The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-05 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 5, 1857.

THE LOSS OF THE CENTRAL AMERICA .

LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY.
The following items respecting the loss of the
steamship Central America are extracted from the
details of the catastrophe published in the papers
brought by the Europa :
" Of the 28 children who were saved the greater part
were babies. The stewardess of the steamer was a stout
negro woman. She had collected the money thrown away
by the passengers, it was supposed, and buckled it round
the body. The weight of this money was the cause of
her death when she was hoisted into the Marne, where
she died from having too much gold about her loins. One
of the ladies placed her canary bird in her bosom on
leaving the steamer and preserved its life.
" Mr. George, who went down with the vessel, says :
—He heard no shriek, nothing but the seething rush and
hiss of waters that closed above her as she hurried,
almost with the speed of an arrow, to her ocean bed.
Night had eloped in before the vessel sank, and he was
sucked in, by the whirlpool caused by her swift descent,
to a depth that in its seeming was unfathomable, and
into a darkness that he had never dreamt of. Compared
with it the blackest night, without moon or star, was as
the broad noonday. He was rather stunned than stifled,
and his sensations on coming to the surface were almost
as painful, from their reaction, as those which he en-
dured at the greatest depth to which he sank. When be
became conscious, after the lapse of a minute Or two, he
could distinguish every object around him for a consider
able distance. The waves, as they rose and fell, revealed
a crowd of human heads. Those unfortunates who bad
lost their life-preservers or planks while under water,
owing to the force of the whirlpool, were frantically
snatching at the broken pieces of the wreck, which,
breaking from the ship as she continued to descend, leapt
above the surface and fell back with a heavy splash.
The cries arose thus mingled into one inarticulate
wail, and then the lustier and less terrified
shouted for assistance to the bark Marine, which
was far beyond hailing distance. The waves dashed
them one against another at first, but speedily they
began to separate, and the last farewells were taken.
One man called to another in our informant's hearing,
'lf you are saved, Frank, send my love to my dear
wife;' but the friend appealed to was answered only with
a gurgle of the throat. He washed off the plank, and
perished as his companion spoke. Many were desirous
of separating themselves as far as possible from the rest,
icing fearful lest some desperate struggler might seize
hold of them and draw thorn under. Others, afraid of
their loneliness, called to their neighbours to keep to
gether. Generally, they strove to cheer each other as
long as they remained within hearing, and when the
roar of the waves drowned all but the loudest shouting
the call of friendship or the cry of despair was heard in
the distance, and infused confidence or increased dismay
in many a failing bosom.
"It was when he had drifted far from the companion-
ship o" any of his fellows in misfortune that Mr. George
began to realise his situation. The night was very dark.
Occasionally, as the driving clouds parted and gave a
glimpse of sky, a star or two would be visible, but this
was very seldom, and offered but the faintest gleam of
hope that the morning would dawn fair and calm. The
swell of the sea was great, and successively the poor
floaters, holding on to their planks with the energy
of despair, were riding on the brink of a precipice and
buried in a deep valley of water. Our informant, like
many of the rest, was seized with the fear of sharks.
Itespiratien was very difficult, owing to the masses of
water which were constantly dashed upon them, as
wave after wave rolled by. For two or three hours the
water was nut unpleasantly cold, and it was not until
about 1 o'clock un the morning of Sunday, when they
had been nearly five hours in the water, and a fresh
chilling wind arose, that their limbs began to leel be-
numbed.

