Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1857-01-20
IMPORTANT FROM MEXICO.
rR1enTrrL nrRRlcASE ASD los OF LTE.

IMPORTANT FROM MEXICO.
FRIGHTFrL HURRICANE AHD Loss OF LIFE
By the way of Havana we have news from We
"a Cruz to December sOth. The Baltimore
American says:
/ BY the steamer Mejteo Gate United States,)
which arrived ON the 9TH instant, from Vera
Cruz, we are in possession of dates thence to
+ the sOth ultimo. Politically speaking. she did
( not bring any news. RobbeTies and assasSina-
lions we're Of daily occurrence, yet the road
Was stated to be clear, aud the CondGcta was re
ported to be coming down to Vera Cruz
On the 3Oth ultimO there had been terrible
hurricane at Vera Cruz, which caused the wreck
/ Of five or six ships and vessels. amongst them
the brig Nenuphar, Captain Campbell, one OF
I the line of packets between New York and Vera
| Cruz. The Mexican steamer iturbide, frigate
Guadaluupe, and pilot beat EStrelia, were also
I all totally wrecked On board the Iturbide were
/ sone eighty-tiye OF the officers and crew, who
were all unhappily drowned; amongst them
George Chesney and John Walker, first aad
SECOND engineers, supposed from their names To
have been citizens of the United States so
rightfu loss OF life, within sight OF the shore,
/ has been rarely heard Of
Amongst the passengers who arrived by
! the MejicO were she following named gentleman,
/ officers IN the Mexican navy, who have come To
take possession of Ei DrinOcrata, viz Senator
/ Don Francisco Ferries, CaItaini Senior Manuel
J RaliSts, first lieutenant; Senior Don IeOdOTa
I Ur,ianeta, second lieutenant; Senior Don LauIe-
arso BatiSta. nj tShipIslan; and one or two 9TH
erS The officers and men board the Demo
erata with Senior Niiiiyacencia at their head,
i (xho however pTudently remains on Shore,l
all refuse to give w the ship To their legally APP
pointed Successors. IL Is an extremely pretty
quarrel a. II stands. and II would not surprise
me If we saw some O.ootiShed before possession
of Ell De.nocrata i obtained. Her first ei'gi-
neer John Thomas Martin. Of Philadelphia, a.
also her second engineer, native OF the same
7 cItv, UhOSe name has escaped my recollection,
who are both respectable young men, are ON
Slior and will not return their snip until the
quarrel as TO who i tie party in whose rightfus
possession she ought t. be Decided Were IN
iheis position scarcely think should run the
risk Of my lite by returning again to Mexico
I On tae 2uIh uITimo, In tue morning, an earth
quake which lasted about thirty seconds, was
lett in Mexico city. On this phenomenon, as
also on that of an extraordinary snowfall IN that
city, and terrible hurricane in Vera Cruz, We
su6join the following details from the Progress
OF Vera Cruz, December ID:
| GA the 2lti inst there ragged on our coast \
furious north gale, which lasted for tWenty-tour
hours and caused considerable losses and dam
age among the shipping. Amongst the di>aS-
tiers figures foremost the shiPwrerk of the ma
IioriaI steamer lIurbide, which deeply affected
all the inhabitants of Vera Cruz, IN whose very
( sight the catastrophe took place, without being
By any possibility able to prevent IT. The stea-
Iner had three anchors fastened with very strong
chains; aud although she was seen vigorously
struggling against the waves, nobody thought,
up TO the moment ofthe disaster, of the PrUba-
bility Of her being torn off from the anchorinS
ground. But having lost two Of her anchors by
i violent shock from another ship which was
thrown against her by the force OF the waves,
and the one anchor Icit her not being sufficient
to maintain her, she was driven by the current
upon the reef known under the name of In La
vendera. There, in fifteen minutes, more or
less, she was broken to pieces, and disappeared,
with eIghty-nine persons on board, beneath the
waves
:! Ofau those on board only Il were in a provi-
DENTAL manner Ssved-succeeding, after cling
ing for many hours to timbers floating on
the sea- in reaching the coast.
I OFthe other shipwrecked vessels there are no
other losses To be laIuented than those of their
hu!ls and cargoeS, with the exception of the
North American schooner Nenuphar, whose pi-
let suddenly died. probably from fit Of apo
Ipiexv. She was one of the sailing packets of
| the New York line.
! The steamboat Calhoun found itself forty
miles of the coast when the hurricane swept
! the sea and for ten hours was drifting around
the reef, struggling against the waves, before
/ being able to overcome the wind aud currents
{ and to get free of her dangerous position. OHcc
I this object was obtained, she resisted Ia an adj
miraHle manner the storm, as we are WioTHleu
/ bY persons VINO were Oh DoaIu Oh htEs anu " Ho
do not doubt that they their lives to the eX-
ccllent qualities of the ship. The Calhoun has
] suffered great damage 10 her upper works; for a
heavy sea tore away the lower cabin, leaving the
upper one entire, supported by the pillars upon
which it rested hut the hull Of the ship and her
machinery were unhur;. thus giving the eoncc
more to the ruulOrs of her insecurity, spread by
persons who. perhaps, were Interested in dis
crediting that line The sea which tore away
the cabin Of the Calhoun, carried of two ser
wants aud the butler, who dill .rOt re appear
{ Another misfortune happened on baard the ship
in consequence of the storm. \ Spanish pas
Senget took away his OEn life by pistol shot,
/ he believing the steamer would be lost without
help, and preferIing to lose his life that way
Their than be- drowned.
Z La Nation, n newSI aper of the city Of MeXi-
/ CO, speaks il its number of the 3l>t Gitimo, ct
the snow storm there thus Last night, nj half
past nine O'Clock, heavy snow storm began.
which lasted sc ,erai hours. Never have We
seen this phenomenon, - common IN attitudes
higher than ours, in Mexico before 1t also eN-
cited. to high degree, the curiosity of the in
haiitantS Of the iial The thermometer of
RcaunIer was one degree above zero, and main
taiaed himself there during the whole night
The fiat roofs Of the hUISeS the streets, the hills
which surround the city Of the lakes and give
her 80 beautiful an aspect, the public walks, all
reminded us this morning OF the inst snow
storm we ever Witnessed which was last fall, in
the United States and in Europe. Mexico city
presented this morning truly picturesque sight,
for the green leaves OF our eternal spring form
ed lively contrast with the fakes Of snow,
were not accustomed