The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-09-21
DAILY DISPATCH.
THE Loss OF THE CENTRAL AMERICA.
Account Of the
SJORM AND DISASTER J
NARRATIVES OF THE PAssEN.
GERS!.
Thrilling Incidents I!
&c, &c, &c.

hundred souls were landed into eternity. II an
pears from the statement of Capt. Badger, that
the Central America went down at night instead
OF IN the morning, as heretofore stated AmonO
the lost was Purser Dobbn, Of North Carolina. a
brother OF the late Secretary Dobbin. 1t will be
seen that the brave 1t. Herndon is among the lost
lie was calm and collected during the whole scene
ri" "hiie upon hatch-wsy, floating in the ocean,
gave his watch TO another person, requesting that
II might be given to his wife. The accounts which
oiio" are from our own Reporter at Norfolk thu
Noitolk Day Book and Argus and from an extra OF
he baltimore American where some of the uas.
'engers landed, and from telegraphic dispatches:
The steamer Central America left Aspinwall
| >eptember Sd and arrived at Havana, on Monday
morning, the 9TH inst. after u very pleasant trip
| TOOK Oh board 40 tons of coal. aud left for New
tork, again on Tuesday, the eth inst. ga O'Clock
| \. VI tapt Thos- W Badger who in company
"lth his wife, came over AZ passengers has kindly
| favored Us with the following particulars, which
We give, as nearly in his words as possible
| He says:
| STATEMENT OF CAPT. THos. W BADGER
This Is my third trip, as passenger. on the Cen
| trail America and considered her staunch and safe
- any vessel that floats. We left Havana Oh
| tuesday, Sth, with fine weather. light wind from
| \ \. T. and smooth sea, until Thursday morning
! 5"th inst, when fresh breeze from the North
! 'prung up, increasing gradually, until evening
when every thing Indicated heavy 10. The
| heNCury III the barometer going up slowly. The
| "ngine was making her usual revolutions. The
| gale increasing gradually until morning, when
| wing 10 the heavy sea, the engine had 10 be work
| "i 10y hand very slowly, and men placed al
proper places to push the cranks by to keep them
rom catching on the centre. On Friday,at Il th.
hip was free from water with head 10 the wind
| laying very easy and engine working slowly. The
| any danger
| At y p. NJ, the ship gave three or four heavy
| urches, when quietly went out of the cabin and
cooking down in the engine room. found the enginc
| working very badly | looked well down into the
tee biise and found the water rising. which re-
ported 10 MIR. Ashby. Chief Engineer, who was OF
deck, occasionally lookinsi ntO the engine room.
| then returned TO the cabin, wheu the ladies in.
qnred il there WAS any danger and to quiet them
told them there was none, AS honestly thought al
the time. In half hour | returned TO the deck
to see II she had bettered her condition. which was
about o'clock, F. VI, and found the engine stopped
and the ship paid of into the trough of the sea
which caused her to roll to leeward. | then pro
aeeded TO the fire room, and found the water had
increased in the lee biige, and asked the engineer
Why the engine was stopped, saying ''if you don't
look out the ship will fill with water" lie then
orders to the steward depar tment to got buck
Its, and come down to pass coal to the fire room
hurrying them by saying, ''if you don't work brisk
you will hive ts bali The snip for if the sngines
stop. the pumps, Of course, must"
| | then urged him to put gang to bsiling and not
wait any longer as the water had r0Se high enough
II put out the lee fires, and ediatey proceeded
to the panion-way and passed orders to the gen
tlemen in the cabin to o"m line and help To bail
the ship, which order they at once complied with
At this time the steward gang commenced passing
water from the fire room, having abandoned thu
CoSl aud the passenger gang, passed their buckets
from the cabin through the saloon one or two
gangs in the meantime were put TO work in the
steeruGe- The Captain hal the deck pumps rigged.
| about useless,
could not be msde to work. At this juncture. re-
port reached the engineer, that leak WAS discove-
| red around the lee shaft, which was occasionally
submerged, while rolling in the sea. This was the
principal leak had heard of up to this time, and
the ship was perfectly tight in her bottom.