"Some of the incidents described to us as occurring
before or about that time are truly thrilling. One man,
floating in solitude, and terrified at his loneliness, after
shouting himself hoarse to find a companion, saw at
length a man with two life-preservers fastened about his
body drifting towards him. His heart leaped with joy
at the' welcome sight, for the feeling of desolation which
had overcome him was terrible to endure. He called to
the other to join him if possible, and made every exertion
to meet him half way. There was no reply, but the other
drifted nearer and nearer. A wave threw them to-
gether ; they touched, The living man shrieked in the
tace.of a corpse. The other had been drowned by the
dash of the billows, or had perished from exhaustion.
" When rising and falling with the swell of the waves
the lights of the bark Ellen were first discerned by the
survivors in the water ; the thrill of hope that at once
filled every breast amounted, it may well be believed, to
a perfect ecstasy. Let Mr. George speak for all. He
says :---‘ I never felt so thankful in all my life. I never
knew what gratitude was before. Ido not know whe-
ther I cried or not, but I know I was astonished to hear
my own laughter ringing in my ears. Ido not know
why I laughed. That verse, God moves in a mysteri-
ous way,' kept passing in and out of me—through me,
rather, as if I bad been the pipe of an organ. It did not
come to me by my own volition, but somehow made me
remember it. When the lights approached nearer a
score of 'voices sprang up around me, crying 'Ship ahoy,'
'Boat ahoy,' and then I began to shout too. And I had
never any doubt that I should be saved till I saw the
lights pass by, about half a mile from where I was, and
recede in the distance. Then I began to give myself up
for lost indeed. But I slowly drifted toward her again,
till I could make out her hull and one of her masts, and
presently I floated close to her and shouted, and was
taken up. When I got on the deck I could not stand.
I did not know till then how exhausted I was.' Mr.
George, before he was rescued encountered six men
• • -

singing to a log of wood, two of whom were washed off
in his sight, within a abort distance of the bark. The
others must have afterwards shared the same fate, as
they were not taken on board the bark and were never
again seen. Mr. George thinks a raft could have lived,
but no attempt was made to construct one.
A. little girl who was saved along with her brother
says : -

"At about 10 o'clock on Saturday a gentleman came
down and took us up into the saloon; my father was
with us ; he handed me his money and told me to keep
it—perhaps I might be saved and he not. This was
before we came in sight of the brig. After we got in
eight of the vessel I handed it back to him ; I told him
that it was too heavy. Then they called us up to the
lifeboat. I came on in the second boat to the brig. I
think the terror will never leave my heart. I felt as
though I had almost as lief go down with the ship as to
get off. I have not heard from father since I left him
on Saturday ' • I think he is lost.'
" When the boat cast off from the steamer Captain
Herndon said, Tell the captain of the brig for God's
sake to remain by lig ; that I have 500 people on board
and two millions of treasure.' When we arrived in the
brig Mr. Black communicated this request to Captain
Burt, who replied at once—'Ay, ay ; tell him I'll stand
by him.' It is alleged that the boats' crews declined to
return to the wreck, for fear of being swamped.
" A passenger says,—' Life-preservers were plenty,
and each had secured one for himself. On Coming np
I found plenty of things to cling to, and got bold of a
door, which I held on to about 15 minutes, till three
Irishmen grabbed it, when I left it, as I was becoming
so numb that I was obliged to warm up by a little
swimming exercise. Though a large quantity of ma-
terial was floating about, still there was a good deal of
desperate struggling and lighting to appropriate articles
promising the most security. I next got hold of a trunk,
but it soon fell to pieces. But a flour barrel directly
came in my way ; in clinging to it I soon got chilled and
had occasionally to leave it and swim to get warm. Bu t
I did not let it get far out of my way. I observed th
Irishmen still fighting for the door the last I saw oef
them, and they are doubtless lost.
"Another passengers says :—'Nearly all the passen-
gers bad been provided with life-preservers, but many
of them had lost all hope and become discouraged
before the critical moment arrived, and when the ship
sunk they lacked the energy to make any effort to
save themselves, while others were affrighted out
of all presence of mind and lacked the judgment
to convert to their use means which might have
been rendered available. The majority of the crew and
a number of the passengers, at the time of the sinking
of the ship were below engaged in bailing.
" Some of the female passengers fell two or three
times into the sea before they could be got into the
boat. One of them, a stewardess, fell in three times,
and once was pinched between the boat and the side of
the steamer. The captain did his best to keep the pas-
sengers calm and cool.

