Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-10-19
NO. 80
sinl7ag of The Evening gtar.


The loss of the vessel above named
IN a terrific gale while 1S0 miles of
Iybee Island, Ca, was mentioned IN
0Hf news summary Of last week
There were about 300 souls on board
nearly all of whom perished The
vessel was on her way from New York
to New Orleans and carried among her
passengers 81 prostitutes on their way
to the latter city to ply there their Un-
hallOwed avocatiOn. They had been
shipped at New York by the superin-
tendeuts of several New Orleans bag
uios, bat perhaps fortunately for them
selves aud as o lesson to the world.
these wretched beings almost everyone
went down with the vessel and con-
cealed their shame and misery from
the eye of man a thousand fathoms be
meath the angry waters of the deep
And though no Bridge of Sighs or
human sympathies can avail to carry
the shades of these frail ones over the
dark abyss of crime So the land of pur-
ity and rest, yet far better for man
kind that they should fud a grave
among the coral groves than that they
should go to the accursed hells where
they were designed to subserve the
vilest and lowest uses of humanity.
The following description of the
scenes on board the lil-Eated vessel at
the time of the catastrophe is taken
from the telegraphie dispatches
About midnight it began to blow a
hurricane, with very ugly cross sea,
the ship lying In the trough Of the sea.
The night was dark and fearfully
gloomy, nothing but the most solid
darkness all around no view to cheer
nothing to remind the terrified pass
engers of the deep sea over which they
rode but the foam Of Ehe spray which
came in showers on our deck.
At this time the hurricane was so
ferOciOUs, and the steamship thrown so
completely at its mercy, that, for the
general safety, the captain was obliged
60 send the women all below, and lock
them IN the cabin.
We were now about 24O miles north
east of Matanllla Reef, and $50 miles
from land and from this time until
the ship went down she never changed
her position.
At a. m, Oct. 3. we commenced
bailing the ship, from the engine room
and after cabin, at which the women
helped with all their might, and with
all the strength of frenzy and despair.
About a. m, the starboard rudder
chain got out of the shiere, and the
wheel houses washed overheard.
At a. n, the engine was thorough
~ disabled, in spite of the suDerhu
man efforts of the chief engineer and
his assistants. The increase of the
water in the ships hold soon drove
the men from their duty The hurri-
cane was all this time blowing with
fury which was fearful, terrific. and
appalling in the extreme.
At about a, m, the captain went
into the cabin and notified the pass
eugers that he had done all In his pow
er, aud that the ship would certainly
60 down. Some Of the seamen we're at
this moment assisting in getting the
boats free from the fastenings. TIE
captain was exhOrting the passengers
to act coolly.
The storm continued to howl In the |
most fearful and depressing manner, !
and now came the most thrilling mo- !
ment Of our trying time
The women, shrieking frightfully, |
rushed on deck In the most frantic /
manner, tearing their hair, and In ma
ny ways acting more like lunatics than 1
beings endowed with reason. Reason
at this moment had certninly abdica- |
ted its throne, and nothing but the
widest stage of madness had the poor
beings come to. The men were equally
as violent, though for such a scene Il
may have been worse.
The women commenced divesting
themselves of their clothing and madly
and wildly plunged into the foaming
surf never to rise to its surface auy
their best to prevent this but to no /
avail. DESPAIR controlled their ac-
tiOns, and rather than face lingering |
death, many of them voluntarily sought !
that grave which opened with such /
fearful Jaws to receive their mortal all. !
While these fearful scenes were be- |
ing enacted, which was about 6 a. m.
the ship took heavy lurch, settling |
fast. A heavy sea boarded her, and /
with one feartu continued lurch, down /
she went, and all was over with the /
Evening Star.
Another statement says only four |
life pTeserVers were on board the Eve !
ming Star, which were distributed /
among the ladies. The members. of !
the ballet troupe and French circus /
not speaking English, could /
not understand what orders were Civ /
en- in relation to the boats, and very
few if any managed to reach them
The shrieks of the frantic women could /
be heard above the roar of the angry
waves, rushing to and fro, imploriug /
for aid. But it was each for himself.
In addition to the French circus /
company and ballet troupe, there we're
forty two frail women, who, for vari- /
Gus reasons, were seeking another field /
to prosecute their Unholy calling
Some, with impaired constitutions. |
we're migrating to a warmer cline |
others we're suffering with ennui, and /
merely wanted a change of scene. Its
stated that one young girl had left a
widowed mother, sister aud child, un. /
provided for, she being their only sup /
port.
A private letter from Mayport, Flor
ida, says that GOrndesby, the second |
mate of the Evening Star, had arrived /
there, having left the steamer with
boat load of ladies. All but two were
lost before getting near shore ; in land
Dg. the latter were lOst-one named
Annie. from Rhode Island, and the
other Rosa Howard, of New York
Both became insane from want aud
starvation. The bodies we're washed
ashore that of the latter was nearly
ievoured by sharks. The mate is
barely alive.
Soldiers Bounties.
lVbo f,II,,,v;,,,, 10 tbe srthetonoo oF