The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1865-08-11
THE TERRIBLE FIRE AT SEA.
Official Report Of the Burning of
the William Neison-Eorrible
Scenes and Suffer ngs.

port Of the captain Of the William Nelson,
drawn up as tho American Consulate at
HavIe. The following are some extracts
from the details OF this terrible catastro
phs;
The William Nelsoo lef. Antwerp On
the LIST of June last, with cargo, abou,
four hundred and forty-eight emigrant
passengers, aud crew Of thirty men,
including the captain The voyage con-
tinueG without incident worthy Of note
until the 26.h Of June, when the ship had
reached latitude Al 20, longitude SO 20
w.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRs.
The captain here gave orders on the
Goth, to the passengers to come on deck,
in order that the ship nigh; be fumiga,ed
The passengers having all assembled. the
frat mate and carpenter were sent below
with several sailors, furnished with tar
buckets and red hot irons The operation
WAS nearly completed, about half>past
twelve o'clock, when the last tar barrel
burst into a flame, and the boiling tar
flowed over upon the deck, IN the centre
of the ship. The vessel imm ediately took
FIRE.
1T SPREADS WITH THB RAPIDITY OF LIGHT
MING.
In an instant the flames spread fore and
aft, rendering it impossible to do any thing
to extinguish them. Immense columns
of flames shot up through the ha.chway,
and in the twukliug Of an eye all the sails
CD the mainmast were Oh fire., as well as
the rigging.
THE BOATS GOT READY.
The captain Immediately ordered part
of the crew to get the boats ready, in
order 20 save as many passengers "a posi-
BILE, and the rest to close the ventilators
and the ha,chways. This was hardly
done, when a number Of men, consisting
partly Of sailors and partly of emigran,s,
formed chain fore and aft, in order to
pass buckets Of water, which were poured
down the main hatchway, whence issued
column of flame. The pumps were also
set at work. Hitherto discipline and good
order had been maintained. The fire,
however, made such rapid progress above
and below that the captain considered it
bis duty to lower the boats Immediately
PANIC AMONG THE PASSENGERS.
But now a general panic seized the I'M
fortunate passengers, all Of them throwing
themselves upon the boats, which from
their numbers i, was completely impossi-
bic to prevent. One boat had no sooner
touched the water than she was capsized
by number Of emgrants who had jumped
into her. These, not knowing how to
swim, we're nearly all drowned The sal
o!s were able to right it, and took on
board as many passengers as 1t could hold.
HEROIC ExERrIoNs OF THE CAPTAIN AND
HIS CREW.
The Captain himself assisted in lower
ing the launch, and the second mate, the
ouly sailor who entered it, was fortunate
enough to save several cabin passengers,
among others seven women and four chi
dren, one not three months old. The
other two boats were lowered with much
trouble. The largest contained no less
than thirty-fve passengers. The last
boat, full of emf grants succeeded in get,
ting clear of the ship. 1t is miraculous
tina, it was not capsized in the efforts the
poor creatures made to get on board.
RAFT MADE READY.
Meanwhile the captain, seeing that he
could do nothing more, ordered the rest
Of she crew, about fifteen men, to throw
overheard everything possible that would
foat-spars. planks. barrels. hencoops
&c. All were dashed together, SO as to
form kind of raft, in order to save as
many lives as possible. This was hardly
finished when the unhappy passengers
on board, losing all presence Of mind,
threw themselves upon i. in large nun
bers, followed by several sailors, filing
the air with dsspairing criss.
CONFUSION, HORROR AND DESPAIR
The confusion which now reigaed was
beyond any thing possible to conceive
From one hundred and thirty to one hun
dred and fifty emigran;s had succeeded in
getting upon sPaFs alongside, though
there were many struggling in the water,
when the topmasts, With their yards, &C.,
all on fire, suddenly fell upon them, killing
many at once, and throwing others into
the sea. The cries of the wounded and
drowning were terrible. The uuforturates
still on board of the ship, in their great
terror, surrounded the captain and the
sailors, clinging to them and beseeching
them to save them. But they could do
nothing.
FIGHTING FOR THE RAFT.
Some time sfterw ards the fire between
decks gaining the upper deck and mas.s,
a fresh panic panic broke out among them,
and seeing their only chance of safety
was to get on the raft, the poor creatures
fought among themselves to reach it.
Several fell into the water and were
drowned; others succeeded in reaching
the raft, but they were not to escape their
fate, for The mainmass fell upon them a
few minutes afterwards, and crushed seve-
raj to death.
STILL ANOTHER HORROR. FL.
After these lsmen.sble and horrible !