On Christmas eve 1853 on a voyage from Liverpool to New York the St. George caught fire in the North Atlantic. The ship was carrying 127 passengers and a crew of 25. The passengers included a number of women and children. The fire originated in the hold, but the smoke was so think that efforts by the crew could not determine the size or exact location of the fire.

Smoke killed eight of those on board, and the captain seems to have known his ship was doomed. Fortunately another sailing ship named Orlando was nearby and came to the assistance of the St. George. The Orlando however had her own problems, she had been damaged in a storm which carried away all her lifeboats and much of her sail. Captain White of the Orlando could do little to aid those on the St. George, but he came as close as he could and began to take on survivors.

Captain Bairson of the St. George lowered two boats loaded with as many as they could take and sent them over. While this drama was taking place the sea became rougher as a storm approached making the trip to the Orlando far more dangerous. As the two boats approached the Orlando one of them was crashed against the side and broken up, those in the boat dumped into the water.

With only one boat left the task of saving lives was made even more perilous. The boat could not be hauled up on to the St. George so those on board had to jump into the sea and make their way into the lifeboat. A further problem was the capacity of the remaining lifeboat. It is reported that it could carry only four or five at a time, and taking into account at least two crewmen on the oars and maybe one on the tiller that meant that only two passengers could be taken across per trip.

The crew calmed making thirty-two trips to the Orlando saving seventy-six passengers in all. Sadly a further human drama took place on the deck of the St. George, twenty-eight people, many women and children in their number, refused to jump to save their lives. Fear of drowning, the inability to swim or just general fear might have been the cause, but they must have known they would surely die either by the flames, smoke or when the ship went down. Nevertheless they would not leave the ship and they all of course perished.

Fifteen others drowned trying to reach the Orlando making the total number of lives lost fifty-one. For the survivors and those on the Orlando the trip to shore was less than comfortable. Orlando carried no extra stores for one hundred and one extra people and having most of her sails missing could not make a quick voyage. However her captain made the stores last and they finally made LeHavre, France eleven days later. Those on board were in sorry shape, but they were alive.