It is stated by many of the survivors that there
Was seldom so large an amount of money owned by pas-
sengers as was in the case of those who came by the
Ce❑tral America. Many wore persons of large means,
and there were very few whose immediate wealth did not
amount to hundreds, while numbers reckoned their
gold by thousands of dollars. The greater portion of
the passengers were returned miners, some coining
hither to invest the capital they bad realised, in hopes
to live a life of greater ease as the result of their in-
dustry, and others to get their families and onee more
go to the land of gold. But as the storm continued to
rage, less and less of gold was thought of, and when, on
Saturday, it became evident they were likely at any
moment to be buried bonsai h the waves, wealthy men
divested themselveseof their treasure belts and scattered
the gold upon the cabin floors, telling those to take it
who would, lest its weight—a few ounces or pounds—
carry them to their (loath. Full purses, containing in
some instances 2,000 dots. were laying untouched on
sofas. Carpet bags were opened by men arid the shin,-
ing metal was poured out on the floor with the prodi-
gality of death's despair. One of the passengers, who
has fortunately been rescued, opened a bag and dashed
about the cabin 20,000 dollars in gold dust, and told
sum who wanted to gratify his greed for gold to take it
But it was passed by untouched as the veriest dross.
A. few hours before he would have struck down the man
who would have attempted to take a grain of that which
he now spurned from him.'
passenger named Miller, who was lost, took a
position at the top of the steps leading to the steerage ;
he drew his revolver and threatened to shoot any One
who refused to work at the pumps and attempted to get
upon deck.
"According to the statement of a female survivor,—
'There was not a tear shed that I am aware of on board

the steamer up to the time we first espied the sail which
we believe brought us relief. There seemed to be a
perfect calmness, which I could not have believed it
possible for such a number of persons to exhibit under
such fearful circumstances. But when the brig hove in
sight tbere were tears of joy, and the men worked with
renewed energy and hope. The ladies begged of the
men to work firmly and with all their strength, and said
they would take hold and work themselves if the men
did not do their best. Some of the women begged to be
allowed to assist, and some were so anxious that they
even attempted to dress up in men's clothing, so that
they might go down and help in the task.'
"Of the working at the pumps, a.passenger says
It was rather a novel spectacle to see men at work,
many of whom had never been in the habit of physical
labour, tai ing hold with strength and willingness equal
to the heartiest. After awhile the work began to be
rather a serious affair for the strength and muscles. To
keep up the spirits songs were sung, and every imaginable
joke retailed to excite laughter and cheer the spirits.
Occasionally a man, notwithstanding the urgency of
the occasion and the determination of most to make the
work as cheerful a>i possible, would fall from the ranks,
and it was utterly impossible to rouse them again to
activity. Some were oomph tely exhausted physically,
and had to retire from work for that reason ; but it was a
fact that a few gave up in despair of the possibility of
saving the steamer from sinking, and would not work.
The example of that few had a bad effect upon others,
notwithstanding the constant cheering remarks of the
captain and officers that everyiking was working fa-
vourably. The men worked faithfully all Friday night,
although under the serious disadvantage of but little
light and no water or refreshments.'
"Mrs. Small and her child were in charge of Captain
Herndon, of whom she speaks with much emotion. She
was handed into the boat by him. He appeared sad, but
very firm. 'Mrs. Small,' said he, this is sad ;I am
sorry not to get you home safely.' With these words he
turned away.
" Mr. Payne states that he was indebted to Captain
Herndon for his life. I was in frequent consultation with
him before I went, and he asked me what I thought of
affairs. I said, Thank God, the women and children
are all off, and we are strong.' He replied, Yes, thank
God,' and added, You take the next boat.' This I did,
but before I went he requested rue to go into his office
and get his gold watch and chain, and, if saved, to carry
them to his wife. Said he, Tell her—,' but his utter-
ance was choked by deep emotion, and he said no more
on that subject, but changed it by saying he wished me
to see the president of the company, Marshal 0. Roberts,
and the agents, and communicate with them in relation
to the disaster.
" After saying this much he walked away a few steps
and sat down on a bench, with his head in his hands,
apparently overcome. Ile remained in that position a
few moments, and then arose and resumed giving orders
as the boat from the brig Marine returned.
‘• The conduct of the bead engineer, Ashby, was
strongly condemned, and some of the rescued passengers
talked of 'lynching' him. It is alleged that he aban-
doned the engine-room long before there was any neces-
sity. It is also charged against him that in the boat
there were two seats vacant, and a person jumped into
one of them ; at this instant Ashby, who was overseeing
the shipment of the women and children, drew his bowie
knife, and raising as if to Strike the man, commanded
him to get out. His arm was arrested by a person near,
and the man retained his Place. As the boat pushed off,
Ashby jumped in ; a general murmur arose and a cry
was heard, Shoot him 1' Tile Captain called out that
he depended upon him returning, which Ashby failed to
do, alleging that the boat's crew refused to do so, fearing
for their own safety. It is likewise stated that one of
the survivors also asserts that Ashby approoched him
and threatened to cut the strap which held his lite-pre-
server round his body; the interference of a passenger
prevented him from taking it away from him.
" Captain Johnson, of the Elien, on board of which
vessel many of the rescued received very kind treatment
wakes the fellowing statement I was forced by the
wind to sail a little out of my course before I came up
with you, and on altering it a small bird flew across the
ship once or twice, and then darted into my face. I,
however, took uo notice of this circumstance, and the
same thing occurred again, which eaused me to regard
the circumstance as something extraordinary ; and while
thinking on it in this way the mysterious bird for the
third time appeared and went through the very same
extraordinary manoeuvres. Upon this I was indueed to
re-alter my course into the original one which I had been
steering, and in a short time I heard noises, and on try-
ing to discover what they proceeded from. discovered
that I was in the midst of people who had been ship-
wrecked. I proceeded instantly to rescue them, and in
a few moments succeeded in getting four of them on
board. Not one of them eeuld speak, all being perfectly
senseless from exhaustion, After a few moments we
got another one on board. The first words he spoke
were—' Where is my wife '—give me something to
eat.' "

