STEAMBOAT ACCIDENT.—UPWARDS OF THIRTY LIVES LOST.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XX, Issue 2237, 21 September 1864, Page 6

STEAMBOAT ACCIDENT.— UPWARDS OF THIRTY LIVES LOST.

Otf the 10th of July a sad catasti oplie occuired at Lyons, involving the lo&s of upuaids of tluity lives Auvei boat, plyuiijon the Saonc, called 'La Mouclie,' was -what is n.wtically known as crank, and so nauow in the beam that any ciowding of lici deck must ha\ c noeossaiily piovod disibtious The disastei is thus descnlied by a local journal — "On leaMtig the landing -plnco the btcamci, in oidei to avoid the dilleicnt sandbanks ncai the Pont do Ncmouis, had to stcci a seipcntino cotuse and take a numbci of simp cuivcs At length a sudden action of the niddei caused hci to give so heavy a lmch thab the w.itei came in attho scuppci-liolo->. An indescribable «ccno of confusion then took place , the compact mass of passcnrjcis on the deol wore piessed with such foico against the haiuliAil -which ian alone; tlie sidu that it suddenly gave w.iy, and hltj r pctsous veto piccipit.vted into tho livci m a mas^ 'lhc captain of the boat o\ciboaid with the lost TJic see 10 wluJi followed was most licntieiidmL,'. The suif.ice of tho witcv was ci>\cicd with heads, and aims wcie seen making des])eiateeffoitsto leltasc themsolM-t, 'i'lie poisons \\ho lell inweic i=o cimpletelythiongcdtogethoi thatevciy ouecJu ig to his ueigliboui in tlie agony of despair, so that those who might otherwise h;ue escaped by

swimming were prevented from using any exertion in that way. The captain lost bis life in that manner ; for lie was seueil by two women, one of whom clang round his ueck, and the other round his body, and the three sanlt togfcther. Only about ten persons \reie able to save themselves by swimming ; lour or five Others were restored to animation after being""g"oV on shore, leaving the number of di owned to araount il to" fiom thirty-fir* to foity. After the accident the__ Moucho, instead of stopping to render assistance, continued her course. Vanous reasons -aie given " for 'that act. 'A person on "board itates thit the passenger* who still leinained on the kteamer were so alaiined, that they clamorously insiited oh being landed. The captain having been among those who fell ovorboaid, the man at the helm was the only one left to manage the steamer. He 'was about to order to itop her, when one of the passengeig seized him by the throat and pulled him fiom his plf.ee, and then talcing the tiller, bteeied the vessel to the neaieit landing-place. Another account states that the cngineman, »eeing the quantity of watei tile VPisel had shipped, and which had rushed into the boiler, feared an explosion, and theiefoie made all hastt to get the other passengeu to land, in Older to prevent a stcond calamity. 'Jhe ownei of the boat has been ariested, and a judicial investigation into the aff.ui 1 will immediately tak« place. "