The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1854-11-22
TerribIe CaIa1nity.
wREoKo OF THE NEW ERA.
LAMENTABLEILoss OF EiFE, /


then unknown. was aground. about -four
miles south OF Long Branch, on the Jersey
shore, near TO Sandy: Hook, and that she
lay in very dangerous position. Towards
one o'clock, IL was ascertained that this
vessel was the New Era, lately built In
Bath, Me-, which had sailed from Bremen,
withtthree hundten and eighty passengers,
for New York,
A letter from Captain, Of the News Yacht
of the Associated Press, gives the following
further particulars in regard the wreck: r.
About eight O'Clock we came iD sight Of
her, lying broadside to the beach, heading to
the southward, with her fore, main and
mizen top-sails, close reefed still standing.
On reaching her, she proved 10 be level
with the water and full, and the swell break
ing in heavy surges across her docks. We
had already passed many pieces of the
wreck, and half a mile further on we saw
the body of little child, apparently about
-four or FIVE years old, and in quick success
sion also that of man, stripped Of cloth
ing, and others with clothes on-lour or
FIVE bodies in all. As we approach the
wreck, so us to get nearer view, a most
narrowing spectacle met the eyes.
The jib. boon, rigging and top of the ship,
fore and aft, were filled with human beings
closely packed together, and cingng TO
each other and to the ropes while the ship
surged to and fro with each returning wave,
which broke into spray far into the rigging
and over the ship, drenching and sufocating
the passengers, while the poor creatures
filled the air with the most soul. narrowing
and pitiful outcres for assistance On the
beach were some two hundred persons, gath
cred in groups, apparently consulting as to
how to act, while others sat leisurely upon
the gunwale of the boats, which the heavy
surf rendered it certain destruction to launch.
We saw several boats upon the shore, ap-
parenty well adapted for the purpose, and
crowd of persons drawing long lfe-boat
toward the beach, where it was left, and no
further attempt was made to launch it. .oH
We saw no line from the ship to the shore,
and no life car. From the fact that what
appeared the ships. boat was lying on the
beach, we judged the officers and crew, or
most Of them, must have landed or been
thrown ashore in her. The tide was now
alb ut ut its full--the wind had died away,
and slight breeze sprung up from off shore,
which greatly increased our hopes that the
swell would go down with the tide, and ren
der it possible. for the boats. to be launched
from shore. AS for ourselves, we found I'VE
could do nothing,
The steamer, which is employed express
" by the underwriters to render assistance
to the vessels Ashore, has not the sign of q
surf.boat on board-nothing but two mis-
cradle yawl's both Of which would scarcely
| float the vessels crew, were she sinAng,
and one of them could not float herself il
put overheard. Not spar, line, or life
preserver-- piece of cork big enough
to float drowning dog. BY A o'clock the
swell had so muck subsidized that every pas
senger could have been rescued had there
been u surf-boat on board, and there was
not man, from the fireman to the pilot and
captain, who would not lave rejoiced at the
opportunity of snatchiHg the poor sufferers
from death had they the means of doing it..
BY whose neglect is it, that these steam
bouts are not provided with surf.boa,s for
such dreadful emergencies as this! Still
hoping for u movement toward launching the
boats from shore, we continued painful spec
tators of the scene. ringing our bell to en-
courage them and beckoning to them on
| the shore to launch the boats. When our
wheels were put in motion to adjust the po-
sition of the steamer, the passengers, appa-
rently feeling we were about to leave them
would rend the air with imploring cries
while others tolled the ships bell, the sounds
of which were borne to us above the wall.
ings of the surf, that swept over the ship.
We were near enough to distinctly see
women holding their little ones with one
hand, while the other, bleached by the spray
cIung with death grip to the ratlnes or
which they stood. One or two in the miz.
zen rigging, having on but shirt. On the
lorecastle there stood, few moments ago
group of four, clingng to the stay, bu
they are now gone-a heavy swell has pro.
badly swept them away. Men have been
seen to fall from the jib-boom into the surf
VISIT TO THE WRECK.
The ship laid about three hundred yards
from the shore, on the outer bay, her deck
level with the water, ana the sea washing
over her continually. At the period ut
which we write a p. NJ, Tuesday, it was
about low water. There is no chance OF
saving anything from her beyond her rig.
ging. The masts were standing uninjured
and with the exception of the loss of the
mizzen-top-g liant, she appeared to have
suffered no damage above the buwarks -
The ior0, main, and mizzen topsals were
still set, as when she went on, three reefed.
The other sails appeared to be loosely clew-
ed up, and rent in many places. In the
main shrouds, the body OF female was still
visible, nearly nude, lrer arms and legs
thrust through the crossings. The plank
ing of the bulwarks was all torn off, and
the sea belched every moment through the
frame of the bulwarks, like the smoke from
lrigate's guns when firing broadside.
Capt. Browne having kindly invited us to
90 on board with him, we took a seat in the
surf boat, and were soon rowed through the
breakers and alongside the ships quarter
Watching an opportunity, as spent wave
receded, we leaped into the mizzen rigging,
Such spectacle as the decks of the New
Era then presented we hope never to be
called to witness again. The forecastle
was beaten in, and the top of the poop-cab-
in On the larboard side had large hole in
it that the waves had made. The deck had
been swept of everything. The frames of
the bulwarks stood above the waves, like
the fleshless ribs of lcvathan, while pro-
truding through them were the bodies of
men, women and children, all of them nak-
ed, or but partially covered with the clothes
they had on when asleep in their berths.-
But the most awful sight Of all was directly
below our feet. There, between the side Of
the puop-cabin and the mizzeR chairs about
n Scnrp nf pornsps all stark stiff nnu coh