The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1876-02-03
A TERRIBLE Specifically.


s1reG Boys AbsssrsI.
The London Daily News Of the sd of
December gives the following account of
the burning Of the British trimming ship
Goliath: A terrible diaaster occurred on
the river Thames yesterday morning,
the Goliath, a Scholarship, lying off
Grays, and having four hundred boys on
board, being destroyed by fire.. The full
extent of the calamity can not vet be
measured, but many Of the boys and one
Of the officers are missing, and are
thought either to have been drowned or
persisted in the flames. The Goliath
was an old wooden line Of battle-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
Forestgfate school. She was a large
ship Of nearly three thousand tons bur
dben, and, lying solitary in the blight of
the river off 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, ard it APP
! pears to have been the rule to collect
them every morning in the lamp-room
for the purpose of having them cleaned
and trimmed. It is said that one of the
lamps was accidentiy 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 ensued. The Mortified children
rushed up from below through the va
riOus hatchways, which we're 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 it 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 o
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 thu
rescue to pick up those who were swim
ming or drowning. The ship lay only
= about hundred yards from shore, and
good many Ieaped overheard and swan
to land, among whom were two young
ladies, the daughter of Capt. Bourchier
The boats of the training-ships ArthUs;
and Chichester, lying at Greenhithe
came down in a fiOtila to help, in com
mand of Capt. Walters and several off
GERS, and were instrumental in savin,
many lives. Capt. Brouchier was tn,
last to leave the burning ship, and it wa
his belief that all the lads were saved
but there is too much reason to know
that he is mistaken, for two bodies havr
already been washed ashore, and tn,
schoolmaster, Mr.. aWheeler, is said t,
have sunk. As the survivors were takeI
on shore the people of Grays, a small
town OfsOme three thousand inhabitants
turned out ca n1asse to receive them
The school rooms, places of worship
hotels and private houses were placed a
their disposal, while all the coppers anC
kettles that could be obtained wert
pressed into service to get breakfast fol
the four hundred, less those who were
missing. Kind-hearted people brought
clothing for the half-naked little ones
many of whom were to be seen through
out the day clad in garments of all size
and of both sexes. An attempt wa
made to make muster of the lads il
order to find out who were missing, bu
they were so scattered about the tow
that the process was unsatisfactory, be
sides which some were picked up b.
ships passing up and down the river anC
carried to unknown destinations, whil
others, it is believed, have taken advan
tage of their own liberty to abscond, S,
that it may be some days before tn
actual results will be known.