Probably the greatest maritime disaster suffered during the heyday of German emigration
In the 1850s, poverty, hunger and disappointment at the failure of the revolutions of 1848/49 drove small farmers, craftsmen and casual labourers to leave Germany in search of their fortune in the USA. At that time, Germans constituted the largest single group of European arrivals in the New World. Tens of thousands crossed the Atlantic every year, with numbers often exceeding 100,000, and sometimes even 200,000. This made transporting people to the USA a lucrative business, and a number of companies were formed to cater to the demand. One was the Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actiengesellschaft (HAPAG), which sailed from Hamburg to New York. Converting cargo ships into liners by building intermediate decks sometimes no higher than 1.72 metres, the shipping line sought to cram as many people as possible into extremely confined spaces. American inspectors spoke of a “true hell” on one ship that they checked, on which almost a fifth of its passengers died during its 70-day voyage. Food had run out or gone mouldy; there was insufficient water, and no doctor or medicine.
The Austria, a steam-powered sailing ship just under 100 metres long, was significantly overcrowded with over 540 people on board. She was due to reach North America from Hamburg in two and a half weeks. On 13 September 1858, the captain ordered the mandatory disinfection of the ship before entering the high seas. However, carelessness meant that a fire broke out whilst the lower decks were being fumigated with tar, and it spread very quickly. The crew was unable to shut down the steam engine; travelling at speed added to the already strong winds, which fanned the flames. When the captain shouted “We are lost!” in response to an explosion, panic ensued and many passengers and crew abandoned ship. Whilst some drowned, others were torn apart by the ship’s propeller. A total of 456 passengers and crew perished, and only 89 people were rescued by two nearby ships.
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