The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-07-29
Additional Particulars of the Burning of
the Ship William Nelson.

The Newfoundland Day Book of Ju-
ly LIST gives the following particulars
concerning the burning of the ship VIM.
Nelson, which facts are taken from the
log-book of Captain Hart, Of the Inflated
ship:
The bark Meteor, Captain Hart, be.
| longing to Messrs. ]. a. w. Stewart
| town, arrived Off this port yesterday af
| ty-one males and nine femaleS-pickeC
up by him on Wednesday last, June %
in latitude Al degrees So ,ninutes, longi
tude 81 degrees As minutes. The To-,
book states that about o'clock on tn,
morning Of Wednesday last, the wealth
er being moderate, the watch on boarC
the Meteor heard shrleks, and shortly
after number of people (male and fe
MALE were discovered floating about on
pieces of wreck. Capt. Hart at once 10;
his boats out, and from that time up to
noon of the same day they were busily
engaged in searching for the unfortu-
nate people. The wreck was scattered
over miles OF water, and each piece had
to be searched. AS we stated, thirty per-
sons were rescued, while good many
dead bodies were found. The saved pas
sengers gave Captain Hart the following
details of the disaster:
The lost vessel was the American ship
William Nelson, from Antwerp, boun d
to New York with passengers. She had
between four and five hundred emf.
grants on board. On Sunday last, the
captain of the William Nelson deter
mined upon fumigating the ship, and
the mate and some of the crew set about
the work. A pot Of pitch was taken in.
to the lower hold, below the passenger
deck, and red hotrons were thrown into
it. The pitch, of course, ignited and
boiled over, setting the ship on fire to
such an extent that it was found impos-
sible to extinguish the flames. They
spread rapidly, and before long the ves-
sci was mass of fire, burned to the wa
ter's edge and sank, carrying down with
her over four hundred people. The
rescued passengers describe the scene!
during the fire as truly heart-rending
Mothers threw babes into the water an(
fell back themselves into the flames
Whole families died together in excruci
ating torments. Brothers and sisters
parents and children, ran frantically
about for help they were not to find
| L hC SdNSu l'atSSeHSeTS dlSO say tIa
| when the captain found he could not
save the ship he got his boats out, and
with his officers, the crew and the cabin
passengers, left the remaining unfortu-
! mates to their fates. A number of very
young children were placed in the chan
nels of the ship, as being furthest from
the fire, but they had not been there
| long when the flames burst through the
side of the vessel upon them, and in an
instant they were consumed. OF such
horrible scenes is the account made up.
Captain Hart states that one woman
was picked up by his second mate on {
piece of spar, apparently dying. She hal
been, as indeed all the rest had, three
days and three nights floating about OF
the water without food.
Having rescued all that could be found
and another ship being five or six miles
off, apparently searching for the wreck.
ed people, and besides having as MANY
on board as he could feed, Captain Harl
determined to bear up for St, Johns, be-
ing then three hundred and twenty
miles south. He thinks it probable the
other ship has saved some of the poor
| creatures. .....-
The rescued male passengers are recov-
ering fast from their fearful sutferings
but all the females are more or less burn
ed about the hands, arms and legs. A
large number of young children were
burned. yl8a1l .5