Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-09-25
Loss Of 1be steamer Central America.

Loss of the steamer Central America.
The startling intelligence announced
by telegraph in yesterdays Sun that the $,
California steamer Central AMERICA 2,
which left Havana for New York on the
9Th inst. with some $4,000. 0o0in SPECIE
the California mails and 5s5 passengers,
making, with the officers and crew, to-
talIof about 100 souls on board, had
founded at sea, created an intense sensas
ton wherever twas read.
During yesterday We received some
further particulars of the distressing ca
tastrophe. The bark Eloise arrived at
Norfolk yesterday, bringing fifty OF the
passengers, which the Charleston dis
patch published yesterday announcedtha
she had rescued from pieces of the wreck
of the illfated steamer. They were EN-.
barked yesterday for New York in the
Empire City. They report that the stea-
mer foundered at sea at 8 o'clock on Sat.
urday night, the 18th of September. and
that all the officers persisted except the
second mate, named Frazer. The chief
engineer, named Ashby, it is alleged,
took the boat and deserted the ship an
hour before she went down. and it does
not appear that he has been heard Of
since.
The barque saxony also arrived yes
terday at Savannah, with FIVE Of the res
cued passengers. viz: H. H. Childs and
Daugherty. of New York; Jabez Howes.
Of San Francisco; George w. Look. Of
Maine. and Adolph Fredericks. of San
Francisco. The Saxony reports that the
brig Maria. Of Boston, also picked up part
OF the crew and women and children to
the number Of forty, so that the whole
number known SO far to be saved is as
follows: On board the Eoise so, on the
Maria 40. on the Saxony 5-total 95.
Ifthere were seven hundred souls on
board six hundred and FIVE are still to be
accounted for. The Saxony reports the
total loss of the vessel, with her treasure,
mails about FIVE hundred passengers.
The New York Tribune is Of opinion that
not over six hundred souls were on board,
and that the amount of specie did not ex.
coed $l,60o,0o0. as the report that she
received $500, 900 at Havana is believed
to be erroneous. All the gold for New
York from Havana was sent as usual by
the Empire City. the regular steamer.
while the call of the Central America al
that port was purely casual and unex-
pected.
The Central America was commanded
by Capt. w. L. Herndon, Of the U. States
Navy, whose explorations of the Amazon
have made his name familiar to the scien.
tifc world Of Europe and America. He
was native OF Fredericksburg, Va, and
was regarded as one Of the blavest and
most accomplished officers of our navy
His loss will be widely and deeply de-
plored.
The Central America was built in New
York in the year 1858, by William II
Webb, and made her Grst voyage in Sep
tember of that year. Her construction
was of the very best description-she was
diagonally braced with iron from stem tc
stern, and was in all respects as staunct
and safe as any ship adoat. In the
month of July last she went upon the
Balance dock and was thoroughly over.
hauled. Her engines and boilers were q,
the same time put in perfect order. and
the voyage upon which she was lost, wa.
the second since her repair.