Arkansas true Democrat., 1857-10-13
Wreck of the Central America.

| erablv at variance with much of the testimony before given, and if trusted, will put quite a new phase upon many material features of the | case:
 | OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF GEORGE E. AsHBY,
 CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE STEAMER CENTRAL | AMERICA
 We left Havana on the 9th of September, at 93O A. NJ. The engines and boilers of the ship were in perfect order, and worked well up | to Friday, the 1lth, carrying an average af 15 | pounds of steam. Our maximum working pow CT was 20 pounds to the inch, but we seldom l ran as high as that even under the most favo- rable circumstances.
 FRIDAY, Sept. 1.-The day commenced with the wind blowing perfect hurricane from the N. N. E., with some rain. At 9 A. M. 1 discovered that the ship was making considera- | ble water-more than ordinarily results from the different parts of machinery. l reported this fact to Capt. Herndon at once, and then started all hands at passing coal into the fire room in buckets and baskets. Capt. Herndon, at my request, sent down nearly all the walters to assist in passing coal. The ship was so listed | over to the starboard that our coal barrows were useless for passing coal. We then started starboard Warrington pump and bilge injec- tion, taking steam from the large boilers. This was obout 10 o'clock. The water in the ship was then quite hot from being in contact with the boilers, 1 suppose and in consequence of her list being all in the starboard bilge. The | pump took water and worked freely-still the water gained on us. 1 then inspected all the l pipes and their connections, and found them tight I also inspected the dead lights and found them tight. At about 12 o'clock the water overtowed the coal bunker floors, both forward and aft making it impossible for the men to work, the steam from the water putting out nearly all our lamps. 1reported to Captain Herndon the state of affairs in the engine room, and at once directed the assistant engineer to get up steam ill the donkey boiler, which was done at once.
 At the same time gang of bailers, consisting of passengers, was organized by Captain Hern don, and another gang were at work breaking up seerage berths for fuel. At o'clock the fires in the starboard boilers were eXtingushed by water. Another gang of bailers were then set at work in the after cabin hatches, and still another in the lower steerage-engi ineers, men and passengers, all at work with will. The engineers continued working up to one o'clock F. M, when they stopped for a minute for the want of steam. They soon started again with twenty pounds of steam, but having only the port fire to depend on the steam was soon used up.
 We then commenced firing up with wood, and continued to do so till the water so high as to put out all the fires, when the engines stopped. This was between four and five F. M. The Worthngton pumps, which had been pre- viousy worked by steam from the main boilers, were then worked by the donkey boiler, and continued to work till about eight o'clock with several stoppages of few minutes each, which were made necessary to free the feed pipe of the boiler from Instructions. When the donkey boiler finally stopped, the feed had become so choked up that it was necessary to cut and re- pair it.
 During the night all hands were at work ball. ing The rolling ofthe ship caused small leak around the starboard shaft, which was stopped with blankets and sail wrapped around the shaft outside, in the wheel
 SATURDAY, 12th.-Barrels were rigged with whip and worked ill the engine room, and the matches in other parts of the ship, at hosting water Mir. Keefcr, the second assistant eu- gineer also cut off the escape pipes and rlgged them as pumps in the stecrage, one of which worked will. Early in the morning steam was again got on the donkey boiler, and the pumps worked until the rapidly gaining water submerg ed them entirely. This was about o'clock A. M, and there was then between nine and ten feet of water in the engine room We were ably assisted all the time by Mr. Chas. McCar- thy, chief engineer of the steamer Golden Gate who was passenger with us. The machinery being now entirely useless, the fact was at once reported to Capt. lIerndon, and our whole at tention was given to balling water. I had se- veral consultations with Capt. Herndon and Mr. Van Rensselaer,, the first officer, with regard to the condition of the ship, and every thing that was possible was done to relieve her. All the engineers men. with the and passengers, worked constantly and bravely to tree the ship from water, but without avail.
 About 2 o'clock, P. NJ, as near as l can recol- lect brig bore down upon us, we having ig nal of distress flying. She proved to be the brig Marine of Boston, Capt. Burt, bound from Cardenas to New York. Captain llerndon hail ed him and requested him to lay by the steamer and take off the passengers, which he promised to do. We had lost oue boat from the davits the previous night leaving us five. Captain Ilerndon ordered the boats lowered as soon as the brig rounded to- Two of them were low cred safely; the third was stove and rendered useless. One man who was lowered in her was rescued with difficulty. The fourth boat was launched from the upper deck safely.
 l was requested by Captain lierndon to assist in launching the fifth and last boat-a metallic one; which was successfully done, but heavy sea carried the boat under the lee guard and 1t was stove and swamped, carrying me down with it. In short time 1 regained the ships deck. The ladies and children were then on deck ready for transportation to the brig, which had then drfted of, and was, 1 think, some two or three miles distant l then went with Captain Herndon to his room. He inquired of me if I was armed. l answered that the only weapon that l had was knife, which had been given to me by passenger in the morning. He then said he would try and borrow me pair of Dis tols, and asked Mr. Payne, a passenger, for the loan of his, and would have got them but for the fact that they in his trunk, and that was under water. The Captain then asked me to assist in transferring the passengers to the brig, and directed me not to let single man get into one of the boats till after all the women and children were saved.
 Only two men attempted to get into the boat at this time. They were both walters, one colored and the other white. 1 ordered them away; perhaps 1 drew my knife at the same time; think l might have done so, and they left In the meantime the brig had drifted far to the leeward, making it necessary for the boats to be long time in reaching her. While the boats were going with the ladies Captain Herndon and myself were on the upper deck. The Cap tain said they ought to have closer connection with the brig said to him that if l could be or any service lil any manner was at hS dlS- posal. He then asked me to go in the next boat, with the three remaining ladies and as many men as would fill the boat, to the brig, and do all in my power to induce the captain to bring his vessel bearer to the steamer. When the boat returned and the passengers were put on board got in with them and asked Mir. Me Carthy to go along and assist me. He did so, and l think after the boat had received her full complement two other passengers jumped on board, just were showing off the steamer. Mir. Payne in this boat with myself and others. Just as we showed off Captain Hern- don repeated his instructions to me to try and get the brig to come nearer. There were think, twelve or thirteen passengers in tho boat left in.
 On our way to the brig great many seas