, 1864-06-14
AWFUL CATASTROPHE
BURNING OF 4 HUDSON RIVER
STEAMBOAT.
From Thirty to Forty Drowned.

Z: From the n. 7. Times Juus91
The new and handsome steamer BERKSHIRE, Of
teiore last at her usual hour, with heaYy Freight
and an unusual number OF passengers When a
few miles below Roudont,a fire broke out on the
and increased with such amazing raplrity enycl.
op.ng 70 largo surface at once, that its csuse was
olflcult to traee i was too distant from the fire.
rom to have caught thcreirom. One account is
that tt came from the 1amp-room, and another sup
pores 1t was occas.oned by the careless smoking
a very few minutes showed tho impossib,llty Of
e1tinsuishtnE II. The boat was therefore headed
fo. shore with the utmost speed, and was favor
aesy oese5sd rs!, two miles above Htde Park.N
newspaper, was aseenger on the Berkshire, and
gives rs this statement Of the catastrophe:
tern, below the main deck, reading but had fallen
asleep tn = clair. He was partly conscious OF
eommotion, ara Of men runnng up stars, when
Then he heard cries o. "re'' above tut ho il nnsc
10 , a!a'm iSDd eS.ongh rs. ts awake peopie Ind been
lie ran np lie two ehts oi staiss to
state-rooa1 saloon, and found passengers rash!ae
out Of their rooms IN dire confusion. Capt. Row.
end Of the boot, aud they seemed to be 0 o,sying
bin. TIE engines we're working with grestapsed,
apd ,he 5"aL hfaded for sh9t ye the snss
pldty that be feared those forward would be CON-
rel!ed to jump from The boat before 1t sru * the
ah.ad Of It. Itecrllcc'ins how cultt ali nnd been
r. .le lower cabin, which be had lcfe, and be-
vessel vas On dle. He 'I ioand o swo 9' or three m
men there. who asked him If there was any
be ceu1a not II any more LEFT their ber,hs md
has'eoed np Immediately to the main deck, ne4sly
suaocated Going to the stern he found three
men, q lady aud Two Children and the two cofored
ambe1muide. Then the bow struck. aud the |
yesssl was agsoand, in very shoal wafer forward,
and the middle part Of the boat from ths hull 70 |
,hc hurricane deck, Was wrapped In flames, roar
ns nne; ,ha sEn Th 1 he4cR R5 tpn
etanchion to the upper guards, and saw the only
Tny 10 get forward vas BY climbing over the wheel
he di od to as ax @
Eiart. Tae entire space between the wheels was
mass Of Are. Persons were then 1eapiug overheard
dsan He9e he waer as no ct tee ea
deep. Right ahead Of the atarboaru wheel-house
twt men we're trying to make woman jump
frenzy she "woald, stay and burn 6efere she
would jump into that ho11id water" As they
let hes, our informant s;l seizsd and threw her
On the port side the waiter was little deeper.
and there appeared to be come struggling:
IT, e ss ees t &c
to tc1oDe to her. He walled to very small rocky
island, right ahcam Of the vessel, TO see what
was In The water there, holding on to hawser,
down which was raining blazing 6utts,, melted
hod oa IT, sHn psr
,le other band Z n ths wateE NJ they yeze doubt
less 80 burned that ne could not use than LONGER,
ths.d and another man swam ont ard trisd to
reach her. but the hest WINS 20 intense sh.y were
obliged to return. It was satd thar thil lady was
Mrs bullock Of New York. and the two children
Lost with her were hcts. The two colszed cham
terua:ds we're also loet. One little toy col |
a.hore who wAs nearly frantic that his grand
mother must be left to perish IN her sstcFoom.
The tceoa1 walter and another pater named
John ]. jackson were lost:
4 Mrs. Mills and child were not to be!ound, The
dret body picked up in the wxter was tast OF liz
tie hoy four years old, unknown. The list Of PISS
eenreis wae not saved. The cle,k sail there waa
net frr from $50, Of whom about one:ourth were
Women. Not orer fifteen women were seen on
shore. The Captain and officers w.re seifpos-
Ecesed 11d energetic IL n1l Tint rhey id buE Mr.
Child Is quite positive that no sndicIsm a.arm va
sounded Ia the ladies' hsEsh c.b;n. afs the main
deck nor In tue mems cabln 80 It IL p.oaaLlo that
Several at least peK1shed In their b~zthsor src b.
wa1descd BY the smoke and lost In thu passages