" Mr. Wells, finding the vessel going down, wrenched
a door from the wheel-house. After being on the raft
about an hour or an hour and a-half the ship went down,
and apparently carried all on board with her. I had
great difficulty in holding on to my raft, on account of
the roughness of the sea, and after having remained on it
for about two hours I was drifted near a larger raft, on
which there were five men. I then left my raft and
swam to them. The darkness was so great that I could
not recognise any of them. We were frequently washed
off by the force of the waves, and had to swim to reach
the raft again. Soon I found one of our number was
missing. The rest of us--there were now five—clung to
the raft as best we could, at times being washed off, and
then regaining the raft by swimming to it. Towards
morning a sea washed off all of us but one, and only two
of the four succeeded in recovering the raft ; they had
become so chilled and exhausted that they had not
strength to reach it again, and were lost. This left only
three oflus on the raft out of the sixithat were on it."'
A. captain (Badger) who was on board the Central
America attributes the foundering of the vessel to the
stoppage of the engines. She f.ll into the trough of the
sea, and took in much water through her lee shafts and
dead lights. It was afterwards ascertained that the
cause of the stoppage of the engines was the neglect of
the fire and engine department of gettingcoal along from
the bunkers to the fire-room fast enough to keep up the
fires s • consequently all the engines stopped, as well as
all the pumps attached to the engines. Au attempt was
made to raise steam in the donkey boiler. Berths were
torn and thrown into the furnace to raise the steam to
start the pumps, but all to no avail. A drag was prepared
but failed, and the ship continued in the trough of the
sea. " Baling," says Badger, " went on vigorously
and was kept up all night by gangs, who were changed
as often as they became exhausted. Towards morning
the men were beginning to fail and the water to increase
and grow up in the hold of the ship. At four o'clock on
the morning of Saturday, the 12th,
the gale abated,
with a heavy sea running. They were encouraged by
myself and ethers with assurance that the ship would
hold out. Every passenger remained cool, and seemed
to forget his danger in the united efforts to save vessel.
There was no weeping or exhibition of despair, even on
the part of the wqmen. At eight o'clock another at-
tempt was made to raise steam in the donkey-boiler to
pump the ship, but without avail. One proposed to
box the pumps, but on inquiry no carpenter or tools
could be found, and the water gained rapidly. The lee
shaft was shrouded with heavy blankets to stop the
leak, but the water burst through. At 2 o'clock on
Saturday a sail was reported to windward, and at half-
past 3 she came under the stern. Boats immediately
were lowered, but wore stove instantly by the sea.
Three boats still remained—one in a bad condition. At
4 o'clock the work of removing the ladies and children
to the deck of the Marine was commenced. The brig
being much lighter than the ship, had by this time
drifted away to leeward. The distance was consider-
able, and the boats were long in making the trips
and there being a heavy sea but few could
be carried at a time. After sending the ladies
and children the engineer and some 15 others were em-
barked on the brig. By this time it was dark. The
work of baling was still kept on, but the water gained
faster and faster upon the vessel. As the boats succes-
sively approached the ship a simultaneous rush was
epassengers to get on board, and it was ap-
prehended
de
that the boats would be filled and stove, It
mabyth
was now dark. About two hours before the sinking of
the ship a schooner ran down under our stern, but could
not render aoy assistance for want of boats. The work of
baling went en until within an hour of her going down.
Two lights of the above vessel were now seen far to
leeward. Rockets were fired from the wheel, but went
downwards. The immediate sinking of the ship followed.
Capt. Ilearndon remained on the wheel up to the moment
of her going down, which was 8 o'clock on Saturday
night. I was standing on the quarterdeck. Some jumped
over, and put out from the now rapidly descending ship,
and seized en whatever they could. No one shrieked or
cried, but all stood calm. The captain behaved nobly,
and sa.d he would not leave the ship. I promised him I
would remain with him, as also did the second office.,
Mr. Frazer. All at once the ship, as if in the agony of
d
mass, she disap-
peared,
floated out on the bosom
o fne ad, h
the t
with
herself,ocean, anda
shriek
Vfo 0 human ironplunge
on an angle of 45 degrees,
h made
I ao hope h
and,
eengulfed
but beings
death."
A paper referring to the statements of passengers says
—" We found no one who would confess to a dread of
death pct sc. One thought of his family, his friends, and
struggled for life for their sakes. Another wished to live
that he might enjoy the treasure which he bad stowed
away on his person, and which would be caved if be was.
A third, who had lost everything, wanted to begin life
anew, and make his fortune over again. A species of
fatalism consoled some. If their time was come it was
come, and they saw their comrades in misfortune fail in
their last struggle and sink with scarcely a pang. One
man told us he went to sleep in the water."
One survivor makes rather an amusing statement :
"I guess I bad been about four hours in the water
and had floated away from the rest, when the waves
ceased to make any noise, and I heard my mother say,
Johnny, did you eat sister's grapes ?' I hadn't thought
of it for 20 years at least. It had gone clean out of my
mind. I had a sister that died of consumption more
than 30 years ago, and when she was sick—l was a boy
of 11 or so—a neighbour had sent her some early hot
house grapes. Well, those grapes were left in a room
where I was, and—l ought to have been skinned alive
for it, ;little rascal that I was—l devoured them all

