Arkansas true Democrat., 1857-10-13

distance to the leeward, supposed to be the brig Marine and the schooner that spoke us an hour or two previous but having fresh breeze and high sea they were unable to work up to the windward.
 quarter of an hour before the steamer sank one of our boats hailed us, and voice cried that his boat was stove and he could not take any one on board. This boat was en- deavoring to return from the Marine, but was disabled. It was doubtless the impression on board both the brig and the schooner that the steamer would be able to keep up until morn- ing, hence they probably did not keep as near us during the night as they might have done. Indeed 1t was the opinion of many on board that we would hold up all night, and did not think she would go down before midnight
 At 10 minutes of 8 o'clock Captain Herndon took position on the wheel-house with his second officer and fired rockets downward, the usual signal, to the brig and schooner that we ment, and must have been also to the ladies on board the Marine, who understood the sig nal, all of whom had husbands or friends on board.
 1 now procured board six feet long and six inches wide tearing it off the front of a berth, and took my position on the taffrail, and held on to the after awning stauncheon. At that time there was two or three hundred on the quarter deck, breathleSsly waiting the final sinking. There was two seas swept over the deck about this time, the last one sweeping nearly all the passengers on the main deck into the sea. The ship immediately after, at s o'clock on Saturday evening, sank, going down at angle of 45 degrees, stern foremost. The suction of the ship drew the passengers under water for some distance, and threw them in mass together When they reached the sur face the struggle for life was intense, with cries and shrieks for help, especially from those unable to swim. Many unable to swim clung to those who could, or laid hold of the larger pieces of the wreck, which were soon swamp ed
 In ten minutes not less, probably, than three hundred had sunk to rise no more, whilst my self and others who had succeeded in holding on to some means of support were scattered over the dark and dreary ocean, floating off with the tide. There was large number of the passengers had bags of gold dust and some doubtless perished in their efforts to save it, I may also here add that from fifty to sixty of the passengers shut themselves up in their staterooms in despair, and sank with the ship.
 Those who had succeeded in keeping them selves afoat soon scattered over the surface ot
  One hour after the ship sank saw light at the leeward, which was seen by most of those rescued, supposed to be that of the schooner Sovereign, but it soon disappeared. We knew that the ships to leeward could not reach Us and turned our gaze in the opposite direction At one o'clock on Sunday morning we saw approaching us under full sal, with strong breeze, the Norwegian bark Ellen; ran into oul midst, and those on watch were astounded with the cry of human beings. Captain Johnson the commander immediately hove his vessel to, under short sail, and commenced to rescue us. The steamer at this time had been down over five hours. He launched his boat, and threw out ropes and buoys and done every. l thing that good seamanship and humane heart l could dictate to save as many as possible. l was the fourth one rescued, and witnessed the noble exertions of himself and crew through out the night. He continued his search among the drift wood, tacking backward and forward upto twelve o'clock on Sunday, but did mol find any one after nine o'clock in the morning and consequently relinquished the search al l noon.
 On the morning of Sunday the brig Marine was out of sight, and the schooner was some 1 six miles to eeward, and appeared to be laying l to- but soon bore away on her course, doubtless being satisfied that it was impossible to reach us, also seeing the bark backing and filling to windward.
 The same day at o'clock we spoke the bark Saxony, bound to Savannah; she report ed seeing brig with number of ladies on board Supposed to be the Marine) under full ! sail steering north.
 We bore away for Norfolk as the nearest port, and arrived off Cape Henry on Thursday 1 evening, five of us reached Norfolk in pilot boat at daylight ou Friday morning, which we had chartered for that purpose.