| Show arrom from t the W tork collid I 1 THE berkshire berkshires ON THE HUDSON RIVER FEARFUL LOSS OF LIFE ON BOARD another terrible disaster has occurred on the hudson river more harrowing narrowing jn in its details than almost any thing that has taken place in the record of steamboat accidents for years the disaster of the isaac newton cannot form any parallel to it tor for ia i a that only the loss ot of a fine and beautiful steamer was waa involved while the burning of the berkshire proved fatal fatai to many miny human lives so f eart earful ut a thing almost passes comprehension that on the beautiful H Hl idson daon one of the favorite boats relied on by the traveling community should be destroyed in such a manner as to involve the lives of many passengers even ren ten while the boat almost touched the bank of the tb stream the berkshire was a steamboat belonging to the hudson steamboat company quite new only having baving been laun iaun launched ched ebed a few weeks aro affo she took fire are on wednesday evenin evening 5 while coming down the river aid burned to the waters edge it is estimated that forty ilves urea were lost in this sad catastrophe BEFORE THE ALARM it appears from the statement made mide by passengers and others that the steamer la as usual from hudson on wednesday eve ning on hen bit way to the city one hundred a and nd thirty or more pass passengers engere were inboard onboard on board many ot of whom were lad iad ladle ladie lev and there were also alio quite a number of children the depar tur ture from efrom hudson took place pi ace about six ocl oci ocl or a little later the passengers many ot of them had bad retired to their berth while others remained in the saloon chatting cheerily to toj toi cether ehe r on politics business and domestic atal fairs ro passing assing the time away as well as might b be in ab happy appy unconsciousness of the terrible scene that was soon to burst upon them on the outer deck too a few gentlemen were still sitting flitting quietly smoking their ollars cigars watching the sprinkling waves sand and admiring the bold hills hilja that covered with green forests roe lose on elther either side shidow td as night gathered er d round in solemn darkness none imagined fui auf that any ot those cliffis were to be lighted up before midnight hith with sith the fires urea that hould light their own funeral ayres pyres THE CRY crt OF eire FIRE SCENE OX ON thus the time passed quietly on the evening was beautiful a mild mud breeze was blowing from the south and all seemed deemed serene seven eight rine nine passed when suddenly the dread cry of fire fire was echoed through the boat in such auch earful fearful tones that nore could mistake mist ike its genuine meaning nearly every one seemed to hear bear it at the tha fint tint alarm but others all unconscious slept quietly on in their state rooms there was a rush in all directions people Is threw open the doors of their rooms and fadi ladies asli gentlemen and children rushed out ont ou a few seemingly calm and self possessed and othera others with almost frantic fright depicted in thir their tapes fages where where li what whai is the matt mattei ci Is the boat on fire have the ilia boilers burst burnt were among the hurried quest questions lous ious that were asked ot of almost every vernoa ekk ekl t almost every other but for a moment hat that bothem to them seemed beefed an age knew definitely what bad had occurred but as the cry continued in a fearful chorus swelled oy by ot other cz er voices it became evide evident ht and as their they rushed on deck the spreading flames fanned tanned and driven by the increasing wind met every onea ones sight eight the boat was indeed in flames and those flames were ep reading spreading wider and mounting hi higher her every a second cc d they caught upon blo bales of hay bay and as the hoops and cards burned burnea away the bales burst open and into hot blazing masses that quickly covered almost the whole deck it was a scene that no not even a 21 painter who wh 0 has lot tot ex e erie the terrible reality of such auch a moment could accurately depict up into lato the tha he beautiful summer night ni glit the fires mounted and hissed lighting up tip the waters and shores on either side aide witti w rb their angry glare ilow how il it started no one hardly knew it ii is stated that it was first discovered by a captain sherman a passenger on board who thou thought ht it must have commenced in the lamp room or have started the bay hav from A spa pak k croppe ri I 1 from a geat gettleman leman ieman Is ciar clar I 1 th I 1 he e games eames spread aft forced by the wind and those aho who had haa not been teen fortunate enough to happen to be benear near nean the forward part of the boat soon boon seemed to he be cut off ft om escape A number dumber were only half dressed and othera others wore only the night dresses ia in which they had laid down to sleep not only did the flames spread along 0 the yma laa main maln ia deck but the smoke rolled in iii huge volumes above and below mir mif stupefying miny of the