# SS Austria

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**SS *Austria*** was a [steamship](/source/Steamship) of the [Hamburg America Line](/source/Hamburg_America_Line) which sank on 13 September 1858, in one of the worst [transatlantic](/source/Transatlantic_crossing) [maritime disasters](/source/List_of_disasters#Ship_and_ferry_disasters) of the nineteenth century, claiming the lives of 449 passengers and crew. The *Austria* was built by [Caird & Co.](/source/Caird_%26_Co.) of [Greenock](/source/Greenock), [Scotland](/source/Scotland), and was launched on 23 June 1857. She was 318 [ft](/source/Foot_(length)) and 2,684 [BRT](/source/Tonnage), with three [masts](/source/Mast_(sailing)) and [single screw propeller propulsion](/source/Ship#Propulsion).

After a cancelled British Government charter, she went into service with the [Hamburg America Line](/source/Hamburg_America_Line) on 1 May 1858 on the [Hamburg](/source/Hamburg)-[New York City](/source/New_York_City) route.

## Tragedy at sea

On 1 September 1858, SS *Austria* captained by **F. A. Heydtmann** sailed from [Hamburg](/source/Hamburg) on her third voyage to [New York City](/source/New_York_City). At approximately 12:00, on 13 September, at coordinates [45°01′N 41°30′W](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?params=45_01_N_41_30_W), following a procedure to [fumigate](/source/Fumigation) [steerage](/source/Steerage) by dipping a red-hot chain into a bucket of tar; the chain became too hot for the [boatswain](/source/Boatswain) to hold, and it was dropped onto the deck, which immediately burst into flames; although the ship was traveling at only [half speed](/source/Half_speed) it was impossible to stop the engines as the engine crew had become asphyxiated. When the helmsman abandoned the wheel, the ship swung into the wind, spreading the flames down the length of the ship, racing through the mahogany veneer and varnished bulkheads, as passengers jumped into the sea. The passing [barque](/source/Barque), *Maurice* of France, rescued most of the survivors (67), and the *Catarina* of Norway picked up more (22) the next morning. As the blackened hulk was left to sink, all but 89 of 542 passengers were lost. Survivors were transported back towards Europe to the Portuguese North Atlantic island at Faial, Azores.

### Survivors

Amongst the survivors were:

- [Theodore Eisfeld](/source/Theodore_Eisfeld), [New York Philharmonic](/source/New_York_Philharmonic) music director. He wrote a letter of gratitude to the d'Orey family in Faial for their care.[1]
- Dr Hubert Scheck, a teacher at the Friedrich Wilhelm Lyceum in Cologne, was treated for severe burns in Faial, Azores where he and one other passenger remained for a long recovery. While in Faial, he was also cared for by the d'Orey family.[2]

### Drowned

Amongst those who drowned were:

- [Henriette Wulff](/source/Henriette_Wulff), friend and frequent correspondent of [Hans Christian Andersen](/source/Hans_Christian_Andersen)[3]
- [Adolph Starmont](/source/Adolph_Starmont), merchant for S.F. White & Bro., Chicago, IL [4]

### Paintings of the disaster

The fire and subsequent sinking has featured in multiple paintings, including:

- [Josef Püttner](/source/Josef_P%C3%BCttner), "Untergang der Austria", [Deutsches Historisches Museum](/source/Deutsches_Historisches_Museum), Berlin, Germany.
- [Eugène Isabey](/source/Eug%C3%A8ne_Isabey), "L'incendie de l'Austria", [Musée national de la Marine](/source/Mus%C3%A9e_national_de_la_Marine), Paris, France; "L'Incendie du steamer Austria", [Musée des Beaux-Arts](/source/Mus%C3%A9e_des_Beaux-Arts_de_Bordeaux), Bordeaux, France;
- Anonymous, "Burning of the Austria", [National Maritime Museum, Greenwich](/source/National_Maritime_Museum,_Greenwich), England.
- Le duc Charles, "L'Incendie de l'Austria", [Chateau des ducs de Bretagne](/source/Chateau_des_ducs_de_Bretagne), Musée d'Histoire de Nantes, Nantes, France.

## References

1. [*Dwight's Journal of Music*](https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dwight_s_Journal_of_Music/uaE_AAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0). 1859. p. 259.

1. d'Orey, Guilherme, "O Prussiano Romantico: Paixoes, Aventuras e Lutas A Vida Extraordinaria do Fundador da Familia Albuquerque d'Orey", Lisboa Press 2021

1. ["Henriette Wulff 1804 -1858"](https://web.archive.org/web/20101026032154/http://www.hcandersen-homepage.dk/henriette-wulff.htm). H. C. Andersen Society. Archived from [the original](http://www.hcandersen-homepage.dk/henriette-wulff.htm) on 26 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-23.

1. [Chicago Press and Tribune (1858-1860). Nov. 13, 1858; ProQuest Historical Newspaper Chicago Tribune (1849-1985)]

## External links

- Michael P. Palmer (16 September 1999). ["Palmer List of Merchant Vessels"](http://www.geocities.com/mppraetorius/com-au.htm#austria1857). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20060202140319/http://www.geocities.com/mppraetorius/com-au.htm) 2006-02-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
- Star of the North (13 October 1858). ["Burning of the Austria"](http://collection1.libraries.psu.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fpabooknews&CISOPTR=761&DMSCALE=83.44924&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=0&DMOLDSCALE=4.65549&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=&DMTHUMB=1&REC=1&DMROTATE=0&x=12&y=98). *Star of the North*. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
- [Hulman Dynasty site](http://specials.tribstar.com/hulman/COMING/COMING4.HTML) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20050108020958/http://specials.tribstar.com/hulman/COMING/COMING4.HTML) 8 January 2005 at the Wayback Machine
- [Illustrated London News, Emigration Reports](http://www.hotkey.net.au/~jwilliams4/migrate02.htm)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [SS Austria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Austria) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Austria?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.