CHRONICLE. 



75 



was in the forecastle had come 

 upon deck ahiiost suffocated, and 

 at that time ihere was no smoke 

 from any other part ot" the vessel. 

 We imtnediately beyan throwing 

 water down the fort castle, and 

 cutting a hole in the deck, to try 

 if we could find where the fire 

 was, when the smoke issued from 

 the steerage in such volumes that 

 we were all likely to be suffocated, 

 and could scarcely see one another 

 on deck. 1 concluded the fire 

 must be in the main hold, and 

 immediately oidered the boats to 

 be got out, and to break the main 

 hatches open, to see if we could 

 find the fire there, as it was im- 

 possible for any person to go below 

 in the steerage or forecastle ; and 

 such was the rapidity of the flames, 

 that before we could get the long 

 boat out, they were issuing six 

 feet high through the main hatch- 

 way ; and it was with the great- 

 est difficulty we succeeded in 

 getting the boat out over the 

 side, as the vessel was in a few 

 minutes after in flames from the 

 fore hatchway to the cabin doors. 

 It is impossible for me to de- 

 scribe the horrors of the sight of 

 the vessel, and the frantic state of 

 the female passengers. There was 

 no time to get water, provisions, or 

 any thing in the boat ; and had 

 not Providence thrown a vessel in 

 our way, we must have been 

 turned on the sea without any 

 sustenance, some without cover- 

 ing, in an open boat. The Orbit, 

 Captain Peers, of Liverpool, hove 

 in sight, and seeing our distressed 

 situation, immediately hove to, 

 and took us on board, it then 

 being about ten o'clock. The at- 

 tention of Captain Peers and pas- 

 sengers to every individual, merits 



my most sincere thanlis. In call- 

 ing the people by their names be- 

 fore quitting the vessel, I found 

 there was one mi:^sing, and judged 

 he might be in the forecastle, try- 

 ing to get some of his clothes, and 

 not able to get up again on account 

 of the smoke. One of the men, at 

 the risk of his life, went down 

 and found him, made a rope fast 

 round him, and he was hauled up. 

 We succeeded in bringing him to 

 life on board the Orbit. By what 

 means the vessel took fire, God 

 only knows, as there had been no 

 light either in the forecastle or 

 steerage, and no fire in either of 

 those places until after it broke 

 through the main hatchway : and 

 for any person to have communi- 

 cation with the hold was impos- 

 sible, without being known, as the 

 vessel was bulk-headed up fore 

 and aft." 



A melancholy accident happen- 

 ed lately at Hepburn Collier}', 

 Newcastle. Elias Mould, under- 

 viewer, had descended one of the 

 pits to change the course of the air 

 for ventilation, when the pit fired, 

 and himself and ten others were 

 unfortunately burnt to death. 



28. Yesterday evening, shortly 

 after seven o'clock, a fire broke 

 forth in the mustard mills of Messrs. 

 Lingard and Jones in Southwark, 

 near the bank of the Thames, and 

 a little to the south-west of St. Sa- 

 viour's or St. Mary Overy's Church, 

 and within a few buildings to the 

 west of St. Mary Overy's Dock, 

 which created for some hours a 

 dreadful alarm throughout _ the 

 neighbourhood. As the dusk of 

 the evening increased, the sky be- 

 came more and more reddened by 

 the blaze, which was apparent for 

 railesround. It being Sunday even- 