About3, p. VI, the engineer requested the Cap
tain to keep the ship off the wind, so as to right
her, and enable him TO get tie engine to work
again. but in setting the head sails they were
blown away, and twas found impossible to wear
the ship The Captain the II commenced preparing a
DRAY, which made and placed overheard, but
soon found to do no good. | then proposed to the
Captain to cut away the foremast which he i'm
mediately haddOne. and ae ship seemed easier, and
| appeared 10 ride better.
| The Chief Engineer then ordered the booths and
| other wooden material handy. TO be torn away to
fire up the Donkey Boilers, (Which are situated on
| drck,l as to get the pumps to work, which
| Was without success, At dark OF that day, (Frl-
day. the gale at its height. The bainS gangs
were augmented, and every man who could stand
! worked through the night. The gale continued
! i, a. NJ.
| when it commenced TO subside. At daylight the
| water found on the increase and the gangs
were unable to keep it down, and on examining
the headlights around the lower cabin, they were
found to leak very badly. We then applied whips
and casks at every hatchway for hosting out water,
which, in conjunction with the gangs. appeared to
keep 1t under. At TO- A. NJ. Saturday. the sea
had moderated, and the passengers, exhausted by
theiI laborous duties since the day before, began
| to flag, and the water again TO increase.
About z. NJ, the brig Marine run down under
our stern. when our boats were lowered. and two
out of the five were by the heavy sea leaving
us only three to work WITH one of which in
bad condition. We, however, succeeded in putting
board of the brig all of the ladies and children
which in manner revived the spirits the gangs,
who resumed their labors, but without avail, a.
the water had reached the lpwer cabin floor, and
ot course fastened the sinking of the ship soon,
however, the boats returRed from the brig, after
landing the ladies and children, the gang partially
abandoned their work and a rush was made for the
| boats Every one now seemed to look ont for
themselves, and the only disorder during the try
ing time, was now. The Chief Engineer having
set the example in abandoning the ship, every one
else was anxious to get in the boats. The brig
being much lighter than the ship, drifted to lee
ward much faster, which soon placed her some
distance Off The last load of some twenty or more
men having gone. and the boats not returning all
communication with the brig now ceased. About
dark that night Saturday American schooner,
supposed to he the Sovereign, of New York, run
down and spoke US, but being unable to render u
any assistance, promised to lay by us all night
At this time the water was half way up the lower
cabin and the gang still working, which continued
nntii p. NJ, when they gave up In despair, feel
ing twas impossible to save the vessel. From that
time until o'c clock every body was busy providing
something to keep themselves above water.
Among the rest provided myself with plank
abont feet long and little after the ship sunk
| rapidly. carrying about BOO persons down with her.
| the most of them arose again and then the scene
| beggared descrp iOh Some were crying, ''God
save me-" God have mercy on me-" and Other
plous eJaculations. Some were screaming, some
CRYING AMI some praying. | have been sea-far-
ing man for twenty-five years--a ship master for
ten years, but never, never experienced such a
| scene before, and God forbid ever shall again!
Here says our reporter the interesting nara
tive OF Capt Badger stopped, the old salt seeming
| too much oppressed to proceed The following,
which concludes the statement, We find in the bal
| timOre American, Extra
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 minutes not less pro
badly than three hundred lad sunk to rise more,
| whilst myself and others who had succeeded in
| holding to some means of support were scatter
I'D over the dark ami dresry ocean floating off with
| the tide There a large number of passengers
had bags Of gold DUST and some doubtless perished
in their efforts to save IT. | may also here add
that from fifty to sixty passengers shut themselves
up in their state-rooms IN despair and sank with
| the ship.
afoat soon scattered the surface of the ocean
for a distance of about mile One hour after the
| ship sank saw light at the leeward, which
seen by most of those rescued, supposed to be that
of the schooner Sovereign but it soon disappeared
We knew that the ships 10 leeward could not reach
us and turned our gaze in the opposite direction.
| Att o'clock on Sunday morning We saw approach
ing us under full sail, with a strong breeze, the
| Norwegian bark Ellen; ran into our midst aud
those watch were astounded with the cry OF hu-
| man beings Captain Johnston, the commander,
Immediately hove his vessel TO, under short sail,
aud commenced TO rescue US. The steamer at this
| time had been down over five hours lie lauhched
| ~ boat and threw ont ropes and buoys, and did