Washington telegraph., 1857-12-02
,,.,.,.,,,., WAlL.-It was but as Y,

=
u. vail came from the ocean
telII g horror that made all hearts shud-
der and almost cease their pulsatlon. 1t
r,g - the death wall from more than four
Ea.5r,1 strong men, who went down with
~" Tu"' m f,tod Central America To-day
'"e " ,notber. less awful in the number
-. ~ Joad indeed, but dreadful enough.
ii ,,,rtaps rendered more narrowing from
',i,,or absence of the shadow of an ex-
- for the awful waste of life which has
been caused On night comparatively
calm. starlight even, and no fogs prevail
inc. two steamships, loaded with passen-
GERS and freight, pursuing their accustom-
ed channels, and knowing as their officers
must. that they could not be far from each
other at the time, came in collision il the
dead Of night. cutting one of them through
and through, and sending seventeen pas
seugers at least, men and women, instant
II to their last accounts, Good God to
what are we comm. when such things can
take place with impuuity!
In the sinking of the steamship Opc-
Eousds between Bcrwick's Bay aud Calves
ton. on Sunday night, under the circum-
stances as they have been detailed by the
surviving passengers, and those of the
other steamer. the GIirsstoH, 1t does seem
to us that there must have been Sgmetrhrrs
,rross. iuexcusable carelesSuess and necli-
rence. and consequently that 4 terrible
criminalitv must attach itself to somebody
or other. II is inconceivable how such a
calamity could take place under such cir
The surviving passengers of the Ope-
l,usus. or at least a portion Of them, and
those of the G0lrcs oA, do not hesitate to
charge the officers and crews of both steam
ships with ..gross neglect and carelcssuess
both before and after the melancholy col
lision" They state this coudlet showed
the "most criminal carclessncss and reck-
less indifference of human life = and give
1t rs their ..mature conviction that the ca.
lanlity was the result of gross neglect and
carclessness on the part OF the officers. and
an entire want of discipline on the part of
the crews" They also charge that the
crews of both ships robbed the rescued
passengers of their effects, and call on the
authorities Of the country to institute pro-
ceedines against them. Capt K. Y. Mae
lay, of the L. 5. Army, who wis a passeu-
ger on the GGir,St,a, states that he was
ON deck an hour and a half before the col
lisiou. and saw 10 one there. lie looked
in at the compass, and saw the man at the
wheel leaning over 1t, and thinks the man
was o,Jeeo. After the collision he went
ON deck, and on going to the forward life
boat found there was but one oar in it,
and 1t was not launched. there being no
men in attendance 10 DO IT, The other
life boat was subsequently launched, aud.
as Nir. J. i. Lyman, another passenger
ON the Ggir@sf4H, says, by the passengers.
Other beats were finally dispatched from
the G'dirrSi9,. he says. To the relief of the
drowning passengers, but they al returned
about an hour and q half before daylight.
aud were hauled IN. Soon after this. two
passengers drittcd by on a piece of the
wreck. and called loudly for help. but ..uo
ba0t ,-0s s,uf ant IN heH. noy. 1-rs aBy
,flr' m03e ~ tie etir.rs IF tie Gair.s-
taa To surc heHi.''
Mr.. Lyman further declares flat six
more passengers Were brought on board
after daylight. who bad cluu. six hours TO
the wreck. while the G0'r,st9a wa- an
chorcd not more than quarter Of mile
from them - lie says he was ON deck
shout an hour before the catastrophe; that
there was then no one on deck except the
helmsman, and he appeared ''vouug aud
inexperienced. and KS apparently 'asleep
CT doing" The li3lts were Ill lit. and
the night though somewhat cloudy. was
not in the least inggy-and he thinks
that ''lookouts on the two vessels might
easily have seen each other at distance
OF mile oy n,9re" Capt Ellis. of the
DJ,eiousvs. SAYS that at l o'ciock it was
starlight over head. and slight haze On
the horizon He went his accustomed
rounds before midnight. found every
thing in order, boats all right, three oars
aud a flag lashed in each. He SAYS he
ordered the second mate to keep lookout
for the Galres,0n, which was passed on
other occasions. when visible, about 12l
% clock, distant from one mile to three
lie lay down with his clothes on. but was
soon after reused. and saw the Gulres on
ut full speed running directly on to his
beam, striking the OpoIaus1s about ten
feet froom the galley, and going into her
nearly to the steam pipe. Capt Ellis
SAYS there was no necessity for any ones
being lost, as there was wreck enough to
float FIVE hundred people. '.but the men
jumped u aboard in their fright"
IN. u. bulletin.