The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-10-10

"a.
The Late Di.--.-aus shipwrects.
The equinoctial gales Of September and
October always supply record Of shipvfecks (
more or less disastrous. We expect to hear Of
vessels driven ashore by the violence OF the
hurricane, Of crew and passengers saved with
difculty and ship and cargo utterly destroyed.
We know that there will be thrilling stories
Of perAs escaped and gallant deeds OF heroism
achieved. But in the terrible disasters recorded
in the HERALD Of the last three days there are
other and even sadder features. The wreck OF
the Starlight after striking upon Barnegat
South Shoals, u eomprehensible, and does not
necessarily imply blame either in the captain,
the owners or the builders Of the ship. II IL
very different with the loss Of the steamships
Daniel Webster and Evening Star, which foun-
dered in open sea without striking upon rock
or shoal.
The Evening Star belonged to . line Of
steamships celebrated for their speed and
superior passenger accommodation. She was
built with an especial reference to these points.
Whether other requirements equally essential
were neglected in her construction Is . matter
for inference only. Her commander was
favorably known as a tried and experienced
seaman. On Saturday week, the 29th ultimo,
the Evening Star sailed from New York for
New Orleans, having on board two hundred
and fifty passengers and crew Of fifty men.
As to what befell her on the voyage, va have
as yet only imperfect accounts. A hurricane,
or rather cyclone, was raging, and on
the coast Of Georgia, within hundred
and fifty miles Of Savannah, she foun-
dered, and mere handful Of the passengers
and crew are all that are known to have been
saved Four boats put or from the sinking
ship; but two only have since been heard Of
Even had they all reached the shore they could
have rescued but small proportion OF the
three hundred souls on board. At least two
hundred and fifty, we fear, must be set down as
lost Among the passengers were many
women. Probably they in their helpless terror
broke through all discipline and hampered the
efforts Of the officers of the ship to save the
| lives of the passengers. At any rate 1t IS sig.
nificant that Of those reported saved there are
thirteen officers ana Grew and only three pas
sengers. The wreck Of the Daniel Webster
was happily unaccompanied by any such loss
| Of life. She also foundered in open sea, hui
the screw steamer George Cromwell bore down
upon her in time to save the forty-four people
/ ON board. The Daniel Webster was an old
boat, built in 1851. She sailed from New Yorl
| for Mobile on September II, and, like th'
Evening Star, was caught in the cyclone Oh tht
Georgian coast.
In looking for the cause Of these disasters th.
drst thought that occurs TO the mind il tina
I both the Evening Star and the Daniel Webster
a. we'll O. the Santiago do cuba, which pu
back into s,as port on Sunday disabled, afte1
losiag four Of her passengers, were sidewheel
steamships The steamship which rescued the
crew Of the Daniel Webster il screw propel
Ter; and the Fung Shuey-another screw
steamer, which sailed from New York for New
Orleans tho same day n the Evening Star-hai
reached port In safety. But there Is something
more than the distinction between sidewheel
astcrs. In building our vessels, - in building
our houses, We are too apt 10 sacrifice safety 4
speed. We want less outward and internal or
namentation about our ocean steamships and
moro timber and iron less gingerbread gild
Ing and greater sea-going qualities. Some such
catastrophe - that which has occurred 10 the
Evening Star was predicted in the HERALD -four
years ago. Terrible ~ that disaster ID Il will
leave rs room for thankfnlness II the tragic
lesson thus taught il acted upon in the future.
SANTA anna AND THE FHMASs.-A very anus
ing event took place ON Staten Island on
Monday Fenian picnic, with General Santa
Anna as the great gun Of the occasion. The
Fenians are reported 10 be . fighting body
and - the Mexican General has some fighting
in his minds eye just now, he cultisstes the
Feniaas, who are generally supposed TO be in
the market waiting for such price - their
President ON obtain pr capiis, and quits
willing 70 Aght anywhere that . chance for
Ireland may turn up. Santa Anna presented
himself In the full uniform Of . division gen.
eral, with cooked hat and plume, numerous
medals and . historic sash. He treated his
audience to . good spell Of 'blarney" in
Spanish, presuming, perhaps, that - there IL
an an,nity between that tongue and the Mile
sian they understood oil he said, or probably
moving very we'll that II they did mot they
would get his remarks, in plain English, in the
HERALD next morning. Tho General alluded
to the legion Of San Patricio who fought with
him In Mexico, under the Misrepresentation that
their religion was being attacked by our army,
because few places Of worship were abused
on the march. He praised them ~ the best
troops he had and insinuated that he would
like . few more Of the same sort to aid him in
bis forthcoming enterprise. In saying that the