Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1857-09-24
>ffRRssIgLs SDsAsrER-Loss OF THE
STE3AlEK CENTRAL AMERICA.
iAS


The fears occasioned by the prolonged
absence of the California steamer Central
America. and the knowledge that she must
have encountered the terrific gale which
prevailed off the Southern coast, have re-
ceived sad confirmation. By telegraph,
from Charleston, we learn that the steamer
Thos. Swami, arrived at that port, spoke
on the 18th, off Cape Hatteras, the bark
Eloise, which had on board forty of the
Central Americas passengers. They re-
port that the steamer foundered on the 18th,
Saturday, and that of her five hundred pas
sengers but sixty were saved. The Gen.
trll America had FIVE hundred passengers.
and with her officers and crew had proba-
bly, nearly seven hundred souls on board
The treasure on board was over a million of
dollars.
The Central America was new and
staunch steamer, and opinion in New York
was in favor of her ability to ride out the
gale. The storm however, was not only flu
rious but of long continuance. The steam
err Empire City which left Havana on the
Sth, in company with the Central Ameri-
ca, encountered the storm on the 9th. It
continued during the 10th, 18th and 10Th,
and only partially abated on the 18th The
Empire City, seriously damaged and short
Of coal, managed to get into Norfolk by
burning her furniture and portions of the
vessel. The gale appears to have been Sc
verely felt by all the steamers that encoun-
tered it. The steamer Norfolk was sunk in
the Chesapeake, the propeller Caledonia was
run down and disabled, the jamestown was
blown out to sea, as far south as Hatteras,
and shipped great deal of water, doing
considerable damage to her cargo, the South
erner reached Charleston almost complete
wreck, with six feet of water in her hold,
the Empire City put into Norfolk in distress,
having exhausted her coal, and the new
steamer Columbia arrived at Charleston on
the 18th, having had both her warehouses
carried away by the force of the sea which
broke ever her during the gale.
The Baltimore Sun of Monday contains
detailed accounts of the loss of the Central
America as furnished by several of the res
cued passengers. The Sun says:
We have the qualification of announcing
that the brig Marine, of Boston, Capt. Burt,
arrived at Norfolk on Friday evening bring
ing the unexpectedly large number of 100
including Al men, % women and 81 chill
dren. Among the men are the Chief En-
gineer and Boatswain of the lost steamer,
whose statements will be found below. The
Marine is the vessel which was reported to
have sailed for Boston with only 46 of the
survivors,
Most of those who arrived in the Marine
at Norfolk Immediately took passage in the
Empire City for New York. Some thirty
or forty, however, remained until Satur3 az
afternoon. when they took passage on The
steamer Georgia, Captain Cannon, for Bal
timore, arriving in this city yesterday morn
ing, and met with a hearty greeting from
relatives and friends. Among those who
came up were several ladies, whose hus-
bands, rescued by the bark Ellen, (not Elo-
Use as previously reported, } arrived here on
Friday, and of whose fate they knew moth
ing until they reached Norfolk. The meet
ing, under the circumstances, therefore, was
deeply affecting There were also several
ladies whose husbands persisted with the
wreck Their distressing situations elected
and received the kindly sympathies of all
our citizens who were made aware of their
arrival. Accompanying the ladies were Sc
veral children-some Of them, unfortunate
1y, now fatherless, and three of them whose
parents are unknown.
We subjoin the following statement, given
by Captain Badger, one of the passengers
picked up by the Marine. All accounts
concur in stating that this gentleman acted
noble, manly part during the whole time
from the commencement of the storm until
the going down of the steamer. His know
ledge Of sea service and cool jud gment were
of much service to Captain Herndon, the
commander of the ill-fated steamer.
STATEMENT OF CAPTAIN BADGER.
Was a passenger on the Central America,
which sailed from Aspinwall on the Sd inst.
and touched at Havana, and left on the 9Th,
in company with the steamer Empire City.
We had fine weather until the 10th. A
heavy gale commenced on Thursday even
ing, the 10th. The gale increased until 2
o'clock on Friday, the 18th, when it was
perceived that the engine had stopped, and
the ship fell off in the trough of the sea,
which caused her to make considerable wa
ter around the lea shaft and the lea lower
headlights. It was afterwards ascertained
that the cause of the stoppage Of the engine
was the neglect in the fire and engine de-
partment of getting coal along from the bun
kers to the fre-room fast enough to KEEP
steam up, consequently all the engi ines stop
ped, as well as all the pumps attached to the