Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-12-03
BURNING OF THE EASTERN CITY

Inc story OF the burning of this ship and the
proVl1entlal rescue of her passengers is toI6
oy the London Times. The account il rranbic
and highly interesting:
Ine Eastern City was q ship of l 26S TONS
Dound from Liverpool to Melbourne. She lett
the Mersey on the 10th Of July last. having on
board loo passengers, AZ men, officers md crew
ana more tnan ! 900 tons general cargo. All
went well till the Eastern CITY had nassed the
Equator, but on the 22d Of August 1t was dis
covered that IRE had broken out in the fore.
ho.d. This was about tive in the afternoon
anu anu .he sea was running high, tor the day be-
fore there hal been a heavy gale and the shin
was rolling heavily. Capt Johnstone. whose
conduct throughout the transaction appears 10
lave 0een above all praise, at once ordered ali
the passengers and crew on deck. All obev.d
the order save one poor man, Peter Mclean bv
name, who was supposed to have been suffocated
In bis berth. His absence however was not
noticed az the moment the fore-bsteb was
closed. ""'
through two holes, one on each side OF the
hatch, the ships company proceeded To nopr
IoTn tons Of water. 1t was Of no avail! the
nre could not bs eKtinguished, SO the next at
tempt was to try and smother il The b,,oh
was covered over with every yoolen mate -
which the people could lay their hands but
thlS served only TO check, not to remedy the
evl. All night through the men on hoard
Kept at their work, while the women and chill.
dren-there were sixty of them-were gath
eIeu Iogetner on the poop, with such small
T TOat?Ils Ss cOuIo oe provided for them in
burning ship, with death presently at hand
Inc boats were retdy, and the captain aid his
pest 10 persuade bis luckless passengers that
AZ al events there was refuge for hem. but
ne knew very well that the boats would never
i've In tne sea then on, and, if they could have
H.ed, mere was not room in them for half his
'mPany and passengers. They were six bpn
dred miles away from land and ont of tbensnol
track OF ships, so that the case seemed evil in
deed e'n III
towards morning il became clear that the
nre was gaining on the Eastern CITY: II was
WORKING It's way into the after hold Smoke
now appeared in the first and second cah;ns
IL was sad work and, as though TO mock Their
misery, the morning broke beau tiful and bright.
although the sea was still high The shin was
put before the wind, and all on board stiII
worked hard, though hope had deserted the
snip otiii despair will DO as well as hone as
lar as working is concerned At such a time
naPpy II IS Tor those who can work and drive
away the overpoWering sense Of present evil
ny PHYSICAL exertion, useless as il may be.
ABOUT noon the fOreySrd came down by the
run. This was on the 9th. How if the fore
mast should fall aud rip up the de,k and LET
ln tne air to faa the fame, which had not as
yet ourst forth, as 1t soon would il fed with
outer air. There was but one chance left
and tnat chancs seemed a remote one indeed !:
which was that a sail might appear and a sbip
bear down to their assistance.
ABOUT two O'Clock in the afternoon the can
tain and Few Of the passengers had gone into
tne after saloon to get little food Before
going down they had scanned the horizon
greeduy enough, no doubt; but thew could
make nothing of it. The hasty meal Of vbicb
toey were partaking was probably Z, be their
last one in this world. On a sudden the CIV
arose on deck, "A sail. sail 90 They ali
rushed up; but at first nothing could they see,
save dark cloud on the horizon. PressrtIy
they caught sight of something white Was Z
SAL Was 1t gull? Was it life? Was
death IL grew larger, more distinct. thar
could at length be no doubt-they were saved
She was coming down upon u.s. close by the
cage OF the suns rays on the sea. How we all
cheersd, and wept, and prayed, and lapgbed
and clasped each others hands. and cbesrsd
again bow great rough fellows hugyed each
Otner, and wept like children how men who
nad PROBABLY never prayed before muttered
sincere thanksgiving; and how those who had
preserved the greatest Indifference when death
seemed SO near were now completely over
come. We will not attempt To weaken tbs
force OF this description by any comment Of
cur own. y
Within half an hour from the time the shin
was hrst sighted she bore down upon them. and
eneerlng only as British soldiers and sailors
can enser' the ships company and troops on
under
stern OF the burning ship. As she passed Cant
SGnnstone hailed them throsgh his trumpet.
are on nre; will you stand by us,'' Back
came voice from the good ship Mercbantman
"Ay, ay In brief space the boat, were COT
out from either ship, and first the women and
ehlIdren were transported on board the troon.
ship, then the rest. Tsohundred and tusntr-
sevsn persons were thus rescued from death
Wtnout single accident To any Individual
Every hYlng soul on board the Eastern CITY
was saved, with the exception Of that unfortu-
nate man who bad been sufIocated by the
SMOKE at the outset Of the calamity.
AT about p. m, when the troop ship stood
away, the Eastern City, was in q bright bla1s
Allow and sloft, and soon the mast went, and the
burning hull was left to ber fate The Last her
captain and passengers and crew saw Of her
was dark cloud in the distance floating in the
morning air" -'-'
IL Hon. Marcus NJ Tyler, prominent Fr.es
mason OF Kentucky died recently at EddysyiIIe
DC There are oyer two hundred and nfty attn.
dents at Emory and Henry college, Va.
II "-rayeIiaR PHYSICIAN left Nsadvtn.
Pa quite suddenly the other day t,kine, ,.i,L
- - = 81