CONFLAGRATION OF THE PHOENIX. 461 
five ladies whom I took from him, and placing them upon 
deck, they expired. One little girl, about the age of Mary, 
entreated me to throw water upon her, her agonies were so 
great. They were all of one family, and had been on board 
but a few minutes, being on their return from the funeral of a 
sister at Elizabethtown Point. In this situation we were dis- 
covered by two boats at the Quarantine Ground, which put 
olF to our assistance, and brought us up to the city ; and a 
steam-boat passing by, brought the wreck, with the dead and 
wounded on board, to the wharf. What rendered my situa- 
tion more singular was, that my baggage was blown up, but 
fell upon the wreck again. My trunk, previously to my being 
taken off, I found in the place from which the boilers had 
blown. Last night, at 12 o'clock, I went to search for my 
writing-desk. Two friends accompanied me, but they were 
not permitted to go on board, as the Coroner had just held an 
inquest, and had gone on shore to give his verdict. I therefore 
went on board alone, and getting a light, commenced searching 
for, and succeeded in getting the desk, &c. and discovering a 
hand under some of the rubbish, I called one of the watchmen, 
and moving the timber away, it led to the discovery of another 
corpse. 
CONFLAGRATION OF THE STEAM-BOAT 
PHOENIX, 
On Lake Champlain, September Bth^ 1819. 
The steam-boat left Burlington about 12 o'clock at night, 
and had proceeded as far as Providence Island, (about half 
way between Burlington and Plattsburgh,) when the alarm of 
fire was given, about one o'clock at night ; there being two 
small boats attached to the Phoenix, they were immediately 
filled with passengers ; but the wind blowing violently from 
the north-west, the passengers were not all enabled to embark, 
and some few of them were obliged to jump overboard. 
Captain Johnson Sherman, who has formerly commanded 
this boat, was unfortunately sick with a fever at Vergennes ; 
the boat was commanded by his son, Richard W. Sherman, a 
young gentleman of about 22 years of age ; but who, in the 
difficulties and distresses of this conflagration, displayed the 
39* 
