The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1857-09-30

carry coal. They cempiied win tue re.
Quest, hut ii was too late; the water was
already SO deep that tihey could not get
to the coal. They then attempted to get
up Gre by burning the tinbers OF the
cabins and other parts Of the steamer,
which were torn mp for that purpose; ana
they finally succeeded in starting one OF
the pumps, but she only made two or three
strokes and then stopped. Different
causes, he says. we're assigned at the time,
for the stoppage Of the pumps, some say
inV that they were out Of order, and would
not work, and others that the hre had
been again extinguished. As to the
cause of the leakage. he also heard varl-
GUS accounts given by persons on board
but could get nothing reliable. 1t was
the unanimous opinion, he says. that the
leakage was not so serious as to have pre-
vented the steamer from keeping atoat
ram indefinite time, if the engineer had
riyen the alarm in season to prevent the
fres from being extinguishsd, and thus
enabled them, to work the pumps Inc
sondact of the engineer, was freely COM
mented on, and q good deal OF indigna-
tion manifested against him, before ne lett
thee vessel. and Mr. George thinks this
might have been an inducement for him to
make his cowardly escape. After 1t was
found that all attempts to relight the hres
would be useless, the passengers were con-
stsutls employed in bailing out the steam.
or up to the time she sunk Within nall
an hour previous to her sinking, he says
he saw Capt. Herndon himself passing
the buckets. Mr. George says 1t was
nearly forty.eight hours after all had be.
come convinced that she must eventually
sink before she went down. During all
thistims, he says, no orders were given
aud no attempts made to construct a RAFT
or anything of the kind. He says there
va, annie time to have constructed raft
that would have saved every soul on board.
The sea st the time she wen: down. ana
for several hours previously, was not SO
heavy but that raft would easily have
withstood it. a.ss. aa,se,l,, 81
Capt. Herndon. although personally
brsve.I he thinks was too mild aud easy
msn for the position he occupied. AS a
specimeu of the crew, Mr.. George men,
toned the conduct of Que Of the M men WI who
manned the boat that. took off the ladies'
t. the bark Marine, He said that Ger
man slid down the side Of the steamer and
jumped. into the boat, and on their way to
the brig sne.of theiboatmell demanded all
his money. on pain of heingathrown over
boards7 The German paid him all be had,
about $40. and thus saved his life The
story came to the knowledge OF Capt.
McGowan. of the Empire City, on the
trip from Norfolt. aud he conpssied Tue
sailor tu refund the money. r NL
Mr.. George thinks the violence OF the
rale that The Central America encounter
ed has been much overrated. He says
he has been to sea good deal, although
not avaailer; and he has often encountered
much seyersr storms than that was. The
wind blew pretty hard. bnt The sea was not
that any man accustomed TO the ocean
could call extraordinary rough. Net =
single wave broke over The deck OF The
atxsrner,. he says, .uaiil about ten minutes
befure she sunk He thinks the vessel
night have been saved if the engineer had
proucrly attended 10 his duty, and even
though the ei had sunk. the lives oi
all the passengers might have been pre-
served BY proper foresight and Judgment
ON the part Of the efficers.