The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1857-10-02
Mttus Wlattsrs.
The Great Disaster at Sea.

some further particulars OF the Cen
trdt america. Eastern papers also
bring US copious details, as far as
known, Of the calamity; and from
them We make some extracts. Mr..
Henry ii. Childs, Of New York, one
Of the passengers saved by Norwe-
gian bark Eloise, publishes the fol-
lowing Statement:
STATEMENT OF HENRY II. CuILps.
AUGUSTA, Friday, Sept. IS, 1857.
IL left Havana in the steamship
Central America for New York on
Sept. s. The weather was delight.
fnl and the sea calm on the passage
from Aspinwall. On the afternoon
of the day of sailing from llayana
fresh westerly breezes sprung up
On the following morning the wind
blew very strong, the gale cnntinu-
ing to increase in violence ~ the
day advanced. At night there was
no abatement in the fury of the gale,
and it commIncrI raining in tor.
rens. On Thursday i. blew hur.
ricanc. the sea running very high
On Friday, the storm ragc'i fearful.
Ily. At III o'clock in the morning Of
this day, it WAS first known among
the passengers that the st,anrr had
sprung q leak. AMI was making wa
ter last. A line ot men MAS inlnr-
diatcly formed, ami they went to
work bailing cut the water from the
engine rooms, the fire. having al.
ready been extinguishrL. We gain
cd on the water 40 mmcl that we
were able to get up steam again; hut
We held it but a few minutes, and
then she stopped forever. Bailing
continued, however, and was kept
up in all parts Of the ship until she
finally went down. During Friday
night the water gained gradually
but all on board being in pretty soo,l
! spirits, they worked to tho best o
! their ability, feeling that when tho
= morning came they possibly nigh
saved saved. some ass ,Stai StStSe! n,Iaa an thss b!
last, but brought nothing bu, in
creased fury in the gale. Still W,
b. worked on, and Mt about > o'clocl
d. in the afternoon the storm lulle'l
| little and the clouds broke away
Hope was renewed, AMI all nov
worked like giants. AT 4 p. NJ. W
espied u sail, and fired guns on,
u placed our fla. a hnli-mast. |, wa
h seen, and the brig Marine of Bostnl
boro down upon Us. We then con
/! sidcrcd safety certain. Shr cam
y near us, and W. spoke to her AN
!, told our condition. She laid b.
about mile d; ''an', and we, in tn
. only three bonts saved, placed a.
u the women and children, and the
o were safely put Oh board the brig =
g AS evening was fast approachin
rs wo discovered another rail, whc
), responded to our call and came nca
" us. Capt. Herndon told them OF
10 condition, and asked them to lay b
N and send q boat, AZ we had non
q left. She promised to do so, bl
,e that was the last we saw of her e,
, cept at distance, which grew grea
;, er and greater every moment. 4
=, I o'clock we saw no possibility I
" keeping afloat much longer, q
T. tho we all felt that we ifconld do {
II until morning, all would be save,
to In a short time a heavy sea for til
er first time broke over the deck OF Ill
,e vessel and then all hope faded awa,
:. Life .prcservcrs were now supple
- to all, and We sept mp two rocket
's when q tremendous sea swept ov,
@, US, and the steamer in q momel
=, went down. ! think some 400,
n. some 450 souls were launched upc
ne tho ocean at the mercy ef the wav,
~ The storm at this moment had C,
=. tirely subsidized. We all kept ne,
u together, and went as the wav,
an took us. There was nothing or vol
is little said, except that each OF
Is cheercd his fellow comrade on
Id Courage was thus kept mp for tv
~ or three hours, and think for III
-, space Of time no one had browne
i" but three who could not swim h
y came exhausted. After this, gra
h' ually one by one. passed away
no eternity. The hope that boats wou
h; be sent to us from the two vesse
m wo had spoken, soon fed from u
:, andY our trust was alone 10 Prov
- dence--"snd what better trust cou
an you or ask tort" saw my cor
ad rades sink fast. and at one o'clo,
30 that night was nearly alone up,
i, the ocean, some two hundred mil
/, from land. ! heard, however, shou
:, from oil that could do so, that we
y, not FAR from me, but I,conld not Q
}" them, Within an hour from Il
he time / saw vessel, which l judg
is to be about one mile from me. 4
be king fresh courage, l struck out
rs the vessel and reached il when net
-, ly exhausted, and they drew me
~ board Of it by ropes. 1t proved
90 be . Norwegian bark from Bell,
n. Honduras, bound for Falmout
10, England. II found on board of b
re some three Of my comrades, and
nd 81 o'clock the next morning We b.
n tortyrnine noble fellows on boar
. and thess are ell ! know OF havi,
" been'saved.' We stayed shout n
'''lplace until we thought that al eli
= -x>sESS;zs~ v- -,
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