Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-04-21
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
Burning of the Steamer City of Nor.
Wieh on Long Island Sound.

At half-past 10 P NJ. on Tuesday last
the steamer City of Norwich left New
London for New York, with crew OF
nineteen men and twelve passengers
including all hands on board about forty
souls. The weather was fine at the time
of starting, but toward morning a slight
haze began to obscure objects on the
sound. The vessel arrived off Hunting
ton about 3;45 A. NJ and shortly after
ward collided with the schooner Gen. Van
Vliet. The schooner struck the steamer
amidships, cutting her through. The
water rising in her lifted her fires, so that
they communicated with the woodwork
and entirely destroyed her. The disaster
resulted in the loss of eleven precious
lives, the remainder being brought to New
York. r-..+ -. ..-.--. r-
| SCENES ON BOARD. -s.-
At this moment the confusion and con-
sternation among the passengers and
crew utterly defy description. Captain
Sturgis and his officers seized hold of
whatever life-preservers they could catch
from the flames and distributed them
among the persons on deck. The crew
had become unmanageable, and the cap
4 ldlH { OEu6Ee IOI sdACbl VI l1O pASNOAA-
gers were not heeded. Huddled together
at the stern of the vessel, each one intent
on saving himself regardless of what fate
might sefa1 his neighbor, the fear-stricken
men and women stood regarding the
slow but sure approach of the roaring
flames to the only part of the vessel that
remained intact. Some prefering to risk
life at the mercy of the waves did not
wait till forced into the water by the fiery
element but plunged into the surging
pillows and seized hold of whatever straw
seemed to hold out hope of safety. The
screeches of the two or three women on
board rent the air with terrible shrillness,
and the men stamped and cried, and |
prayed and cursed; while others, utterly |
overcome by fear, sank down on the stern |
sheets, or slid over the guards listless ana |
half dead before dying. In the mean |
time, by the exertions of the more col |
lected portion of the crew and passengers, |
the only life boat that could be laid hold |
of was lowered, and scarcely had she |
touched the water before the flames came
roaring round the "fan-tail" of the steamer, |
forcing those who yet remained on board |
to jump of, or let go their grasp from the
timbers near the stern and rudder.
THE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE.
The afrighted men and women in the
water, some with life-preservers and 9th
ers floating on boxes and boards, now
made for the life-boat, and in an instant |
she was sunk to the level of the water by |
the number of those who endeavored to
crawl over her sides. The captain and
the pilot did all in their power to keep the
crew in subjection, and as they struggled |
and fought to get into the bow of the boat
begged them to hang to the sides, and not
get into her, and all would be saved. But |
words were unavailing. The men tore at
each other like madmen, and struggled to /
raise themselves into the already filed |
boat. At last struck by heavy wave,
the boat swamped and everybody was
thrown into the water. All efforts to
right her proved fruitless, and during
those awful few moments more than one
went down to rise no more. The scene
that was now presented by the burning
vessel and her surroundings were terrible
in the extreme The flames from the City
of Norwich lit up the Sound for miles
around, revealing most appalling sight.
For over q quarter of a mile on every
side, tee waters were covered with burn
ing boxes and bales of all descriptions,
amid which the struggling drowning ones,
the swimmers, and all those with life pre-
servers, were ehdeavoring to sustain them
selves