Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-10-02
THE z WRECK.

sUYYLHIsGs or THE RIscUED ON BOARD THE BRI
MARINE.
Mrs. Marvin md Mrs. Kittridge. two of the lad
passengers Of tho steamer Central America, give tn
following account, Of the five days spent by them u
board the brig Marine:
BRIG a~ARINE-socIAL LIFE UPON HER.
When we got TO the Marine the water was washin
and dashiug over her guards, and We were handle
| right info the water. Thirty women aud twenty ri
| children were slowed into ths little cabin by s.ttinl
them down on the floor as closely RS they could sill
The only seats in the cabin Were two or three trunk
aud as many stools. There we're only seven bertbs i
the brig. Shortly after getting on board, tea wa
psssed round suopg us. We had not eatsn anythinI
since Friday morning SO it was the best tea l eve
tasted. There We're only five cups for Us all 10 clini
out OF. Some bard crackers we're also passed around
| Tn. cabin was about eight feet squsre, the captain
aud mates rooms together, making up nearly 20 muc'
more room, were given US The captain and crew
appropriated ell their spare clothing TO our use: In
b,rrbs wer. mostly occupied ey children. Mrs. A
Ellis, of Waterford, Washlnyton county onio, wa
very sick, aud had four children under her charge
We managed to get them ali iuto one berth, aud eve
af;rryard rbs, berth was known rs the birds INST
The. r,,t of Ia sat around on The q 'or on anything We
could find, or upon nothing. l sat down night by IN
cabin door, through which the water was rushing Z II
all night. | "a, all night up to my wd'S' III "ater-
The storm was very high, ths sea broke over Us snc
the ship WINS tossed 10 aud fro like d feather in a gals
| shall never forget that night; | had to hold on to the
door with all my strength when the veessl lurcneu
Thu. l sat all night, everything on or ABOUT me o.ihe
perfectly Wet. Mrs. Marvin sat in a cupboard Win q
pair Ut geutlenansw hite pants % snd q gentleman
coat on, lookipgju Vi like a man.
Mrs. Maryin-O, don't put that in.
Mrs kittridge-All the ladies' who got on board al
frs put on gentlemen's clothes
Mrs. Msrvin-l put on mems clothes to help them
work, bscausp | thought if had them on they would
lei rDe work and think | was a boy.
Mrs. kittridge-Mrs. uowley had on q pair of gen
tleIneu's white drawers and socks, and a blankel
having q hole cut in it, through which she put h-r
head, wearing il a la dfericIrH, that constituted her
dress for three days. Mrs. Badger got the Captains
pndershlrr, his boots and socks; this. with II large
blanket wound round her. constituted her dress; she
wore the Captains undershirt till she got into Bsti
| more. Miss Alice Lockwood, Mrs. Birch, Mr.
Thomas aud others, wore mems clothes. As We had
no bonnets, our heads were covered with anything
old hats, hats with the rim of. pieces o. sail, &c.
Mrs. Marviu-I tore of d hounce Of my dress and
made q bonnet for Mrs. Thsyer,
Mrs. Kittridge-Mrs. Esstou wore the Captains
old hat all the way. Mrs. Travis entered Norfolk in
her stocking feet; she could not get her shoes on 81
had lost them. 1 never had my shoes OF for d week
| lag with them ON all the time.
About 9 o'clock on Saturday night q man came Oh
board the Marine and said 'ths steamer has sunk;
| saw il go down, aud every soul on board has gon.
to Dayy Jones locker" Such a shrek as rose from
WI Lllusl ! boIO v v" bCuk u olD " OttC.
Mrs. Badger sprang forward to the cabin door and
said, Il hear my husbands voice. She stood there
looking out some time. At length We succeeded in
recovering her from the sort Ut hysterick nj into
which abe had fallen.
The air in the cabin was very Sitting. The vesae
WAS filled molasses and sugar. the hogsheads OF
lnoIasses had burst. run loose i'll the hold, and male
an excessively no tious smell. The punps brought ny
more molasses than water. | did not sleep any On
Saturday night. I did not sleep any for a whole week
Nv avaa hsnunna u a IN uAra Mr. and / pnuld mt pIns.
them. On Sunday morning, Mr.. Theodore Payne
came down stairs, and said We ladies' mus; all 90 on
deck, the snell was 20 bad below. We bad b.coine
accustomed 10 the air and did not want 10 20 up, bu;
did so. During tho day the rigging Of the ship wa-
filed full Of our wet clothes to dry them. SUNDAY
morning We brcakfastod on hard crackers. aud rit
same good ten III the same tive cups. Afterwards
our fare WA changed to cruel. Al fret we drank
our sOup and cruel out Of soup plates, bat at length
we got quite sristocratic and eat them out of woojri
spoons. Mr.. Jones made four wooden spopns-oDe
for Mrs. Marvin, one for Mrs. EsstOn, one for Mrs
Mcneil, and one for myself. Sometimes We passed
these spoons around We would take them right rul
of our mouths and pass them to the applicants, VITO
would immediately us them with gusto. The la.i
day We were out the captain Of the Marine came 20
Ine aud borrowed Minis. At night we used tin HE
preservere for pillows During the last part Of The
voyage We slept on deck under a sail. We liked ths
very much. better than The cabin.
