Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1857-09-26
VOL. IX--NO. 8.
Particulars of the Syrecking Of the
Central America

AUGUSTA, Friday, Sept. IS, 1857

STATEMENT OF H. II. CHILDs.
AUGUSTA, Friday, Sept. Is, 1857.
The following is the statement of Henry
H. Childs: ..
81 left Havana in the steamship Central
America for New York on Sept. 8. The
weather was delightful and the Sea calm Oh
the passage from Aspnwall. On the after
noon of the day of sailing from Havana
| fresh westerly breezes sprung up. On the
! following morning the wind blew very
strong, the gale continuing to increase in
| violence as the day advanced. At night
| there was no abatement in the fury of the
gale, and it commenced raining torrents.
On Thursday it blew a hurricane, the sea
running very high. On Friday the storm
ragged teariuI!y. AT Il O'Clock in the morn
ing of this day, it was first known among
| the passengers tlIatrthe steamer had sprung
a leak, and was making water fast. A line
OF men was Immediately formed, and they
went to work bailing,out the water from the
engine rooms, the fires having already been
extlnguslled. We gained on the water SO
much that we were able to get MP steam
again; bat We held it but a few minutes,
and then she stopped forever. Bailing con-
tinued, however, and was kept up in all
paris OF the ship until she finally went down.
During Friday night the water gained grad
naily, bat al on board being in pretty good
spirits, they worked to tie best of their
ability, feeling that when the morning came
they possibly might speak some vessel and
thus Ge saved The fatal Saturday came a.
last, but brought liothing but increased fury
N the gale. Silt she worked on, and at
about O'Clock in the afternoon the storm
nlicd little and the clouds broke away.
upe was renewed, and al How worked like
giants. AT 4 ?. NJ, we espied sail, and
fired guns and placed our flag at half mast.
1t was seen, and the brig Marine, of Boston,
bore down upon Us. We then considered
safety certain. She came near us, and we
spoke to her and told our condition. She
laid by abort mile Distant and we, in the
only three boats saved, placed all the women
aud children, and they were safely put on
board the brig.
''As evening was first approaching we dis.
covered another sail, which responded tO
our cal! and came near US. Capt Herndon
told them our condition, and asked them to
lay by and send boat; as we had none left.
She promised to do so;'but that WAS the last
we saw Of her except at distance which
grew greater and greater every moment. At
o'clock we saw DO possibility Of keeping
atlOat much longer, although we II felt that
if we couid do 90 until morning, all would
be saved. In short time Il heavy sea for
the first time broke O;er the upper deck of
the vessel and then ,&ll'ltope faded away
Llte"preservers were no-7 supplied to all,
and We sent up two rockets, when tremen-
dous sea swept over Us and the steamer in d
moment went down. | thiri, some 400, or
some 450 souls were launched upon the
ocean at the mercy of the waves. The storm
at this moment had entirely subsidized. We
all kept near together, and went as the
waves took Us. There Was nothing or very
little said, except that each one cheered his
fellow comrades on. Courage was thus kept
up for two or three hours, and | think for
that space of time 10 one had drowned; but
three who could not swim became exhaust
ed. After this, gradually one by one pass:
ed away to eternity. The hope that boats
would be sent to Us from the two vessels
we had spoken, soCn fed from Us, and our
trust was alone in Providence-'' ''and What
better trust could you or ask for 20 | saw
my Comrades sink fast, and at one o'clock
that night / was nearly alone upon the
ocean, some two hundred miles fir II land.
heard, however, shouts from all that could
do so, that were not far from me, but I
could not see thein! Within an hour from
this time saw vessel, which fudged to
be about one mile from me. baking fresh
courage Istrucl, oat for the vessel and reach
ed it when nearly exhausted, and they drew
me on board of it by ropes. 1t proved TO be-
a Norwegian bark from Belize Honduras;
bound Tor Falmouth, England. ! found on
board Of her some three of my comrades,
and 1t 9 l-2 O'Clock the next morning VIZ
| had for y-nine noble fellows on board; and
these are all know of having been saved:
| We stayed about the place until we Thought
that all alive had been rescued, and then set
sails We found the bark short of Drovis--
ions, aal the crew living on gruel We had
some tea and coffee to refresh ourselves, and
at noon on Sunday we spoke this American
bark (the Sayony,) bound for Savannah.
which suppl:ed us with provision and took
five of us on board. Our names aret 81
| b. IL. Ridley Of Maine. "a. ...
Jabez How>.s of San Francisco: asc ..
Samuel W Look of Maine.
Adolph Fr derrick of San Francisco,
Henry ii. CAllds of New York.