The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-03-14

The Chances OF Her Safety-An Account
Of the yessel-Her Passenger, Cargo,
Be-, &c.
The steamship Australasan Of the Cunard line sailed
from Liverpool for New York Saturday February the
l6th but she has not yet been heard from this side
OF the Atlantic. Steamers which sailed after her
brought out the intelligence, not only OF her sail
ing, but also the news that she called at Queens-
town, Ireland, on the afternoon of Sunday, the nth
OF last month, where abe received on board the Irish
American mails and passengers awaiting her at that port
and that she resumed her voyage the evening for
New York Thus 1t win be that the Australasiau is
now In her twentysxth day out from Liverpool and her
twenty fifth from Queenstown. Az this is about twice
the amount Of time generally required for steamship
from Europe to America, there consequently con-
siderable anxiety felt for the safety Of this steamship
The Australasan il one Of the largest screw steamers
running between Europe and America. Her tonnage was
254 TOMS and she Of $50 horse power She was an
iron vessel ship gged about 800 feet long and nearly 40
feet wide It Ia remarkable that she was Of the very
class Of vessels against which Cunard testified before the
COMMITTEES Of the British House Of Commons
last year. The Australasian had large
plain saloon, which capable OF aGordng 40
commodation to about one hundred passen-
gers Though she engaged in the Cunard passenger
and mail line on her last VOYAGE the Australasian
better adapted for the carrying Of freight and has been
used in Cunards New York and Liverpool freight line.
She was built about three ago. and had eight water
tight compartments. She had also two smoke stacks
which is unusual feature in propeller. Though
the Australasian had reputation for speed, she
not regarded by some the safest ship aoat and
Of the officers Of the City Of Manchester 1t is alleged
resigned his berth in her that account The value Of
the steamship was about $3.50 nearly f100 600 Of
British currency and altogether she was OF the finest
ships in the Cunard line She insured in England.
Her crew numbered about one hundred men and her
captains name was Hockey.
When she left Liverpool last IL is difficult
10 ascertain what cargo passengers the steam
had on board, as the English papers, With
their usual absence Of diligence in such matters, have
failed to report than the fact that she sailed and
that she took out between ell 900 and fl2 in specie
From Liverpool, however, appears that the Austra
asian took some fifty passengers, which is about the
usual number taken by the Of the Cunard line
at this season Of the year, and that she had the
English mails and ordinary cargo, which would be
about Ave hundred tons Of freight Of the description
usually shipped from Liverpool TO New York. and conse
qusnty OF valuable description At Queenstown 1t ia
not unlikely that the Australasian may have taken few
passengers board but not many 1t is remarkable
fact that the Irish passengers do not patronse the
Cunard line so much as the Liverpool, New York and
Philadelphia line, which runs the same route without
any government subsidy, and was also the
first to commence calling at an Irish port.
is not probable, therefore, that the Australasan
had sixty passengers when she sailed from Queens
town. The steamers of this line take nothing Queens
town but passengers and the mails. Hence 1t may be
presumed that the Austraasan from Queenstown to
the Atlantic, for America, sixty passengers, FIVE
hundred tons Of valuable cargo S57 O0 and the British
and Irish mails.
The AustraIasan was first engaged In the service
Of the Peninsuar and Oriental Steamship Com
pany, on the eastern side Of the Isthmus
Of suez She in the service OF this company 1858
and the early part Of 1852 but her competition in the
with the Great Eastern last year gave this
her chief will be remembered that they left
New York together and the wind from the west,
and consequently more advantageous for a than
a paddle steamer, they kept well together for some
time, till the Great Eastern ran into Halifax and
lost sight of her rival for days After six seven,
however, she up with the Australasan again, and
the competition renewed between the two vessels,
the wind being favorable and allowing the Ausraasan
crowd sail propotionately than the Great Eastern
could carry. This time the contest lasted two days. the
captain of the big ship fearing that the smaller would
get TO Queenstown before he could get TO Milford Haven
and the skipper Of the Ausraasian sraning every spar
gigantic competitor.
change of wind, however, soon enabled the Great
Eastern to show her heels and her superior power her
audacious little rival whom she beat by several hundred
miles before the voyage concluded. These the
most interesting facts in the history of the Of
this steamship
The circumstances which may have detained or
wrecked the Autralasian her voyage are many As
she a steamer she may have broken her fan
and been obliged to make part-perhsps the greater
part-of her voyage under sail. If this the case,
and the accident occurred shortly after leaving Queens
town. the steamer would only be about due here now
the City Of Manchester and other steamships which
rived at this port recently report succession Of head
winds She might possibly, therefore, make her ap.
pearance of Sandy Hook very yet Or, perhaps, IL
the fan broke, the captain would run for Europe
again, and in that case we might hear Of
the safety Of the vessel the next arrival from Europe
There would also be temptation to the captain to take
his vessel to southern latitude while she crippled,
In which she might turn up the Western Islands,
or perhaps Bermuda This Is not likely however, as It
Is only in Europe America that ships Of this descrp
tion receive every necessary repair Again, the
steamship North Brton which recently arrived at Port
hnd,. reports having passed large iceberg
in the Atlantic which might have proved destructive
the Australasan but this is improbable the North
Briton did not report having any fragments Of
wreck which could scarcely have been passed unnoced
had the Austraasian been lost in the locality Of the ice
berg. The stralasan, being very long, heavily
spared and rugged might possibly have got her beam
ends If she depending sail alone in the rough
weather that has been prevalent lately In the North
Atlantic. This, however, is very rare &C.
currence, and though ocean steamers have
narrowly escaped being lost by IL, there Is
no proof that single ocean steamship has been
lost in this way BY fire or the explosion OF boiler 1t
Is scarcely possible that the steamer could have been
wrecked there only avery few instances Of caiam
ties OF this occurring from the first cause, and
none in ocean steamers from the second.
For the present the veil Of obscurty hangs over the
fate Of this steamship, II does over own Pacific
aud other steamers but let hope that Is
but temporary shade and that the missing steamer will
turn up ali right and alleviate the anxiety felt by
many for her safety.
The New Jersey Methodist Conference.
NEWARK, March 10, 1861.