, 1880-09-05
THE WINDS WORK,
Destruction Caused by the Cy-
clone on the Florida
Coast.
Additional. Particulars Of the
Loss of the Steamer
Vera Cruz.
The Vessel Actually Broken in Two
:: by the Force Of the '
-: -: Wind.
Survivors Buffeted by the Waves for a
Period Of .Twenty-six
News Of the Safety Of the Mag
ara, Mate Of the Vera :.
Cruz.
The Latter Vessel Also Experienced
Very Rough Usage.
The Latter Vessel Also Experienced
Very Rough Usage.

THE CYCLONES WORK.
Special Dtspatch to The Chicago Tribune
NEW YORK, Sept. 4.-Anxious inquiries
were still made at the Office Of James E.
Ward g. Co., 11s Wall street, this morning,
for news Of the Niagara and its passengers.
All went away relieved. for the first message
to reach the Office this morning was one
from Havana, over the reopened Cuban line,
which said the Niagara had arrived safely on
Tuesday at midnight, and that all on board
were well. The particulars Of her condition
we're not sent although she must have been
roughly handled by the storm. The time
named tor her arrival makes her more than
thirty hours behind time. and she doubtless
suffered considerable damage The NIAGARA
is a vessel of the same class as the vera
Cruz, and sailed from this port on aug:
28, about twenty-four hours later than the
latter. As she is tritle faster, however, she
was probably within twenty hours OF the
point where the Vera Cruz was wrecked, and
on the same track. She would thus nave
struck the northern edge Of the cyclone, and
| ran down into it until her progress was
stopped by the heavy sea- As the wrecked
| vessel lay-to for twenty-four hours the Mag
ara was probably not more than led miles
from her when she went down, and
in -. the direct path OF the storm,
| whose oforce by that time would
| have somewhat lessened. She is probably
the steamer which was seen labortng heavily
| IN Sunday bv the crew Of the schooner Ada
J. Simonton, of Boston. The crew were at
the time lashed in the rigging, and the
schooner afterwards went. ashore near the
mint at which the rescued crew OF the Vera
Cruz and the dead bodies Of the passengers
were thrown up. >.
A dispatch from Savannah, Ga, dated this
day, says: ~: ...~.
Last night seven survivors Of the Vera
Cruz arrived from the Halifax River. Ihe
party consists OF Owen: passenger, an e1-
gineer, all oiler, and four seamen. IN FL
day at $50 O'Clock seq S!rack @ a1e s.esh;nG
away the boats and rafts: The captain WIS
| the first man lost The steamer sank on the
2Sth. thirty miles from the coast 1t IS sup
posed that the other survivors are 1ortae&
South"
STATEMENT OF A SURVIVOR OF TIE VERA
Special D.spateh to The Chtcdgo Tribune.
New YORK, Sept. IA telegram to the
New York Times from St. Augustine, Fla.
to day says that seven survivors Of the steam
shin City Of Vera Cruz reached that place
last night from Halifax River, where they
were all washed ashore. They were: Owens,
a passenger, one engineer, one oiler, and fou1
seamen. Talbot, one Of the seamen, says:
On Saturday night, about thirty miles Oh
shore. we began to ship heavy seas, and wa
| ter was found in our hold. As fast as we
could clear her she was filed again BY an-
other sea. This state Of things soon made
the fires burn low, and we could not make
steam enough to: make head on the
wind. We then put. out heavy
drag, forward, and managed TOT a
while to keep her in the wind. Everything
was In panic. The 1ife-boats were GU
loose readyfor action, and all hands were
supplied with life-preservers. At 'dayhRh
? Monday the boats were put and manned
They no sooner got their CARGO and 'wer'
put over than they were smashed to atoms
against the steamer ail H.. handS dsaSad Penn o%
AGAINST the vessels sides. Boat ate!
I boat was dashed to pieces In this manner
, until a few passengers concluded n9t Z
leave the steamer. Thc + CaPtaln aa4a ana o"cef'
l. At $50 heavy sea struck the steame
forward and
CRUSHED HEB FORE AND AFT.
All the fires and lights we're put out, am
everything was in the widest confusion
and we1s screaming hqSkdn aot n nelR
= |
and aaer few surges she foundered ant
%;t Ge%n 4SEh %ith tSs Ssft{ shp Whsa 70 Il
t surface could see now and tnen pieces
- diff stuff, and sometimes one OF w
men. The women made no efforts I
save themselves. A mother ana oauEAte
ware clasDed in each others arms, and cam
ashore that way drowned ce',}d R1G% occasio1 1s
aIIy see one or two men as they rode upo
tha crest Of wave. 1t was useless to try t
: hnid an To ANYTHING, as the sea would tear
from the grasp and drive one t"o OF tn1e
fathorns under the surface | wa
compelled to dive or dodge from pieces 2
drift, which would have kliled me ne 4aa ~,
M one. and came ashore on the Florld
coast about 7:3o a. N. Monday, having bee
about twenty-slx hours in the water. l 500
found my other companions, as We eau
ashore at about the same time, althoug
. some distance apart. A.
GEN. a. L. 4. TARDEKr ~!
was aboard. The last saw OF him alive b
was aft with Mr.. Owens, who was saved.
saw the General again dead at Port Orang
= | where he came ashore He was dl5c0Vere
" By 4 boy, who dragged him up on the beae
as far as he could, and then ran f1F E.as assii
ance. He xas n9t th3a t1sn dead-, lea as Mnen dea
The bruises On his head indicate tn
. he was struck by drift stuff and stunne
His body was buried at Daytona- One OF 9!
number swan from the vessel without Il
aid Of a 1ife-pEeserver. He. was entire
nude, and came ashore frSt- we are Z
more OF less bruised from the STRIKING
y. butfeting OF the seas and the drift me pot
He had on only drawers and 2 s91tE
- faV miles fnrthnr south the body OF an