The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-01-02

in danger, Captain Williams went to Mr.. Rip
lcys Btate-room AID raped loudly on the door
TO arouse him. Receiving no answer TO his call,
and not believing lt possible that any one could
sleep in the mldst OF so much noise, he con-
Cludcd that Mr. Ripley and come out and gone
on the dock. Afterwards when he was outside
OF The state-rJom on the guard. directing the
hose, he raped on the wlndoW OF Mr. Ripley's
room with great violence, and called him, but
receiving no ans Wer, was confirmed an his OPT
Mon that he was gone ashore. Indeed, Captain
Williams firmly believed that MIR. Ripley hat
gone ashore, crossed the river and gone home to
Norwich until upon inquiry at his mothers
house, here, Friday morning, he found that
nothing had been seen or heard of him. Since
then No tidings have been had OF him, and the
painful conviction Is forced upon us that he came
TO his death as we have stated.
The light upper works OF the steamboat as
soon rs the flames touched them blazed uD like
tinder, and in less time tran we are writing It,,
had spread TO the magnificent saloons and cabins,
and wrapped them ih the splendor OF Gontagra-
tiOn. 1t was impossible to save hardly anything
from the wreck. MIR. Samuel Carter, Of this ciCy,
engineer, lost what wearing apparel he had on
board, and others Of the officers and crew were
equally unfortunate. The boat burned to the
waters edge, the WALKING beam finally falling
through the bottom, the boilers rolling oil the
guards, and the chaued hull of what few hours
before was the magnificent steamer, sinking at
the dock. The loss to the Providence and StO-
nington Railroad Company on the depot, cars,
and other property, will amount to from $50, 600
There was a large amount OF bony hsh oil on the
dock which had been sold by Colonel Hubbard
and d. 3. Morgan TO l. Z. Nlckerson q Co., of
Boston. This (sOme one hundred and twenty
five barrels i'm all) was destroyed. The loss on
oil it is thought will reach nearly $4,000, on
which there was no insurance.
The Commonwealth was one of the staunchest
and most capacious boats that ran on the Sound,
and was eqUalled in size and elegance by only
one, the Metropolis. Captain j. W. Williams has
commanded her. and Samuel Carter has been
chief engineer on her, ever since heI first trip.
Both these officers are citizens OF Norwich.
In the fall of 1853 she was sold to the New
Jersey Transportation Company, owners of the
peoples Line,' and was Immediately placed on
the Stonington, afterwards Groton Line. short
time ago, IN the consolidation OF various steam
boat and raiIoadinterests, she'was sold, with the
Commodore and Plymouth Rock, TO the Mer-
chants Transportation Company, of Providence,
a, corporation organized by uniting the Mer-
chants and Neptune lines of steamers The
present owners paid for the steamers named
S750,000. 1t was their intention in the course of
few weeks to remove the terminus of the line
from Groton to Stonington. They were only
awaiting the completion OF new docks and depot
at Stonington to make the transfer. This dsas-
ter will, of course, hasten the change, and the
boats, after this week. will probably rum be-
tween Stonington and New York, abandoning
the Groton terminus entirely. j. DIckn-
son Ripley, who IS believed to have perished
in the flames of the steamer, was a son Of
the late George B. Ripley, of this city, and
nephew of Governor Buckingham. He served
during the war as hospital steward of the
18th @. ", and was mustered out with the regi-
ment last summer Since then he has been
engaged in the study OF medicine in the city OF
New York. He was coming home on a holiday
visit to his friends and being an intimate friend
OF Captain Williams, of the Commonwealth, took
passage with him to Groton, intending to cross
over to New London Friday morning, and take
the early morning train to Norwich. On the
passage to Groton he remained UP until after
midnight, and parted from Captain Williams to
60 to his room Just after the train left for Boston.
II is probable that he fell into sound sleep,
and without being awakened by the noise, was
suffocated by the smoke, which filled the state
room hall as soon as the fire struck the boat
Nothing was seen or heard of him on the boat
or dock, and it is presumed that he died of sufo-
cation, without having made an effort to escape.
He was young man of promise, and had he
lived, would have adorned the profession of his
choice