Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-09-05

NEW YoRR, Sept. "A St. Augustine. Fla
dispatch says, the painful surmise regardins
the fate Of the steamer Vera OruG has been tui
iy confirmed, for few survivors have happily
escaped death and are now safely on shore
The Ill fated steamer foundered at half past :
o'clock Sunday in the midst of the hurricane,
having labored painfully for some hours in
the heavy Of seventy persons who were
on beard when the steamer left New York,
thirteen are known 60 have been saved, SO
that
FHTY-SEVEN SOULS PERIsEED.
There is very little hope that any addition
will be made to the list of survivors, for SO
long time has elapsed since the steamer went
down that it seems impossible for any more to
be found alive. The hurricane that ocoasioned
the disaster prevented all chance of succor
from other vessels. On Saturday afternoon
the steamer encountered strong gale which
soon increased in fury. The sea was very
high and the City of Vera Cruz labored very
heavily but sturdily for some
time Every effort was made to keep
her before the wind but it was found neces-
sary at o'clock Sunday morning to throw
out a drag to keep her head about. This Sc
cured the desired effect for the time being, for
the gale had now grown to hurricane.
IMMENSE WAVES
began breaking over the steamer. Each sue.
ceeding wave tore away pieces of her upper
works, and her deck was finally swept clean,
even her rigging being torn aud shattered.
Then the drag ceased to fulfill its functions,
and as the sea swept over
her and swept her decks they soon reached the
furnaces and extipguished the fire, her matches
having been torn from their fastenings
by the billows. The fire being out soon
put stop to working of the engines and the
City of Vera Cruz lay at the
MERCY OF THE WAVES.
Not even donkey pump could be worked
to relieve the vessel of the water she was
rapidly making in the hold. In this ex-
trenity, Capt. Van Tice ordered his men
to throw overheard the deck load, q task that
was begun about midnight, but the sea
was too heavy to permit the crew carrying out
the captains orders, for while thus engaged
several of the men were carried off their feet
by the increasing seas, and many of them
washed overheard. Capt. Van Tice and his
officers acted courageously in the performance
of their several duties, but were one by one
WASHED OVERHEARD
from their stations as the steamer labored
through the trough of the sea. As near as
can ascetain the captain persisted fully an
hour before the vessel fully sucoumbed and
as nearly all hands were lost, the few remain
ing alive on board now saw that there was NO
hope, took to their lfe-preservers. the life
boats having already disappeared. The sailors
and passengers then seized fragments of spars,
stateroom doors, or any movable article that
would hoat. The surviving sailors state that
the vessel was about thirty miles off the shore
at the time the hurricane began. 1t was one
of terrible fury. By the time the ship-wrecked
men and women had equipped themselves with
their improptu buoys the
FINAL CATASTROPHE OCCURRED
it being then about $50 AN With one awful
and tremendous Iurch the steamer sank
into the ocean. Several were carried
down, many of the living. OF the seventy
souls On board before the storm began only
thirteen have reached land alive. These thr-
teen were all men, three of them passengers,
eight deck hands, one engineer and one oiler.
These were all in the water and bufited by the
tempestous sea for from twenty to twenty-six
hours, and there is no doubt but for this ordeal
many more would have been saved, for there
can be bnt little doubt that several
persisted after the laundering of the steamer
through exhaustion. Bodies of victims came
on sh0e sixty miles south of this place.
Among them were those of Gen. Torbert, and
mis- body was placed in q cask and buried Wed.
nesday on the grounds of Mr.. j. 81. Bothe-
fuper, near Clayton, settlement opposite
Mosq uito inlet. The bodies of two of the
steersge passengers have also been found. At
least shat is their classification by the survIv
ors. The bodies of three females were recov-
cred from the waves along shore. and four
other men, probably sailors. These. like the
others, have been duly buried.
NEW YORK, Sept. "A telegram to the board
of underwriters from Jacksonville announcing
the loss of the ste .mer City of Vera Cruz says
the survivors of the crews are there in distress
awaiting assistance from the owners.
SAFE.
CHESTER, Pa, Sept. "A. Owen, of this
city, a passenger on the Vera Cruz, telegraphs
from st. Augustine that he is safe.
GEN. FoRBERT.
NEW YORK. Sept. 4.-The steamship company
to which the lost Vera Cruz belonged, tele-
graphed to st. Augustine this Afternoon, order
ing their agent to forward the survivors TO
New York without delay. The friends of the
Late Gen. Forbert have been telegraphed to
make arrangements for bringing his remains
to Milford Delaware, for interment. dis
patch just received says he was temporarily
buried at Dayton by his companion, Mr.. Owen.
Mr.. Owen says in the dispatch that he has made
arrangements to send the remains. Mrs. For
bert is frantic with grief.
TIE STORY OF SEAMAN TALBOT.
NEW YORK, Sept. 4.-Seamau Talbot tells
the following story of the wreck of the steamer
Vera Cruz about thirty miles off the shore.
he says: We began to ship heavy seas and the
water poured in the hold as fast as we could
clear her. She filled again by another sea.
Everything VAS in a panic. The life boats
were cut loose and ready for action and all
hands were supplied with life preservers.
At daylight Sunday the boats
were lowered. They no sooner
got their cargos than they were overturned
and smashed to atoms against the steamer, al
hands being swept away or their lives dashed
out against the sides of the vessel. Boat after
boat dashed to pieces in some man
ner until few of the passengers would venture
TO leave the steamer. The captain and officers
lost their lives in one of the bua g. Everythlne
was perfect bedlam. people screaming ane
shrieking wildly for help on all sides. Tht
steamer was broken in two anc
after few surges it found
cred and went down. carrying down will
her all who were on board. When arose t,
the surface, could see now and then pieces O
drift stuff. mother and daughter wer
clasped in each others arms during the gale
and they came ashore that wsy drowned. From
chat time until P. M, l could see oc ionall,
one or two men, as they rose upon the crest of
wave. 1t was useless TO try and hold on to any
thing, rs the sea wou d tear it from YOU
grasp and drive you two or three fathoms an
Sar the Surface and when Won rooaino1 4