frightened passengers they gathered together in grouw ground in all the tenable places some gome ome on the extreme prow and others at the tb stern while still others forced by the advancing flames eim eia adored to let themselves down over the sides and buna huns by one or both hands from the rai ral ings inis ines some were still heard cropin groping about below endeavoring to tet get et out oat of te vie cabin some jumped into the zater water and tried to swim ashore one noan coan was hanging over the side with a young L lady clinging to him the volumes volu maa mal of 0 smoke soon obscured them and it is believed that the lady ws wis w s drowned THE SHORE s tas tha boat was beaded headed to the shore for it was wag ras rab impossible to put out the fire and the only enly hope that remained was to save as many u i possible of the passengers the shrieks walt wait avd ltd chiei qt Q tto ito th 9 passenger sas oas ai thoss those troge actually buffering from the increase j ing bl heat helt eat were most painful tiie tle boat struck oh 6 shore bhore in some four f feet beet of water she ran i head bead on and thus afforded a way of escape j for numbers who were on the bows but at her stern where more than a score of passengers were gathered there was still ten or i twelve feet of water oving oving to the rapid elope slope j in the bottom of the river and the heavy load of freight on the steamboat those on tle the i forward pirt port jumped off into the water and j succeeded in wading to the shore chore many of those at the stern jumped off too but some I 1 I 1 are believed to have floated down the river I 1 and finally eunk beneath the surface 1 some were sated saved by beats boats that came ot off from a schooner near by and from the steam er james baldain Bald vin the greater number that perished were supposed to have been alive in their state rooms only waking in i time to find that there was waa no escape or rushing I 1 into the fire only to fall suffocated and be helpless apless in its hot embrace there was a marked difre difference rence in the 0 of the ladies ladles all were pale and anxious but some appeared comparatively calm and posses sed sec while others other 3 were completely li in hyber hyser ice sobbing and shrieking in tones the children were fearfully panic pani c fr bricken ji c n I 1 and gathered about their parents where here they could boj d find them beseeching them to gt gitt ashore in some aone way and cr cring frig loudly THE org ON off SHORE 1 aa As the survivors survivor a kath gath gathered ered eTed on sho bhore thore rethey tuey they cormeal a most piteous picture like that of a j t hip bIp wreck led party on some unknown land I 1 liaf ilat dressed ai a i many of them then were they ex changed congratulations I 1 for each others safety and expressing fears for others watched the burning v vesel vessel esel and the waves wavea around for any that might be still 8 ill lii attempting to escape la in the confusion and arid from the fact that most of the pas passengers engers were strang strangers ra to each other it way watt impossible to tell who or bow many bad been lost but it was believed that about forty and many ladies in that number had perished in the most painful and heartrending heart rending manner the survivors collected sticks and arid fragments of boards and arid mad made e f gires fires ires near the thore ibor i e around which they gath kath erel a dismal congregation drying their clothes and warming their chilled bodies I 1 messengers were M rii patched to the neighboring farm houses whore occupants immediately betook retook themselves to the scene and did all they could tor the sufferers A number of ladles ladies ard and some gentlemen were A ere kindly taken jaken to the neighboring houses and cared caree tor for as well will as possible walona wagons were procured for th passengers ai and d transportation was thus thua provided to hyde park parke where they were placed on board a boat beat and ani conveyed to rhinebeck from whence many took passage for hudson or new york some arrive arrived I late in this city on wednesday nighta earing only their shirts und and ind drawers ai and others came caine on yesterday by b at and raier ad after providing in CY themselves with the nece necessary sary clothing THE LOST STEAMBOAT i the berkshire is almost a complete wreck the captain of the daniel danid drew reports her as being burned completely away to the water I 1 she was heavily load loaded d with freight which was waa value tat at cna cne hundred and fi girty iry ILY thousand dollar and which was mostly consumed the steamer itself wab was new and bid b hid id made but few trips she was furnished in splendid style her cabin furniture alone beitle worth beve beveral several ral rai thousand collais dol lais she belonged to the hudson steamboat company wao was wab was commanded by captain F al power and worth about one bundre I 1 and thirty thou thomad ta d dollars the oregon belonging to the same company was lost by tolli collis alon aion to n last season beason I 1 while leaving her dock at this city |