KiSp TREATMENT AT NORFOLK.
wish il wss 10 my power 10 express our gratitude
for the kindness with which We were treated by I'll
people OF Norfolk Alb ,ut 90 of Us went in there pnd
stopped at tie principal hoiel. The iadi.. of ia.
place immediately sent In great baskets OF clothes IN
us-so that those who Went there without any ,hius
,ame AWAY with carpet bags full. Some M sent in
and took the measure OF all our feet. and rb-n sur'
piled US with very good CATERS Especially arr we
iudebted 10 Mrs Waters, the lsnd'ady OF The hot |.
Mrs Sslie Taz-w=ll, Mrs a + L-nnard, Mrs K h
Stevens, Mrs A Santos, Mrs X y Bayu-r, and Mr-
SIarn who Wtr. afpDuiny Rt IN, h,trI (lnr ,ru
sisters could not have treated w with more rnns:d-
ration; they did everything in the world that e. ntd
oe done for US We shall ever r-neu:b.. :h.if BIND.
ness with Tho deepest grari'ud-.
The citiZ-n- Ut Norfolk hid a meeting aud rrs-n
money for us a committee was appointed, VIM pr,
--nfed US with y certain sum OF in"nry-rnc sing,
women with $50 and the women with chiGren win
SlUO. They u!so paid our fare by railroad ~ :" NV
iok We Were u"t charged %nnylhirs ~ he bose
~ Norfolk. Lr prf- Wa charged anything III Tue &"
- ~ Bi'i,nrre. So We 81 arrival it, ;his city wi;n
y onange of clorl ing and en- or slU0 in our pocs~ ,-,
TIE smnuut is small, but 10 thuss who have Int rl,-ii
husbands, "r all they had, and on their way homs, il
. a: the Greatest importance, tor IL eusbl-s them 10
r ach their homes
THE SURVIVORS or THE CENTRAL AMERICA on TIE
COURSE ~ CAPT. STONE ASD TIE ELpoRApv.
To tic Editors NJ tho .'tu Yo,k Times:
We have refraineG as muuh rs possible from ap.
pearing in print concerning the loss Ut the Csnrra
America, since the whole subject is 10 undsrgo u iu
dicial Investigation. but We caunot refrain from sta
ring truth, as II appears 10 us, in regard IN the state.
n.eu: OF Capt. Stone. Of the schooner Eldoradn.-
Capt. Stone was down under III. leu Of tn, steam-r
d!,iant abou' fifty yards ja,t H. it YVES growing dark
Capt. lIernd"u hailed hin from the quarter deck
;old him that We were In Il sinking condition, which
he could easily see from the ships being so low il
the water, the whsrl guards being considerably un
der; and lh9t he wanted him 10 lay by u Captain
Stone answered thar he would lay by US ill morning
| mud requested Capt. Herndon to SET bic lights. Til.
schooner was under balance reel maiusaii. storm fore
| sail, reef jib. Alter hailing ur, be stood along under
uur lee, and rgngrd out ahead Of US. apparently ruu
uing III, 10; close bsuied. AT the TIME of tho chip
sinking he was It'll on the s,arbosrd tthe esme) tack
disran, some three miles.
\, the same time the brig Marine was dis,au, sotne
miles uu our lee beam, and wac carrying sail to beal
up To liz, although in a disabled condition. Captain
Stone acknowledges be saw the rockets snd tho rhiI
when she sank. Had he shook ont his rrefs aut
made al ssll, which he could easily do, there being
little wind, be could probably have rescued many o
those lost, from their warery grave.
A number Of us survivors saw bis lights and hiu
after we were in the water. They, however, shortly
after Disappeared. Capt. Stone, rs a usn,ical lnan
must certainly have known that keeping his vesse
under short sail. aud wearing chip every two hours
he wa losing ground mud driving 10 leeward fJur
times faster than people who We're floating in IN,
ocean. And 30 IL proved, for by daylight next morn
ing hs was .oins eight miles to lee~ard Of tbs float
inu pieces OF wreck and the spot where The Norwe
yiai re-cued his passengers. He also says iha, b,
stood directly over the spot where the steamer suiik
had he done go, many hopes would have BEEN real
lied, as she was anIiously expected.
II. II. CHILDs, ~ East Thirty.second street.
+. W. BADGER, 20 East Thirty second street.
S. 5. EAToN, Metropolitan H0iel.
DO. HARVEY, Metropolitan Hotel.