Squatter sovereign., 1857-09-26
Sinking Of the Central America.
500 LIVES LOST!

Aggregate loss in treasure 50, ,250, 900
Most of which was insured. The steamer
was valued at about $500, 900 not insured
Over l00. persons were saved; the
names of which and many of the lost, can
be seen at our Office by any one interested.
We give OLIVER P. MANLEx's &C.
count Of the scene as furnished by the
telegraph through the 81. Louis Republican.
The storm commenced Immediately after
leaving Havana, and continued with great
| violence, increasing in fury until Friday
11th. On Friday afternoon all hands were
called to bail out the water which had ex.
tinguished the fires in her furnaces. The
vessel continued to ship water, and all
went TO work with buckets and barrels,
continuing all Friday night and Saturday
morning.
About 2, p. NJ the brig Mariner hove
in sight. All the ladies and children were
put on her about o'clock, P. NJ, and the
engineer left with them. In launching
the boats, two of the five were stove and
sunk, the other three were dispatched with
the women and children about an hour be-
fore sunset. The Mariner was lying
nearly mile away, and by the time they
reached her it became evident that the ship
must go down before they could get back.
All hands then seized pieces of chairs and
| life preseTyers, while others rushed below
| to secure their treasure. The confusion
| at this time became very great, although
all acted with coo!ness each endeavored
to make last effort for his own safety. /
The vessel gave three iurches, some Of
the passengers jumping of, at each. Those
who went with the frs, and second lurches
swamoff some distance to avoid being drawn
down with her, but the great mass remain.
| ed on deck till she went down., which was
| about a minute or two afterwards. / had
provided myself with a life preserver and
piece of spar, and determined to go
down with the vessel, with the great mass
OF passengers, all Of whom stood about,
preparing themselves up. She finally went
down stern foremost. @
| I was standing near the smoke stack al
the time, and we were all dragged uuder
the water with the sinking ship. The gen.
eral supposition is, that We were dragged
under at leas: twenty feet, and when we
rose to the surface we were nearly stifled.
| The rapiditly with which was drawn down
1
preserver from my body, and when reach
ed the surface my clothes were almost
stripped off of me. /, however, met q
friend who had two lite preservers, and he
gave me one. We also seized on pieces
of the wreck, which helped to sustain us.
i On reaching the surface there were al
least four hundred passengers struggling
about, most of whom having lost their life
preservers were seizing on pieces of the
wreck which came up with US. The cap.
tain had had the upper works OF the vesse
cut away, that when the hull sank they
would float off, but they were dragget
down with the hull, and came up ia frag
ments, and many of the struggling pas
sengers were doubtless killed or stunned
and drowned by being struck with tn.
pieces Of the wreck, while to oihers the,
proved ultimate mes rs Of safety. An o..
: casional fash Of lightning showed 10 .eacl
other sea Of fstruggling forms. All s,rov.
to encourage their feiiowesnfferers witt
hopes which they scarcely felt them
selves. At 6rst we were all together In
mass, but soon the waves separated US, an,
; ut each successive fash Of lightning *,
discovered that we were being scattered
, over q wide area. and soon we found our
: selves apparently alone on the boundles
ocean. Hall $ EekfSg
1 The balance Of Mr.. Manieyt aceoun
does not differ from that OF Mr.. Childs
already published. Heeoneludes by sayin,
: that about ten o'cloclock be was picked a
|; by the bark Ellen, and the satisfaction o
finding many Of his fellow sufferers o.
board rescued by the humane exertions o.
| ,hu ere,u of that y,sssei
The steamship Empire City sailed fron
Norfolk a. IL o'clock yesterday morning
] with 90 Of the rescued passengers, e
New York.
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