Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1872-11-08
THE LAST OCEAN HORROR.
Particulars OF the Turning OF the " Mis-
souri,"

Particulars OF the Turning OF the " Mis-
souri,"
We have the news Of the burning Of an
other ocean steamship, with the loss of more
than eighty lives. The unfortunate vessel
was the Missouri, which sailed from New
York for Havana on the 18th of October.
Only one boat was saved, and it is probable
that Of the passengers and crew all but twelve
persisted, including the officers. The cause
of the fire is not known, but il was discovered
in the pantry, and spread so rapidly that eff
forts to save the ship were unavailing, and all
but one of the boats were swamped as they
were launched.
A Key West dispatch of Oct. 81, gives
the following as the statement Of surviving
passengers
When the boat which was saved left the
burning ship, one boat which contained two
men was seen with its keel upward. The
rescued boat lay for two hours by a swampcd
boat containing nine men, including engi-
neers, liremen and the ships barber. a buck
ut WIS given to the inmates OF the swamped
boat to bail with there being two in the res
cucd boat. As there were no seaman in the
| swampcd boat, they were unable to properly
| manage il, and in this condition they were
left. 1t is not likely any of them were saved.
| No sails had been seen Tor two days previous
to the fire On that day the Missouri was in
| company with ship from o. Is u. m, till !
! p. M, when she was lost sight Of. When the
rescued persons left the Missouri. they saw
| the passengers and crew on the after part OF
A. 4 NL,N h. ..,, a
covered on the floor of the locker in the pam
| try and the cry of fire was Immediately Civ
en-. Wet carpets were Immediately put on
/ the fire by the pantry men and others, and
| the steward reported to the passengers that
| the fire WAS out.
| The alarm was given while the passengers
were ut breakfast, but on receiving the stew
ards report that the fire had been cXtinguish-
ed, breakfast was resumed and the fears ol
| the passengers quoted. Within two min
utcs, however, several voices screamed
A." fire from the stack hole. All was then
confusion. Within twenty minutes the boats
were launched. In the rescued boat with
the exception of II few pieces OF sugar cane
| there was neither food nor water, and only
two small oars and large one, neither Were
| there any seats or anything to make them OF
1t was from nine o'clock in the morning o
the god, until two in the afternoon of the 23d
before assistance could be obtained. At that
time the schooner Spy pulled vigorously tC
| her. The Spy took the survivors to Hope
town, oil Elbow Key, where they arrived
about p. m. of the 23d. On the oath q
schooner was sent towards the burning shiI
with charts and full directions where to fine
her, and with instructions to look for tho
ships boats and skirt the coast. The schoon
or returned about midnight on the Gath, anC
reported having seen nothing of the boats OF
passengers. The sea was then breaking heav
lily on the reefs. The party left Hopetown n
ten o'clock on the goth, and arrived at Nassau
mt $50 y. m, on the 2Sth
1t is said that the donkey pumps of the
steamer were never started, one of the pas
sengers asserting that he had hold of the host
some time and that no water was forceC
through il on the flames from the donkey
| The two dock pumps were worked for few
minutes only. Within fifteen minutes aite
the alarm of fire was given the twelve sur
vivors We're in the boat, and the flames com
ing from the stack hole in volume. TIT
ship course was never altered, and conso
duently the flames were carried athwartships
burning up one life boat on the left side, ant
making it too hot to get the others off. Onl,
three boats were launched, two OF whicl
were swamped. II Is said thatseven female
and seven children were aboard the Nilsson
ri, none of whom got into tho boats. Tn
scene was heart-rending. Not over twent
minutes elapsed after the fire was discover
ed, before three boats were launched. Tn
Mssouri's engines were stopped but her sail
were spread and speed of four knots wa
maintained. When last seen, Capt. Green
was working with purser Hampstead an
some of the crew to get off the lee boats, sur
rounded with smoke and flame. Eleven z
the survivors say the boat was never launch
ed, but the twelfth, Capt Culmer, says It wa
launched full of people, but was immedatel
swamped.