The Osceola times., 1876-01-29
A TERRIBLE SPECTACLE.
BurnIng of the Goliath with Four Han
s1re<1 UDys Aboard.

burning Of she Goliath win Four Han.
dred Boys Aboard.
The London Daily News of the 23d OF
December gives the following account of
the burning Of the British training ship
Goliath: A terrible disaster occurred on
the river Thames yesterday morning,
the Goliath, school-ship, lying off
Grays, and having four hundred boys on
board, being destroyed by fire. The full
extent of the calamity can not yet be
measured, but many of the boys and one
of the officers are missing, and are
thought either 10 have been drowned or
persisted in the flames The Goliath
was an old wooden line of battlc-ship,
which carrird eighty guns, with engines
of four hundred-horse power. Some
years ago, after laying by in ordinary,
she was lent by the Admiralty to the
poor law authorities Of the metropolis in
order TO try the experiment of training
the poor boys Of London for the sea, and
was placed for administrative purposes
under the care Of the managers of the
Forest-grate school. She was a large
ship of nearly three thousand tons bur
dben, and, lying solitary in the blight of
the river oil Grays, was an object Of in-
terest to excursionists on the river. At
a few minutes To eight some were pre-
pairing breakfast and others cleaning the
ship, while the bulk Of the lads were be-
low, many of them undressed. The
lamp-room, in the forecastle of the ship,
was the scene Of the outbreak. The
lamps used to light the vessel after dark
were fed with petroleum oil, and it ap-
pears to have been the rule to collect
them every morning in the lamp-room
for the purpose of having them cleaned
and trimmed. 1t Is said that one of the
lamps was accidently dropped by lad,
and the petroleum igniteG and spread in
liquid fire all over the deck. The alarm
was instantly given, but so rapid was
the spread of the fire that when Captain
Bourchier, royal navy, the officer in COM
mand, was called from his cabin the
whole deck was in flames. A terrible
scene ensucd. The Mortified children
crushed up from below through the va
rious hatchways, which were with diff
Guilty kept from being choked up by the
rush and struggle, and as fast as they
got on deck they hurried to the side OF
the ship nearest land as the point OF
escape. Unfortunately il was the most
dangerous side of the ship, for strong
southwesterly wind was blowing full
upon her broadside and rolled the smoke
and flames over in the direction of the
shore. The poor lads, however, climbed
over the bulwarks and hung in the
chains and wherever they could get hold
for hand or foot, and the boats of the
ship being instantly at hand, proceeded
to take them off as fast as possible. One
or more were swamped, and as many OF
the lads clinging to the ship were com
PEELED to drop one after another into
the water there was ample occupation
for the other boats which came to the
rescue TO pick up those who were swim
ming or drowning. The ship lay only
about hundred yards from shore, and a
good many leaped overheard and swan
to land, among whom were two young
ladies, the daughter of Capt. Bourchier
The boats of the training ships Arthusa
and Chichester, lying at Greenhithe,
came down in fotia to help, in com.
mand of Capt. Walters and several Off
GERS, and were instrumental in saving
many lives Capt. Brouchier was the
last to leave the burning ship, and it was
his belief that all the lads were saved,
but there is too much reason to know
that he is mistaken, for two bodies have
already been washed ashore, and the
schoolmaster, Mr.. ,Wheeler, is said to
have sunk. As the survivors were taken
on shore the people of Grays, a small
town ofsome three thousand Inhabitants,
turned out en- mdsse to receive them.
The school rooms, places of worship,
hotels and private houses were placed at
their disposal, while all the coppers and
kettles that could be obtained were
pressed into service to get breakfast for
the four hundred, less those who were
missing. Kind-hearted people brought
clothing for the half-naked little ones,
many of whom were 10 be seen through
out the day clad in garments of all sizes
and of both sexes. An attempt was
made to make muster of the lads in
order to find out who were missing, but
they were so scattered about the town
that the process was unsatisfactory, be-
sides which some were picked up by
ships passing up and down the river and
carried to unknown destinations, while
Others, it is believed, have taken advan
tage of their own liberty to abscond, so
that it may be some days before the
actual results will be known.