Mother came to me after I had gone to bed, when she
couldn't find the fruit for sister to moisten her mouth
with in the night, and said, 'Johnny, did you eat sister's
grapes ?' I did not add to the meanness of my conduct
by telling a lie. I owned up, and my mother went away
in tears, but without flogging me. It occasioned me a
qualm of conscience far many a year after ; but, as I
said, for 20 years at least I had not thought of it, till,
when I was floating about benumbed with cold, I heard
it as plain as ever I beard ber voice in my life. I heard
mother say, Johnny, did you eat sister's grapes'' I
don't know to account for it. It did not scare me,
though. I thought it was a presage of my death."
A survivor says—" Five hundred men, with death
yawning before them at any moment, stood solid as a
rock, nor made a movement for the boats until the
women and children had all been safely transported to
the brig, after which about 40 of the crew and male
passengers, in a few trips, reached the latter vessel be-
fore the steamer went down."
Several of the passengers whose position and intelli-
gence, and, withal, the trying circumstances in which
the ship was placed, ought to have restrained them from
deporting themselves other than properly, drank exces-
sively of liquors on board the ship, probably from their
own private stores, and made themselves very noisy and
troublesome. Two of the passengers of high social and
political associations refused to work, but got alarm-
ingly drunk, so much so that their more sober compa-
nions had to put them in their berths. In that condition
they lay when the steamer sank. Others, being com-
pletely exhausted, took to their berths, and went down
with the vessel.
An elderly woman implored the captain to allow her
husband to go in the boat with her ; she was refused.
Very kindly but firmly Captain Herndon told her that,
no man could leave the steamer until all the women had
gone. Just before she went down into the boat ber
husband took her by the hand and bade her good by.
He told her that he would try and meet her again, but
that perhaps he would not be able. She never saw him
again. Another woman tells a similarly painful story.
The engineer stoutly denies the allegations made
against him.
It is asserted that the pumps and donkey engine of
the vessel were unserviceable.
Sanguine hopes were entertained of the safety of the
captain (Herndon) and a number of passengers. When
the vessel went down the captain was on deck on the
wheelhouse, and when last seen was clinging to a plank