The New York herald., 1879-12-12
STORM ON THE E7HMUS
Enormous Damage to Ship
ping at Panama.
LIST OF THE WRECKS.
Traffic Delayed on the
Railroad.

PANAMA. Nov. 20, 1879.
The weatherwise At Aspinwall on the 18th inst.
asserted that storm was threatening and it would
be well to have everything made snug among the
shipping. long heavy swell was rolling into the
bay. the horizon was heavily hung with portentous
clouds and the glass was falling rapidly. Steamers
were lying at the wharves with steam up. but the
sailing craft lay uneasily in their berths. and
no effort was made to haul them out into the
bay, where they might trust to their anchors.
The following day the wind came up strong from
the north and the rapidly with It, during
the evening tine steamers in the bay put to sea- The
following morning some of the effects OF the storm
of the previous twenty-four hours were manifest.
Four vessels of those which had been alongside the
wharves had gone down during the night. but not
until each one had done all tho injury possible to
the wharf to which 1t was made East. The line Of
wharves along the whole water front was damaged.
some very seriously
DAMAGE TO THE wHARvRs.
The Pacific Mail Company's wharf has suffered the
most seriously. One hundred and twenty-five feet
Of the iron png gone and 200 feet of the roof It
will cost $780, 600 to repair it.. The railroad COM
pany's wharves have probably suffered the
amount Of $4,000. No injury would have been
done to these wharves had the vessels,
coal and lumber ships been hauled out
into the stream the 10Th inst. The next day it
too late, and for time. as long as their lines
lasted they stood it out but broke adrift and
bumped about against one wharf after the other
until they sank. The Georgine. French bark. took
IN the whole length Of the water front. carromed
each wharf as she passed and brought to by the
Pacific Mail wharf. where before she sank. ruined
and broken hulk she occasioned the loss mentioned
above.
LOSSES SHIPPING.
The losses follows:-The French bark
Georgine. with 468 tons coal; Norwegian bark AL
batross. with $50 tons coal; American brig Adele
McLoon. with $50 tons coal; American brig 4. II.
Rich. in ballast. and the American schooner Message
OF Peace. in ballast Total-Two barks. two
brigs and one schooner and 1899 tons of coal.
Tho schooner St. Croix American) rode tho gale out
at anchor and suffered no damage whatever. The A.
Bonner with COAL rode out the storm with loss of
her rudder. The bark Gratitude. in ballast, also
escaped. The most Of the lost vessels would have
been saved had they been anchored in the pay in
stead of being left alongside of wharves. The brig
Myronus remained safe at the lee side of wharf No.
Some idea of the strength Of the storm may be
gathered from the fact that the A. j. Bonner
lost her rudder, striking the bottom in six fathoms
Of water. The sea- the captain Of the Bonner says.
was heavier than any he has seen on the Banks OF
Newfoundland. The wrecks OF the Albatross and
Rich wero sold at auction. bringing. $T5 and the
other $12 so. and that Of the Adele McLoon, with
$50 tons of coal board has been condemned to be
sold for the benefit Of the underwriters.
THE PANAMA RAILROAD.
Tho damage to the railroad is considerable. No
trains run through for some time. In addition
to minor damages two piers of the Barbacoas bridge
have settled out of line and render it impossible
to continue traffic 1t. The telegraph
limo is still interrupted. The water on the
road was fully two feet higher than ever
has been known. Buenavista. Gatun and
Matachn villages on the road destroyed and the
people for several days in the greatest desti
tuition. They have been fed and clothed from
Panama and Aspinwall, where the foreign merchants
took the initiative in relief measures. while the
government has yet done absolutely nothing. 1t
Ia stated that it will be thirty days before traffic
be fully resumed on the railroad.
One serious result Of the late storm has been the
almost total destruction of the growing banana crop.
For the next three four months the shipments
from this port. which usually average 1000 tons
(about 10000 bunches) per MONTH win be exceed
ingly light
THE TRACK NOT YET REPAIRED PASSENGERS,
MAILS AND CARGO STILL DELAYED
COLON, Dec. 2, 1879.
Since the 29th ult., when the Atlas steamer Alvo
left tho weather has been favorable and the work of
restoring communication with Panama has pro-
gressed rapidly possible with the means at COM
mand. The washout 1t the Mindi, four miles from
here will be brdged over tomorrow or the next day.
also the bad break MatachiD will be made
passable that by Thursday the 4th nst the crowd
of passengers and the large accumulation OF mails at
both termini Of the road be transferred at the
Barbacoss Bridge. There is. however. grave uncer-
tainty about this The agent OF tho General Trans
atlantic Company here telegraphed to the agent at
Panama last evening. ~ soon as the wires were In
order. that ho would hold the French
steamer Washington three days. if by that
timo the arrival Of passengers and mails
could be guaranteed. The reply being unfavorablo
the steamer was sont to this morning without
them. No effort has been made to effect the transfer
either by hand on tho road or by boats the
river. and the result is that nearly hundred pas
sengers and heavy mails detained here. and it is
presumed that the same IL tho case at Panama. This
state OF things naturally great deal of
grumbung aud dissatisfaction.
The most reliab information from the Barbacoas
Bridge is to the effect that 1t may be a month.
or less, before trains pass. Materials for its
repair have been csbled for to New York. which. of
course, will cause additional delay. In the mean
time steamers and sailing vessels continue to arrve
with cargoes to be transferred, and tho prospect
apcrlect jam in tho freight department IL almost
certain of fulhlmcnt. In short, this promises to be
tho by far in its disastrous results of any of
the great storms known since the railroad first
commenced, while it has found the company in the
least favorable position to meet the emergency.
Nows the villages along the railroad is to the
effect that nearly everything destroyed by the
food. The company of French engineers. with NJ.
Joaet. OF African experience. at its head. which ar
rvod tho 27th ult, has proceeded preliminary
examination along the line of the railroad. and will
navo IN admirable opportunity to estimate the hy-
arostatic and hydrodynamic conditions Of tho
chagros Valley In their relation to ship canal.
CAPTAIN MARKHAM THE IsrHMus.
The distinguished Captain Markham. Royal Navy,
Who arrived here on the oath ult, his to take
command OF Her Majesty's ship Triumph. in the
South Pacific. grew tired Of tho delay. and. in
pany with Don Victor Plise. OF Panama. started out
sunday morning. November 80. upon go-as-you-
please attempt to cross the isth.nus They had en-