New-York tribune., 1870-10-21
NARROW ESCAPE OF THE U. 8. MAIL STEAMER
NEBRASKA.

The following account of the passage of the
Guion Companys splendid steamer Nebraska will be read
interest the vessel belongs to American bDe-
The Nebraska sailed from New York the 10th OF Sep
tembery About o'clock the morning Of Monday the
l9th the wind had increased to terrific gale from the
EE sE with very heavy squalls Of wind and rain,
and tremendous sea, the vessel shipping large guam
titles of deck. At a. the gale still in
creasing and the breaking the bridge deck and
at 7 a. M the Chief Engineer reported TO the Cap
IA that the engine and stoke hole fast Dg
with water and that utterly impossible To get
out, owing 10 the commencing 70 shift and the shp
beginning list. At a. the gale still increasing
with heavy breaking over the ship from stem u
stern and with such force AFT as to burst open he saloon
door, swapping strong iron bars as they had been "a
many pipe stems, and hooding the saloon with water
At II a. M the cargo shifted heayins tne mp do@h Gn
ship, flng the engine-room and stokehole with water
and putting all the fires out in the furnaces washing
away every movable thing on deck.
most terrible OF all cries on board ship now arose
behind the boiler on the sarboard side the boilers
ing become heated as 10 ignite the castings The hose
supposed To have been extingmshed On the me 7nlns
Tuesday the 2oth, fearful cry arose that the ship
was FIRE The Goals in the bunkers on the star.
board side perfect blaze aud the water 80 high
engneroom that the could not get steam
the donkey engine The decks were torn up and fire.
buckets passed rapidly from hand TO hand officers
and all hands working for hours without rest or inter-
mission. The panic among the passengers was At ons
time very great The conduct OF the captain and bis
expected they would have to take TO the remaining
boats for safety, but animated by the captain and
officers, the crew renewed their exertoDs, tha
passe ngers doug all in their power ~ assist and after
several hours OF hard labor the fire exnguished.
Toward evening OF the next day steam got the
donkey and with its valuable aid the water
pumped out of the engine-room and stoke hole in much
greater quantities than had been possible for the pas
seIgers and crew by carrying buckets thus enabling
them light the port res the starboard boilers being
badly injured Again there was an alarm OF fire. but It
was soon guisbed. the 2d, the 2ith l5.b
the still employed In trimming cargo. the ship
perenced from the dates up TO the morning Of tho
th instant when land was sighted the ship arriving al
Liverpool ON the 9th. IL Is only justice to the
commander OF the Nebraska and all the officers who
ably assisted bin in time OF danger 10 mention their
respective Names follows: James Guard commander:
Henry Bethel chief officer; George Jordan second ofh
eer Peter Grant third officer; David Williams, fourth
officer James MacMahon James, surgeon; Robert George
Evans purser; Edward Bolton assistant purser James
Redmond, chief steward; John Alexander, chef en-
gneer Joseph Glover second engineer; John Bradford
third engineer, William NJ LELAND fourth engineer, ana
Griffith Hughes, fifth engineer.