Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-10-08
Thrilling Account of the Loss OF the Aus

EAsTAN Co. and personally shsr Of he PrOpis
Thrilling Account of the less of the Aus
tFia.
The following account Of the recent catastrophe,
from the lips Of one Of the survivors, Prof GIAu-
BESsKLEE, Of the New York Free Academy, is the
most painfully interesting narration that has been
published, and furnishes vivid picture of the
frightful and heartrendng scenes that occurred on
board the Inflated steamer:
On the 18th of September, Captain Heydtmann
and the physician gave orders to have the vessel fu
migated. The fourth officer was charged with the
execution Of the order II ordered the boatswain's
mate to take bucset of tar and piece of hot iron
| and go into the forward Storage to fumigaie it,
They heated piece Of chain and dipped it into the
tar to make smose, but the chain was so hot that
it set the tar on FIRE. At the same time the other
| end Of the chain became too hot 10 hold, and the
| boatsWalns mate let il fall, thus upseting the
bucket Of tar which, being already FIRE, rapidly
/ spread over the deck in all directions The flames
from the tar Immediately set fire TO the berths and
! mattresses in the steerage, and spread along the
/ deck with incredible rapidity. In an instant it
ran through the gangways to The hatebways AZ the
| entrance OF the frs and second cabins wards the
/ poop, blazing up through them like bias furnace
snd thus cutting of all retreat for those VINO we're
| below.
| In order to unders and Why the FIRE eomnunieat-
ed to all parts Of the vessel lily It should be
stated that the day vas very pleasant the Wind
light Vith smooth sea. and in der to fumi gate
| he vessel more thor ugbly, su If the port holes
state rooms, and doors in the bulkheads we're open
ed to allow Of free circulation Of air and thor
oUgh yeRtila ion In less than FIVE minutes the up
per deck amidshps was on FIRE 1Ir. Glsubensklee
vas IN bis q room sben The cry Of fire" arose
He burriedly thrust bis feet INTO his boots and ran
out Of his stare room to 60 on deck, when he saw
Z !. e
mes Guing on deck, he saw the passens ers crowd
ing towards the ats and vent to rem0nstrate with
o EN-, as many OF them we're personally known to
him He found however, that they we're deaf 70
IN voice Of reason. and continued to crowd 10 the
boats. He At once resolved that, cone what might.
be would not trust himself in any boat, as il vas
eviden that it soluble more unsafe than TO remain
y the ship Turning around for the purpose Of 20
ing back TO the quarter deck he found il impossible
TO d. 50, the deck being fire amidships. This
could not have been more than Eve or len minutes
AFTER the first cfy Of fire. but on such occasions life
Tim are crowded in minutes. The whole YES
sci amid ps seemed 10 be in a blaze and sIl COM
muuioaiiOn between the fore and after part of the
ship cut Of
When the Profe= sor first came on deck, he looked
forward to see what was the matter. The Captain
III. staining harebeadsd near the second boat
he port side; he endeaVoring to get cut the
people who had crowded into the at in order 10
,Wer it. Immeiia ely after the Professor saw Mr.
Morgenstein, the first engineer, rush up on deck
bareheaded TO see what was the matter. lie was
heard cry out through the engine baiehHo bis as
sislant to stop the engine and the steam pumps
to work. at the Time be turned around for the
purpose Of going down stairs himself No hing was
seen Of him subsequent to this hut the Professor
believes hat he did not succeed in getting down on
account Of The flames. fellow passenger told him
afterwards that he the engineer with his clothes
on FIRE, either fall or throw himself overheard at
about the same time.
The captain WAS drowned in the attempt to lower /
the boat, before mentioned into the water. The en-
CINE was not stopped, aud The pumps were not set /
to work, because as the Professor believes the en-
gin er on duiy-tbe engine room being three decks
beloH-dd not hear Morgsnstein's commands and i
may have been killed or smolhered previously, as /
the FIRE was raging over their heads. None Of the (
engineers or fremen duty were knoFn to be /
saved.
Some of the passengers who jumped overheard |
and saved themselves by swimming and floating on |
pieces of timber told the Professor that when they
we're in the water they agoniziBg human faces !
prUtTuding from the lower tier Of port holes close
to the wafer, as though they we're trying 10 force
their way out, while The bright flames were shining
behind them. These we're probably the fremen and
engineers surrounded a. aliViBg wall Of FIRE When
the Austria left Southampton she drew only sixteen
feet Of water, and by The time Of this catastrophe
probably foot less that she was twenty feet out
Of water.
AiieE AH6 IIOleHboG lOAuQ II possible 70 return
to the quarter deck, he turned toward the foreeas
tie, when he called upon by s sailor to assist in
cutting down the iibs. In compliance he climbed
up rope and cut away its fastenings. The jib was
cut down for the double purpose Of preventing them
from catching fire and also in order that they might
be saturated with water and used TO check the pro
gress Of the FIRE in the forward part Of the ship 1
The people on deck however, did not understand
the orders, and threw the sail overheard without I
6rst making it fast 70 q rOIe. and so it was lost
Thereup0n the Professor went in search of some
thing cut Of which to construct raft The mate
several of the crew, and especially the masters mate
did the same But they could find no wood left and
The fOrWsrd part Of the ship of iron The spare
spars and hatchWay doors and covers bad been al
ready thrown overheard to sustain other persons.
The Professor then inquired Of the masters mate
if there were no pumps forward which could be set
to work bu he replied that there we're none Prof
Glaubleuskee then, last resort, stepped over
the sfarbOard bulEarks upon the plank sheer a
ledge some eighteen inches vide and looked out for
the two vessels which they had dseerned in the dis
tqnoe. The which was closest seemed 70 ap
pr1ach very rapidly. At this time the steamer was
stiU moving Oh n Its course, westward, towards her
TIE other vessel did not approach, and the Profess
sor thinks her people did not see the steamer, as
when she saw her, only the tops Of her masis we're
visible above the horizon But Captain ReBsud. Of
the baraue Maurice, who at that time was close
enough 10 see her mainsails and even her hull it,
self subsequently stated that be had signallsd her
but without success. she did not answer the sig
nal but kept on her way. Remand was furious At
their apparent iuhumanity, more especially as be
thought it might have been q French vessel
About three-quarters Of an hour after the fire
broke out be fOremast, and shortly after the main
mast fell over the starboard side The mizzenmast
s,Ood for tme peihaps half an hour later, and
about the lime The mainmasJ fell, the Professor
thought the boiler exploded, because he saw i'm
mense quantity Of steam rush up in the vicinity Of
he funnel. The ship, which had till now been
heading west By south, commenced heading round
10 the north, the engine having stopped, and he
smoke which bad heretofore gone At, came over the
srsrboard side. About en- minutes later the powder
mqgaz ne sXplod d. To tn, Sc on bard the eKIlo
sion did not seem very severe. al hOugh some per-
sons who were Al that time foa ing in The water
heard consider bic report. Tho whole quantity Of
in the magazine was within 100 pounds
As so 4 as the vessel had commenced falling of
before the wind the position Of those on the fore
castle became dangerous. All those forward had
been previously secure as the heat and flames we're
driven 20 the ste n. But when the ship eeasei to
head wind Eard, The flames and smoEe came for
ward nd those Who had TX n refuge on he fore
C sstle we're compelled to 20 0 e. the bows and take
rofuQe on the bOWsDrit. and in the forechains On