National Republican., 1876-01-13
BURNING OF TEE GOLIATH.
Coal Oil on the sss-l Training-ship on Iir,
With 400 b 70 Aboard.

The London Daily Meas Of December 23' gives
the following account Of the burning the Brit
ish training ship Goliath: terrible disaster oc-
CURED on the river Thames yesterday morning,
the Goliath, a school ship, lying off Grays, and
having four hundred boys on board, being de-
stroyed by ire. The full extent of the caIsmity
cannot yet be measured, but many OF the boys and
one OF the Cffcers are missing, and are thought
either to have been drowned or perished In the
flames. The GJlIaih was an old wooden line-of-
battle ship, which carried eighty guns, with
engines OF 400 horse power. Some years ago,
after laying by in ordinary, she was sent 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
She was q large slip Of nearly 5000 tens
burden, and. lying solitary in the blight Of
as s To 's S G5ss Sa' cn tia an s Of
few minutes TO some were preparing breakfast
and others cleaning the ship, while the bulk of
The lamp-roOm, in the forecastle of the ship, was
the scene Of the outbreak. The lamps used ts
ligh the yessclafter dark are fed with petroleum
lect them every morning in the Iamp-room for
the purpose of having them cleaned and re-
accidentally dropped by a lad, and the petroleum
tgnited ano spread in liquid ire all over the deck.
The alarm was instantly given, but SO rapid was
chieT, Royal Navy, the officer in command, was
called from his cabin, the whole deck was in
flames. a terrible scene ensued. The Mortified
children rushed up from below through tho varI-
Gus hatchways, which were with difficulty kept
from being choked up by the crush 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
was blowing full upon her broadside and rolled
the smoke and fame 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 of ss last as possible One or moro
were swamped, and as many Of the lads clinging
TO the chip were compelled to drop one after an
other into the water there was ample occupation
pick up those who were swimming or drowning.
The ship lay only about one hundred yards
from the shore, and good many leaped
were two young ladies, the daughters of Captain
Bourchier. The boats OF the tratning-shps
Arethusa and chichester, lying at Greenhi.he,
Capt. Walters and several officers, aud were in
strumental in saving many lives. Capt. Bour-
chier was the last to leave the burning ship, and
it was his belieftnat all the lads were saved but
there is too much reason to know that he was
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, small
town Of some 1000 Inhabitants, turned out en-
E1cSSe 20 recsive them. The school rooms, places
of worship, hotels and private houses were placed
at their disposal, while all the coppers and ket-
ties tbat could De Obtained were pressed into SER
vice to get breakfast for the four hundred, less
those who were missing. Kind. hearted people
brought clothing for the halEnaked lIttle ones,
many CT whom were 20 be seen throughout tho
day clad in garments Of all sizes and of both
sexes. An attempt was made to make muster
of the lads in order to ind cut who were missing
but they were scattered about the tow that the
process was unsatisfactory, besides which some
were picked up by ships passing up and down
the river and carried to unknown destinations,
while otbers it Is believed, have taken advantage
of their liberty to abscond, so that il may be
some days before the acLual results win be
known.