New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-10-09
THE STRANGE MARINE DISASTER.
vitrioiized ship and Cargo.


Yesterday We paid visit to the ship
Austria, lying at post 43, to witness the eff
feet of one Of the most singular marine
disasters ever recorded.
The Austria, Captain Delano. ia a new
ship of over thirteen hundred tons burden,
and has been not over eight months afloat.
She was built at Bath, Maine, and is in
every respect superb specimen of naval
architecture. Her cargo on her last voy
age. from Boston to New Orleans. consisted
of mackerel in barrels and kits, gunny bags
and cloth. a large amount of furniture and
a considerable quantity OF rope On deck
she had large steam boiler. part OF the
cargo. and ninety nine carboys of vitriOl.
about five gallons each which for safety
were securely fastened to her decks.
She left the port of Boston on the thirty
first of August, and had good weather until
the third of September. when her troubles
began 1t should be stated that the Austria
is not only new ship. but contains every
modern nautical Improvement The follow
ing extract from the ships log book, gives
IL
aster The last observation taken previ-
ously to the accident showed the vessel to
be in latitude 40 81 and 90 l6.
EXTRACT:
Saturday. Ssptember 3, begins with 4
| light breeze fr6in the southeast, with a
| heavy southeast sea running. Wind IN
| creasing: veering to east southeast. and
barometer falling. Midnight took in all
| light sails. Blowing strong; thick and
| rainy. At ? A. NJ. commenced reeting top
sails, wind varying to northeast with q
| heavy easterly sea; ship rolling bad. AT
! A. NJ gale increasing. AT A. M. furled
main and mizen topsails. AT Z A. NJ. wind
north, ship running south, all hands furling
| mainsail. Shipped a sea over the Starboard
side. which floated up the carboys on deck,
causing about ninety Of them to break,
filling the deck with vitriol and water,
which burnt off all the ropes about the deck,
and burned the lashings of Il tsteam) boiler.
| broke adrift. and rolled about the deck,
doing much damage to the ship. starting
several bits, and causing the ship to leak
| through the decks. The vitriol burned the
mast-coat from the mainmast, letting large
quantity of water run into between decks:
also broke capstan and after-hatch
Worked hard, all hands. to get boiler
| fastened. and broken cafDOyS ONcfDoaTu
the vitriol and water having mostly gone
| overheard through the sc,lppers. Succeeded
! by noon in gcttin. decks cleared and boiler
| secured.
''In consequence of the running gear and
braces being burned, the yards could not b'
braced. and the ship was compelled to run
| before the wind for several hours before
| the braces could be repaired The captain
| and second mate were badly burned about
| the legs. and the crew were more or less
| injured by the steam of the vitriOl
The smell of the burned wood. combined
with a strong etfiuvia of vitliol, are still
| very perceptible to !; somewhat annoying
! extent on board the vessel. which arrived
| at this port, as we have prcviouily stated
on the twenty fourth of September.
| Of the cargo. the furniture is to grea
extent damaged, and it looks as if but ;
small part Of the cargo. consisting Of fish
will ever be saved. The gunny bags art
charred the same as if exposed to IA fire
The rope part of the cargo is mostl,
burned into small pieces. What amount o
| damage has been done to the ship can no
be ascertaincd until the cargo is all dis
charged. This is now being rapidly done b.,
direction of the post warden. who has thu
vessel in charge pending the settlement o
the dispute whether the insurance cover
| the destruction by vitriOl.