San Andreas independent., 1857-10-24
LOSS OF THE CENTRAL AMERICA !
List Of the Passengers Saved, &C., &c,
EXCITEMENT IN WALL STREET I!
San Francisco, Oct. I'D, 5 P. NJ.
Loss Of the Central America and Cali
fornia Passengers and Treasure, on

Loss Of the Central An,erica and Cali
.forniu Passengers and Treasure, on
Saturday, the 18th Of September.
The steamer Central America formerly the
George Law from Aspinwall for New York,
having on board the passengers and treasure
shipped from San Francisco by the steamer
Sonora, on the goth of August, foundered in a
gale while off Cape lIatteras. BY this calam-
ity over 400 passengers and about s. ,OOO, 900
of treasure, were lost. The women and chill
dren and in all about l73 persons were res
cued. OF the officers only the 2nd mate and
boatswain, and 2nd assistant engineer, were
saved. The events of this terrible disaster,
succinctly stated, are as follows:
On the morning Of Tuesday, September sth,
the Central America left Havana, with fair
weather. In the afternoon of that day, a
heavy storm arose, which, in the course of a
few hours, increased in fury until it became
one of the widest hurricanes which has for
years been experienced. The steamer labored
hard, but no fears were entertained by the
officers or passengers, till the afternoon of the
1lth of September when the engines ceased
working, owing to the vessel having sprung a
leak, which prevented the men passing coal to
keep up the fres,-having no steerage way,
the steamer fell off into u trough of the sea,
causing her to labor heavily. On inspection
of the pumps, they were discovered to be Who'll
ly unserviceable. and lines of men were formed
during the evening, to keep the leak down by
bailing
Their efforts were successful until o'clock,
in the evening; and though after that the
leak gained on them they did not cease their
N haf tI,a
was carried down. The morning of Septem-
Der 18th, brought with it a slight abatement
OF the violence of the gale when further efforts
were made to use the pumps. bnt they were
found to be so much out of repair as to be
found useless. About O clock, in the after
noon of Friday, a sail was discovered to wind
ward, and in about an hour and-a-half she
hove to under the stern of the steamer. After
then the leak gained on them. The vessel
proved to be the brig Wariahna, of Boston
Two OF the fire boats, belonging to the steam
er, had been stove by the seas, the others were
at once lowered for the purpose of removing
the passengers to the brig.
The first was placed under the command of
the boatswain, VIM. Black: and the second
under Mr.. Ashley. chief engineer, at his request
and on his promise to return for the other
passengers The ladies and children were
conveyed in safety to the brig, after which Al
OF the men were also transferred to her. By
this time it was dark and the boats were com
pcled to cease their trips. Adding to the
darkness, the brig had fallen off to eeward
owing to her own disabled condition. she con-
tinued, however to lay by. At s o'clock p. NJ,
the steamer was struck by heavy sea she
gave lurch and sunk, stern first, engulphinr
in q moment, all on board.
Within a brief time the surface of the ocean
around the spot was covered with the trag-
ments of the vessel, which had become loos-
ened from the deck, and hundreds of human
beings were eagerly reaching for them in
hopes of saving their lives Many were killed
by being struck by fragments as they arose.
Others were in the cabin, and were carried
down with the vessel. About one clock on
the morning of Sunday, the Norwegian bark
Ellen, was observed approaching Those who
were yet alive halloocd to her, and she at
once hove to and commenced to pick up the
sufferers. BY 8 o'clock A. NJ. the same day,
she had picked up 40, all the survivors of the
disaster in sight
On Thursday, the 18th of September, she
arrived at Norfolk, where she transferred
those whom she had saved, on board the En-
pire City, which steamer had also been COM
PEELED to put in there in distress. AS the
Empire City was coming out, on Saturday,
the 10Th, she fell in with the brig Marianna,
with the rest, put them all on board, and ar
rived in New York, on Sunday, September the
20th. The following is partial list of the
persons known to be saved there may have
been few picked up, by an unknown Schoon-
er, that are not in the list: