The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-09-25
1.-The Central America.


'In the wreck of the Steamer Central America,
bound from Arph well to New York, it is .estff:;
,nated that there was lost s25O,oOo IN specie,
t0gethsr with nearly GOO persons, only 100 of
The ppssengers having been accounted for.
The vessel seems to have been entirely un.
seawogshy andshe propretors are justly charg.
able withsthe catastrophe and deserve the
-reprobation of the entire community. We
suIjoin.the following Particulars:
SAsaSsAA Sept 1s.---The bavk Saxon nrri.
we'd atthis. port tins morning wsfh five of the
passengers Of. the steamship Central Americ.
which was wrecked on tbe l2th lust. The YES.
selis totalsloss, toge,her with the treasure and
mails, She had Eve hundred messengers on
board, Of wloHf,tie brig Marine, of Boston So.
ved frop forty 10 fifty, and tho bark Ellen
Eloise. s6ine fifty Others The mines of those
Who arrived. @e'this port are, r. II: cl,i!ds of
Of SanfFfahsisso.: IND George IN. Look and b.
H. Ridley Of Maine. sE
Henry II. Childs, ONT 81 tile passehgers above
famedsmakessa statement as fulfoNst
Central AnfeFicnlcft IIavnnn OH Ttesdav stb
with deliglitfnF Weather, which had been the
case ftohf ksrinwaI During the afternoon a
fresh breeze epfang rp, ansason the next morn
instease .hroughou. Wednesday,, and for port TT
Of the sifhe accompanied with heavev rain.
o. Thursday the gaie cha anjged to hurricane
and the Heaswas rolling very high. Ths storm,
Continued. and on Friday, about ii 4. M. it
wnsmade known to passengers that the vessel
'iad sustained Weak, which threatened to I'M
reeidsS AIha,d. were put to the pumps in
nels! !&}art,sssAad for while, gained 80 far ns
to ding ofsfre in the engine room;
-wlri5ishad been Aaenehcd by the wafer.
lbs, g9lh was SOON lost, and the fires again
eSt'nga'shed. The wo4 of bailing went on
Il IroI onnt- l..
MghtEths passengers and crew keeping cool
hesEte. ,ghd hoping thrt with daylight they
wotfld speak some vessel.
hbout 2 psm.,, OF SATURDAY., the storm abated
andFa calm eusued, and this. continued the
hores OF all, and nerved them for the work of
the Steamship fired signals, and displayed col.
ors at haIfmast This proved to be the brig
Marine of boston, which came up and smoke to
us receive our reports, and then laid off
mail: The steamship had but three boats left,
into which nll the women and children were
put, and transferred to the brig. Later in the
evening another sail was seen fnst approaching.
Capt Ierna1do reported condition to it and
asked to lay. aside. favorable answer was
returned, but insteadsof approaching the YES
sel3pnssed ont Of sight
AT Up. m. it wns found the steamer could
not hold ont mitch longer, heavy sea then
sweptoser her for the Fl rst ti,nc.s fife nrescr
vers were distributed, rockets fred, and soon
after the vessel went down. leaving at ftie mer.
ey OF The slEaves from four hundred to four
hundred bud ffty- persons. The sea was then
calm, and we all kept together, and chccrcd
each dtirer as well MS the stoutest could. We
thnssSepf together think, for two or three
hours, pealy all being preserved so long excent
those who could not swim at all Exhaustion
then began to overcome one after an6ther and
l saw them going down around me. At
m.' Saturday morning. was nearly alone
could hear shouts of few survivors, but could
zee none. About 9 n. M, ms reckoned saw
vessel ata distance Of mile or less, took fresh
eoutage, and swan towards it--reached it in
last efforts Of exhaustion, andSRwas drawn up
tyEsfopes. 1t tins Norwegian bark, from
Balze for Falmouth. found on board three
OF ny comrades, survivors, and before o'clock,
We bad forty nine Of them in nll-wkic arc ali
know. to have been rescued. We kent near
the piHce, 0Rd, in anxious watching, until.we
believed all living Ind been picked up and then
made sail the bark being short of ,provisious,
'nnd1he crew living On Cruel; We fofaiHd little
tea agIeoffee also.
The Central American was commauiled by
captain WI. Hernandez. Of the U. 6. .Nnvy.
sshose explorations sthe Amazon have made
hls nnnhe familiar f. the scientific world of
Europe SaDd America He was native Of
Freder,sksbufg, Va, and was regarded as one
d;the bfAvcstand most accomplished officers of
.9lF nhsy. i Ills loss will be widely and deeply
sfhs number of passssiers stated to have
i!een lost we.5siieveto 6sainder estemated. as
Ahe EmpireW Wity reported that the Central
. Aa,efca had on board TOO passengers Her
eshw could petkays been less than loo, and if
tna IYaIter OF sulyivers is given correctly;
t4egsls TOO mhch reasep-te believe that nearly
stQyesnsioS shy this frightful disaster.
Ehaas enirnl america was lost 25O miles off
Ha.teras.s
safSFss