Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-10-01
THE LOST CENTRAL AMERICA.


The arrival of the saved passengers a
New York furnishes many columns of state
ments relative to the loss of the Centra
America. They, however, are very mucl
of the same tenor. A. Mr.. r. I. Brow
attributes the loss of the steamer to tn
fact that the Chief Engineer-the one &C
cused of deserving of the ship-did no
do his duty in keeping the fires going, Nj
B. says the tin life preservers were worth
less as slight knock would punch a hol
through them. He was carried down witt
the sinking vessel, and on coming up heart
a fearful cry which seemed 10 come from
every struggling person at the same mo
ment. This was about O'Clock in th
evening, and he was in the water until {
O'Clock the next morning. Mr.. B. say
that Senators Gwin and Broderick wer
not on board, neither was Judge McCorkl'
of California.
A passenger on the steamer Empire City
describes the scene when that steamer fel
in with the Brig Marine having on boart
the saved women and children, who as the
Empire City approached were wringine
their hands and weeping and laughing, by
turns, hysterically.
As boat load after boat load reached oul
ships side and ladder, each We'd with the
other in assisting them to our decks, and
in short time the geeater portion were
comfortably quartered in our cabins. To
the bystanders, the recognition and greet
ing between the two parties - mother
claiming son, and husband wife; the eager
scanning of each face in agonizing fear and
expectation, the joy or grief manifested as
recognition or disappointment awaited the
gazer, was touching in the extreme, strain
ing the heart strings and moistening the
eyes of many hitherto unused to such mani
festations.
The narrative of Mrs. Bowley who was
saved with her two children one of one
year and the other of two years, is peculi-
arly interesting as showing how noble wo
men can act in time of peril She says
there was great fear, but no panic; when
the brig came in sight Capt Herndon
came down and told the ladies that they
would be saved first. The ladies offered
to work at the pumps of the sinking ship,
when the men seemed fainting, but that
was declined, but the very offer seemed
to nerve the arms of the men. As the
time wore on the women became more and
more composed, although they were two
days with but little to eat. In being trans
ferred from the steamer to the small boats
the women were lowered by means of
rope tied around them, then swung of, of
ten dropping into the sea and hauled in
from the water. Mrs. B. saws that Capt.
Herndon robbed himself even of his own
clothes and blankets, and parted with ev-
erything for the passengers sakes; he re-
peatedly went into the cabin to cheer the
women, and always assured them that they
should be first cared for, and from the first
he forbade any man getting into the boats
until all the women and children had been
carried to the Brig.
A Mrs. Ann Small of Newburyport,
Mass, was under the particular care of
Capt. Herndon, she having buried her
husband at Paname on her journey from
California.
She says-The ladies, most of them,
were very calm, very quiet. One or two,
once in a while, became excited, and
moaned ana lamented, but these were ex-
ceptions. The courage of the majority
seemed to hold out to the last. No re-
freshments, except hard bread and water,
were served out after Thursday. On the
morning of that day the table was set for
breakfast, but it was not done for dinner,
for by that time all the dishes were broken.
We ate little, even of the hard bread,
but remained intently watching the efforts
of the officers of the ship and the passen-
gers to save the vessel. On Saturday
hope was given up, and prepara-
tions were made for sending of the ladies
and children to the Brig Marine, which
lay near US. The life-boats were lowered,
and had made two trips each to the Ma
rine, filled with women and children, before
was taken off by the third boat. AS /
was being handed into the boat, Captain
Herndon came up and spoke to me. He
appeared sad, but very firm. "Mrs. Smith,
said he, 'this is sad - am sorry not to
get you home safety" With these words
he turned away, and l saw no more Of him.
My little girl remained on board, and l
did not discover that she was absent uE-
til l had got into the boat. l afterwards
learned that Capt. Herndon took charge
Of her, and sent her to me by the nert
boat, by lady named Mrs. Kitteridge,
who handed her to me after reached the
Marine. Capt. Herndon remained self
possessed, calm, and firm throughout. l
shall ever think of him with gratitude. l
am not surprised to hear that he is among
the lost, because l knew by bis appearance
when l parted from him that he would be
the last man to leave the ship.
x r Il Il II
When the women and children had been
rescued, the boats which broug int them
from the wreck were cut loose from the
Marine; the men who had manned them
positively refusing to return for fresh loads.
II was melancholy spectacle we were now
compelled to witness. Three staunch boats
floated uselessly upon the rough waves,
while the wreck of the steamer, black with
people, was visibly sinking before our eyes.
Yet all attempts to persuade or drive the
seamen to undertake the rescle of others
proved utterly unavalling. .r
Mrs. Birch, wife of the Bryant Min
strels, says:
AS soon as the leek was discovered on
Friday morning the Captain sent man
down into the cabin, who intimated our