Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-09-30

"A dDluH, Wy WiOlu JIG UAONh vas oOCH III ldt.
As -, long. Al Add not apply to her; but
more detailed and later accounts pointed to
this vessel with more force than ever as that
which had been seen on fire. The figure head
was the same, and in other particulars the re-
semblance was so perfect that there could not
be any just grounds for further doubt. What
ever doubt there might be as to its being the
Austria were entirely removed by the painfully
accurate despatch which reached us yesterday
afternoon from Halifax.
The Austria left Hamburg with the follow
ing number of passengers and crew.
In the first cabin-68 persons, of whom 10
were children.
In the second eabin-III persons, OF whom
8 were children.
In the steerage-24l persons, of whom 80
were children.
Making a total of 1858 adults and 81 chill
dren-or 425 persons.
The crew, including the captain and officers
numbered 103 men, SO that they were alto
gether 53S souls on board, of whom only 81
have been saved, leaving the fearful balance of
All who have been either drowned, sufocated
or burnt to death.
MIR. cHAgEs BREws' NARRATIVE.
| took passage at Southampton ON the 4th
inst, in the steamship Austria, Captain Heydt-
mann, which left Hamburg on the I'd.
From the time the ship was laid on her
course we experienced strong westerly winds.
On the 18th the weather was more favorable,
and on the 18th a speed of eleven knots an
hour was attained, and all were in high hopes
of reaching New York by the 18th. At a
little after 2 o'clock, P, NJ, | was on the
quarter deck. | saw a dense volume of smoke
burst from the after entrance of the steerage.
Some women ran aft, eKelaiming, 1.-The ship
is on fire! what will become of ns9" The ship
was instantly put at half speed, at which she
continued until the magazine exploded, from
which | infer the engineers were instantly suf-
located.
The fire now came on too lereely to attempt
to get up any more from the swamped boat.
All the first cabin passengers were on the
poop, with the exception of a few gentlemen
who must have been smothered in the smoking
room. Many of the second cabin passengers
were also on the poop, but q number of them
got shut into their cabin by the fire. Some
Of them were pulled up through the ventilator,
snt the greater number coulA not be extricaa
ted. The last woman who Vas drawn UP said
there were six already sufocated
In consequence of the crowd, [ cenld not
get to the wheel house to ascertain the reason,
but | was informed that the helmsman had de-
serted his post, and that the vessel, being left
to herself, headed to the wind of her W ac-
cord. At this time the scene on the quarter
deck was indescribable and truly heart-rending.
Passengers were rushing to and fro Husbands
seeking their wives, wives in search of their
husbands. relatives looking after relatives,
mothers lamenting the loss Of their children.
some wholly paralyzcd by fear, others madly
crying to be saved; but a few perfectly calm
and collected. The flames pressed so closely
upon them that many jumped into the sea; rel
atiyes 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. A missionary and wife leaped in
to tho sea together, and the stewardess and as.
slstant steward, arm in arm followed. One
Hungarian gentleman, rith seven Gne children.
four of them girls. made his wife jump in, then
blessed his six eldest children, made them
jump in one after the other, aud followed them
with n%..infant in hiss own arms.
/, about this time, was standing outside the
bulwarks, holding on by the davits, leaning
out to avoid the flames, which were ~leaping
me. | saw a swamped boat under
spinning by q rope still attached to
the ship; as the oars were tied in her, | thought
if | could get to her / would be enabled to
save myself and Others. | let myself down by
a rope, passing over a man who was clinging
to it, but who refused to COM with me. II
took out a penknife to cut the tackle; the
large blade broke, and | then severed it with
the small blade. The ship passed ahead
AS the screw approached | found the boati
towards it.. / tried to keep the boat
off, but the sersw caught and capsized her
over me. Idiyed away from the ship and
to the surface near a beat ghich was
upwards; | got on her, and by pressing
on one side, with the assistance of a wave she
but was still swamped. The cars had
been knocked out by the screw; the only
thing | could find in her to paddle with was
some lathes nailed together as d sheathing for
The sides.
When | looked around, the ship was a quar-
ter of a mile away FROM me. | could see the
aides and gentleman jumping off the poop
the water in twos and thres, some of the
in flames. Several hesitated to leap
rom the burning ship until the last mement.
IS the heigh was twenty two feet, and were
only at length compelled to throw themselves
to avoid a more painfnl death. In half
IN hour not a soul was to be seen on the poop
pulled after the ship and picked up a Gar
nan who was swimming strongly; / got him
beside me On the boat, and we padded after
The ship with the lsths. | now saw a vessel
lnder sail approaching sbe reached the steam
IF about 5 p. M; we continued pulling towards
hem, and about halfpast seven O'Clock. after
five hours in the water. got within hail
If the sailing vessel, which put off a boat and
ook us on board. She proved TO be the
French bark Maurice, Capt. Ernest Remand,
Nantes, bound from Newfoundland for Isle
# Bourbon, with fish. She had up to that
ime. rescued forty passengers of the burning
teamer, chiefly taken off the bowsprit, though
few were picked up floating around. Att
bout eight o'clock Que of the metallic boats
up, with about twenty-three persons, in
the FIRST and third officers; afterwards
or four men were picked up, floating on 1
piece Of the broken boat. The second Off
Ell was taken up, having eenswimming, with
othing to float him, for six hours. The sec
nd and third officers we're severely burned: 8
ne male person was burned frightfully, t
nd some other male passengers slightly.-ll