Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1865-08-17
poMERoY ME1Gs COUNTY oHIot THURSDAY

cloud, the sea smooth, and the air superb.
The deck of the steamer was luminous with
happy faces. But few moments after we had
taken our seats at the dinner table, at Al P.
NJ, the hipsuddenly came to stop No mo-
tioe was taken of this. In an instant more
we heard hurry.ng steps on the deck. and q
cry of "a wreckl' "a wreckl'' brought us all
to our feet We rushed up the gangways,
and saw, little TO the southwest Of the bow
Of the Lafayette, two frail boats filled with
halfnaked men and women, pulling toward
us for life rl46e -5'p
h As they neared the side of our ship, their
upturned faces beamed as ifthe gates of heay-
en- we're opened to them. The steps Of the
Lafayette were lowered, and thirty helpless
beings were rescued from watery grave
With q tender hand Captain de Bocande re-
ccired them one by one, and caused chairs
and mattresses to be brought rthose who had
not strength enough to stand. The sufferers
were silent. Tears alone spoke their graft
tude. l N.a .If6 9;saigss@ it@3 lsD A
Now ensued great moral lesson for the
non-believers in the innate goodness Of the
human heart There was scarcely a dry eye
among the hundreds who crowded the deck
of the Lafayette. Tears stood on manly cheeks
and in eyes unaccustomed to weep. Ladies
took from their persons rich silks and stuffs to
clothe unfortunate women. Gentlemen doffeed
their broadcloth for the comfort Of the men;
and weeping sailors stripped themselves for
the benefit Of their fellow seamen.
4 The kind pursers conducted those that could
walk into the cabin, and placed the best Of
the ship s board before them; and the helpless
were fed like babies. We saw sailors forcing
small pieces Of bread, dipped in wine, between
the parched lips of the shpwrecked seamen.
In as short a time as possible they were all
made comfortable and the history Of their
misfortune Ascertained They were passen-
gers in the William Nelson, from Antwerp,
which had been burned at half past twelve
clock on the 26th instant, it lat '40.2l, long.
5022. ,i7grf h7saas odg i!cs ,fa "
Two boats were yet out, the long boat, con-
tanning tbirty-seven persons, and aismall boat
containing fourteen, and raft ON which were
about one hundred others.rss sr7,a -ay
(roi,is n %, THE THIRD BOAT. fe' IN
Captain de Bocander Immediately put lis
ship about and went in the direction. Of the
wreck of the William Nelson, with'the hope Of
saving more lives. , AT 81 the sailors at mast
head cried, "Another boat" In about an
hour We made Russian bark, bound to the
south Of France, which picked up the small
boat, containing fourteen, before. we reached
her. These consisted Of a family Of six the
father and motherl and four children, the
Youngest only a few weeks oldiand eight SEA
men. They were nearly exhausted, and to rem
der them more comfortable, and to forward
them to their homes with more speed than
was in the power Of the captain of the bark
Captain de Bocande caused them to be trans
ferred to the Lafayette, making in all forty
4 four that the sea had rendered up to.his care
4 h As thespurser of the Lafayette handed W
these little children to the ladies' on deck h
kissed each one of them with tenderness
that brought tears to many an eye. w
The long boat and the raft we're still out
With promptness and humanity that won thu
hearts of all on board, Captain de Bocandt
cruised in the vicinity of the wreck, firing
cannon and rockets till nearly morning, bu
could neither hear nor see anything OF thu
boat and raft. He then put his ship on he
course. If the Lafayette had not been delay
ed the second day out she would have beer
seventyfve miles beyond the scene of thu
wreck Of the Nelson at the time she picked
up her passengers This and the southerl,
course Of the Lafayette is something for al
to think of. ,a..
ACCOUNT OF THE BURNING OF THE NELSON.
William Rothsteins account Of the burning
of the William Nelson have obtained as fol
lows: ,s rg' .1 '# im lH.
The William Nelson was first class pack
ct ship of New York, commanded by Captain
Smith. She left Antwerp on the I'd of June
and Flushing on the 4th, for New York, viii
FIVE hundred and fifty souls on board. Oh
the voyage there had been two births, sixteel
cases of fever, and six deaths, making fire
ouent fumigations of the ship necessary.
The morning of the Goth, Rothstein de
scended into the ship where the sick were ly
ing, and found the air SO infected as to max
fumigation Immediately necessary to insur
the safety of the passengers. Captain Smitl
gave Mr.. Rothstein charge of cleansing tn
ship, which is done BY dipping heated iron
into tar and swinging them through the air
During this process one Of the men employee
in fumigating let red hot iron fall into tn
pail of tar, which instantly blazed up as higl
as the ceiling. Rothstein, who stood behin'
A the men, directing them, caught up matras
and flung it and himself on the pail of blazinl
tar, with the idea of smothering the flame
when it exploded and threw him and the mat
rass backward tenfeet The men now becom
ing alarmed, threw upon it straw beds ant
, other combustible substances which burne'
like torches, In ten minutes the flames burs
up the hatchway, and were running up tn
: mainmast and rigging like fiery serpeents- !.
'o The scene now was indescribable. Th
flames bursting out in the middle Of the shjI
divided it into two parts, separating friend
and families, and driving them to the extrem
: ends of the burning vessel Some becam
frantic, and leaped. into the sea. Others fe'
up and down the deck, wrapped in the flame
: of, their clothes, rrending the air with thei
: shrieks Strong men lclenched in deadl
combat for the possession of d life preserve
or SPAR and ,ghsstly men, and, women wit
Infants lashed to them, swung themselves ou
, side the ship bygropes, to which they clung ur
til tho fire burned them in two and let the su
ferers down, into a iwatery grave. Il fo son
About one hundred persons bad gathere
or, the bowspritwhen the foremast fell KILN
: many and ,hurling the rest into the sea-
: When the fire frstbroke out, ten sailors seize
: the long boat, capable Of holding sixty or se'
f enty persons, and rowed of. They were pre-
} vailed upon to return and take in twenty-seV
en- passengers -v.i' ! iIolass d' ~
: Captain Smith, the two mates, Rothsteir
; and as many of the sailors as they conld cor
> troll, lowered the three small boats (none 9
them seaworthy,) and placed in them Rotf
, -,-..., y :. i c.,,, ,h,tdra, ond tba rest n