000, which,
united to 1000 more under Coronodo, from
will force Miramon to accept battle
between San Luis and the capital Upon this
battle depends the fate of Mexico It is hardly
thought that Miramon viii show fight. The
Governor of Zacatecas was in the course of q
week to send $50; 900 for the army Of Vidaurn,
and with that sum it would commence its march,