The American. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1857, 1857-09-23
li0iauL 4YiT9a.I4 YA


and myself should remain with him, ana TX presset
Ms detefhhdtio hot to leave the ship while there
twas u sbul on board but would renlaih until she
sgpke from undal him4 Hislonly4 regret was hi:
faply77apd he died like q brave man. Wy" " NJ
bn,lAt oclock on Saturday, night the water was
up 70 the hoor of the dining saloon, and all then
Went to work calmly to devise means, each Cor
their 6wtf safety. 9Anhalf hour previous to the
ship sinking thepeswere twobllghts Seen some dis
tanceat the lewaRd, supposed TO be the brig Ma
rlne and the schpopeH, that spoke us an hour or
two previous, but having fresh breeze and high
sea they We're uhable to Work up to- the wind
ward. ,sr 1nilnso !E2it!Jf
| quarter Of an hour before, the steamer sank
ono Of our boats hailed US, and voice cried that
his bon was stove and he could not take any one
| on board. This boat was cndeavoring TO return
from the Marine, but was disabled. II was doubt
less the impression on board both the brig aud the
| schooner that the steamer would be able to keep
| up until morning, hence they probably did not
keep as near US during the night as they might
| have done. Indeed it was the opinion of many on
| board that we would hold up all night, and did
not think that she would 60 down before midnight
At 10 minutes of 8 o'clock, Captain Herndon
took position on the wheelhouse with his second
officer and fred rockets doioaacard the usual sip-
nal, to the brig and schooner that we were sinking
rapidly. This was a fearful moment, and must
have been also to the ladies' on board the Marine,
who understood the signal all of whom had hus-
bands or friends on board
| ! now procured board six feet long and six
inches wide, tearing it off the front OF berth,
and took my position on the taffrail, and held on
| the after awning stauncheon At that time there
was two or three hundred on the quarter deck,
breathlessly waiting the final sinking. There was
two seas swept over the deck about this time, the
last one sweeping nearly all the passengers on the
| main deck into the sea- The ship, Immediately
| after, at o'clock on Saturday evening sank,
going down at an angle of 40 degrees, stern fore
most The suction of the ship drew the passen-
gers under water for some distance, and threw
them in a mass together. When they reached
the surface the struggle for life was intense, with
cries and shrieks for help, especially from those
| unable to swim. Many unable to swim clung to
those who could, Or laid hold of the larger pieces
OF the wreck, which were soon swamped In ten
inmates, not less, probably, than three hundred
had sunk to rise no more whilst myself and Others
who had succeeded in holding on to some means
OF support were scattered over the dark and
dreary ocean, floating off with the tide. There
was large number of the passengers had bags of
gold dust, and some doubtless perished in their
efforts to save it. / may also here add that from
hfty to sixty OF the passengers shut themselves
up in their state rooms in despair, and sunk with
the ship. ..~
Those who had succeeded in keeping them
seo .t- aioa', soO scaltereo over thc surface OF
'ec ocean ior Instance OF about mile. One hour
after ship sank saw light at the leeward, which
was seen by most OF those rescued, supposed to be
that of the schooner Sovereign but il soon disap-
peared We knew that the ships to leeward could
not reach us, and turned our gaze in the opposite
| direction -.sa-
az O'CLOCK on sunday morning we saw ap-
p,oaSns @ as unuer Iuii san, win strong breeze,
Sn1 ,ot"eshh oarque Ellen ran INTO our midst,
1a1 wi fho
=. ..Snn naan oenss. captain Johnson, the COM
nianuer' Iiimealately move ms vessel to, under
S.N"- san au oo,henceu 70 rescuc US. Inc
TT ~ tns lne nau peen uo"n over nVe hours,
ho Iauioneu sis poat, anu thre" OUT ropes anu
puSy ., anu uiu everything tnat good seainansnip
anu hllahe heart couia uictate 70 save rs many
as po9sioie; was tne iourth one rescued, and
mllhesseu .ne nopie e1ertlohs Oh himseI and crew
lnrougnout sne nighs' ne conunned MS search
among lhe drnt wooI, tacEing backward and for,
naiu, uP " o,ioch on ouiioay, put oiu not ma
aoy one a'c, oc,ock III the inorlhhg, anu COIL
7equensy renh!ulsnea ene seareh AZ noon.
on .uo niollh,s VI oInuay, Inc priS Marine was
ouI oi slgli anu INC schooner was some SIX miles
10 ieewaru, ana appearing 10 be laying 10, put
soon bore away on her course, doubtless being sat
lsneu tnat was nhpossiDie 10 reach US, also seeing
| the PARK backing AM hillng to windward.
Inc same uay at O'Clock we spoke the Dark
Saxohy Dound 70 savannah she reported seeing
Drg WIN NUMBER OF ladies' on board (supposed
70 DC the harEe) under iuli sail steering North;
we pore away WIN iar ~ VINO IN ior Norfolk as as the
ncares' port anu arrived OH cape nenry on ihurs-
uy evening" hve oi US TeachlnS Norioik, IN
PI'os ooas =. uaynght on frday morning, WHICH
We nad a a,o,oa ior 'ilss Fu purpose. .,.,
at tnree closk on fruay afternoon, l assisted
~ ~ DIYi a,s. auu PIs"us W Morh oaiIlng gangs
" o"'i yu' possloe s.e ehse room aIu seer
s.53. nc; ~. Joneu "ilhsy anu oneei-
!" .nI -. an a.'eup. was ''aue 70 ise
,,s;nn ,ho u cnSne W pump tne snip 1ut,
s~ 9,"i ~, a. anu o.ner g moog"orh ol sne snip
,Uh.t o1,so % ,as s ens,ne Wou'u ,ot Work iroh
as,ar consnI,;ra ,v;,S ca0,S.u a. i've ~ o~c:o.h,
:, n,,,;,,s' @ ,L ta. nerlaoh a a9S'5ssu Tt
"h haa ;s 1917" sno " ',e suip. Inc
sup nau iiu easy "iiS' 'he hachnery
was - hon, uu. snG was ~ snc gous" VI '"e
sea, n.ns noa i1io"es h, " 'eewaru.
., Iurv'1rs Nv 1 oy .ne Dig MARINE Lhink 'na' .n
n;i,, s oecn savou az enei saw .gnts ~ '"o
"I VI .he sunhtn steamer a M uurlhg lg 'Ie nisns
VI '"c " slio f.ncn r a''o .epoas
aS seer Eap:ain hernuon alte. tI'c svIa,ies
s,u,,;,' por"0N o VI 'ne va t. anu
,e;neSS 81 hia saeo,r ''' '"' i'P'' "'' ."'''
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,orIor of tbo National uo,ol =, W"rs"I .ta ad;os