The New York herald., 1860-09-09


The Dreadful Steamboat Accident on
Lake mAchAgan-TAree Hundred Lives
Lost.
We have this morning the painful task Of an
nouncing another fearful steamboat disaster,
by which between three aud four hundred lives
are supt osed TO have been lost The eiicun-
stances, 60 far az they have reached us by
telegraph, are these:-The steamer Lady Egio,
of the Lake Superior line, left Chic ,go on Fri
day evening, and of Waukegan was run into
| by the schooner Augusta aad sunk, only sfgep-
teen persons being known TO have been saved
| The accident occurred about halt-past two IN
| the morning, the schooner going at the time at
| the rate of about eleven miles en- hour There
were three military and several fire comp .nies
| on board, and among the persons said to be iosi
are Colonel Lumsden, Of the New Orleaa-
Pioaysue, and the son Of the proprietor of the
London Illustrated Ne.os, but lately arrived II
this country.
OF course, in the absence OF any definite dc
tails, il is impossible to pronounce an opinion
as TO where the blame OF this dreadful occur
renee lies. That there must have been gross
careessness on the part the officers OF either or
both W eiselsis. however evident Had the sailing
regulations in regard TO the exhibition OF light-
| been adhered 70, we do not see how such an
accident could have happened. The season of
| the year is not one in which the dsoseuess Of a
| fog could be pleaded as an excuse for deiec-
tive vision in regard to lights, supposing them
to have been displayed, and We are therefore,
| forced to the conclusion either that they were
| not shown at all, or that q proper watch was
not Kept up on board the schooner.
II is only the occurrence Of terrible calami-
ties Of this sort that will enforce attention 70
| Of negligence at sea by the passage Of severe
enactments. Whenever al accident involving
loss Of life to any exten. takes place from this
cause, there l. usually good deal said and
| written about 1t; but beyond an occasional
| feeble effort to introdnte amendments In the
| existing laws, and which fails because no grea.
roneyed intere4. is rallied to its support,
neihing is done in relation to it. And
yet there is NO subject OF legislation.
one would suppose, tnst would sooner enlist
the sympathies OF great con mercial and ira.
yelling community.
If the citizens Of New York do not speedily
exhibit q little more energy in this connection
we shall have one Of these dreadful disasters
brought home to u.s. A condition Of things *
ISIS in our immediate waters which Is pregnant
with some wholesale catastrophe For example,
there II not Sunday passes that We do not ex
pect to hear Of some accident involving as ex.
tensive loss of life as that which has just
occurred on Lake Michigan. The reckless man
ner In which the owners Of the Staten Island
boats pack their vessels with human beings
must one Of these days inevitably lead TO It,
We're sudden panic to occur amongst the pas
sengers nothing could save them from destruc
| ton. We all know how easily terror Ia infused
| into crowd Of helpless women and children
thus cooped up. 1t suflices but the sliehtesl
| alarm to deprive them of all self posses-
sion, and to induce them TO do just
cifcu instances. The Union Ferry Company
are obnoxious to a similar cersure. Between
the hours of Eve and seven their Fulton street
boats present just the same circumstances Of
danger. We have seen them at these hours no
densely thronged that there was not space even
for the passengers TO turn about in q standing
posture.
are sufficient for the suppressiouof these abuses.
The trouble, however, Is that those entrusted
with their administration viii not enforce them.
either from indifference to The public safety or
from collusion with the wealthy companies who
are interested In niainta,uing o.. present state
Of things. But II the La be not sufficiently
stringent to reach offenders and TO compel the
authorities to do their duty, 1t Is the business
OF Congress and Of the State Legislatures TO
render II 90. The enforcement Of penalties
| against public oficers as well as against deln
quens has been found to work well abroad
i Surely snch wholesale calamities M that wnich
we record TO dey plead sufficiently strong to
our Legislators TO induce them 10 be,tow
small share OF their attention on a matter so
vital TO the safety of the travelling public.
THE PoLruoM CrIorrs AND ComurrEEs Al
WoRK.-For some days past a set Of poli'
clans have been holding meetings at the Astor
House the St Nicholas and different other parts
OF the city, and have been travelling round
bither and thither, to Washington and Albany,
bargaining and trading, and plotting and hag-
Cling sbou, the union electoral ticket. just a.
u they bad votes TO cast for that ticket, or re
presented the great mass Of the voters Of the
State who are in favor Vi H. These men come
from oil quarters Of tn State. and assume, some
of item. TO be the Bteckinrioge Committee,
sons the Douglas Committee. aud some the
Bel Committee. There are Cagger and Rich
nond. Ta,kes, Green, McMahon and the Lord
knows who a set Of peddling politicians, pre-
tending to represent the people of this State
In tho r.a4ent rrisie ~. NJ uvn.N ~ot;s;-