Year: 1867

! We again have TO record another dis


aster By fire TO our merchant marine
service, involving the destruction OF
| large amount of cotton. 1t seems as
| though the efforts of incendiaries were
| especially directed against the fleecy sta
! ple-thus reducing the figures of our
already too meagre expert table.


/ Atabout u O'Clock on Thursday night
| last, flames were discovered issuing from
| the fore-hstch Of the Bremen snip
! Mobile, then at anchor in the lower
| feet, some thirty miles below the city.
/ The alarm was given and the oflcers,
! crew and 'lOngshoremeB at once aroused.
! The scene was one of the widest contu-
| sion-and in few moments every man
| except the first officer and three OF the


crew had taken to the boats and inglori-
ously fed. The four brave fellows who
remained used every exertion in their
power to subdue the fire but without


avail.
Can't. Lee, Of the steamer Jack
son. was alongside of the ship


Progress, with load Of cotton, and as


soon as be was informed Of the fire,


Immediately cast Off and stood for the


burning ship. The wind was blowing,


fresh from the north at the time, and it


was impossible for Capt. Lee 10 come to


leeward Of the Mobile without running
great risk Of losing his own boat and


cargo, but he took his vessel to the wind


ward and ahead of the Mobile, and made
a successful effort to bring q stream of


water from the pump Of his steamer TO


bear upon the fire ; a hawser was got
cut from the bow of the Mobile to the
Jackson, up which MIR. Jessup, Of the


latter vessel, gsllantly made his way,
and led the hose from the steamer to the
fore hatch of the ship. The flames had


made such headway, however, that the
intense heat prevented anything mora
being done beyond lying by to pick
up any any one who TaIght chance to be
compelled to jump overheard. Fortu-
nately for the mate aud the three men


who had so courageously remained at
their posts, the boats of the British ship
Tudor, under charge Of Capt. Whcrland,
pulled under the counter of the burning
ship and rescued them from tEeir dan
garous position. There is a rumOr, un-
founded we hope, that Mr.. A. Chambers,
an old and highly esteemed citizen OF
Mobile, and who was engaged in loading
the vessel, is still missing.


With the exception of the ships chro-
nometer and two quadrants, the captain
and officers lost all their clothing and
personal effects-saving only the clothes
tn stood in.


The Mobile was q vessel Of about 5000
bales capacity and an excellent ship in
every particular. She was owned in
Bremen and sailed under that flag, but
was American built-beinS one of the
numerous vessels placed under foreign
colors during the war. She was under
charter for Liverpool, and was about half
235O bales of cotton on
board. Rumor has it that the ship was
fully insured, and we understand from a
gentleman in a position to know that the
cotton is fully covered by the policies OF
foreign offices.


The fire was undoubtedly the work OF
an incendiary, as no smoking IS ever al
lowed in the tween decks Of s vessel
loading with cotton. There Is as yet no
suspicion as to who the scoundrel is that
could thus peril SO many lives and de-
sroy so much property.