Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-09-04

NEW YORK, Sept. "a special dispatch from
st. Augustine Fla, says, there is very little
doubt that the steamer City of Vera Cruz, OF
the Mexican line, which sailed from New York
August 25th for Savannah and Vera Cruz,
went down in the hurricane which has already
strewn every coast with wrecks. terrible
discovery was made yesterday, when portions
of the mail carried by the i'll fated vessel
washed ashore few miles south of the city.
One mail bag contained letters for Cuba and
Mexico, which had been posted in Paris, France,
August 23d, and another was found with en-
velopes bearing postmark New York, August
18th. This alone indicates that the los t
vessel was the mail steamer bound for South
ern ports, and the surmise is that it must have
been the City of Vera Cruz, as she left New
York on the day last named. Closer examina-
ton showed several bills of lading, steamer
Vera Cruz. Saturday afternoon large steam
or, supposed to have been the Vera Cruz, pass
ed the brig Caroline Eddy, then about sixty
miles from the coast, off st. Augustine. This
brig was soon after struck by the hurricane and
wrecked, drifting on the beach near where the
ost letters were discovered. At the time the
steamer was sighted she was headed south. The
wind was blowing very hard and the gale was
rising. The City of Vera Cruz must have been
struck by the hurricane and probably foun-
dered Saturday night or Sunday morning.
Every hour brings news of some more
STARTLING DISCOVERY
in regard to the supposed wreck. The body OF
lady and child has been found on the shore
cast up by the waves, They were buried by a
party of wreckers on the sands near the place
where found. This makes already five bodies
recovered, the three Others being corpses of
unknown. Two from their dress arc thought
to be passengers, and the other evidently q
sailor. The shore for over forty miles
south of this place is streWn with the cargo of
steamer. A trunk was found marked Her
nandez." This corresponds with the
name of lady on the passenger list of the City
of Vera Cruz, as appears in the New York pa
pers of last Thursday. The mails, or at least
all that could be recovered of them, were
brought here Saturday and will be forwarded
to their destination. Two sailing vessels in ad-
dition to the brig Eddy have come ashore since
the gale
THE CITY OF VERA CRUZ
was wooden. She was vessel of 1874 tons
register and built at Green Point, l.. l., in
1874, for Alexander & Sons line between this
city, Havana and Mexico in which trade she
was employed. She was screw vessel, 296
feet long, 81 feet beam by 26 feet deep, and had
a draught of 10 feet of water. She had three
decks, brig rigged and her motive power con-
sisted of two compound cylinder engines. Capt.
Van Sye was commander and Capt. Horn was
first officer. She carried q crew of fifty picked
men.
The RECOVERED MAILS.
The superintendent Of mails at Washington
dayItelegraphedlP POSTMASTER James of this
city as follows; 1.-The postmaster of st. An
gustine, Fla, having telegraphed the postmas-
ter general to- day as follows: 6 A lot of foreign
mail was washed ashore ard delivered to me.
Shall | loose the packages and dry the letters?
What disposition shall l make of the same?
Letters of France via New York for Havana
That officer has been instructed by wire to dry
the letters washed ashore, make up as nearly
as possible to the condition received, and for
ward to the postmaster at New York" The
Times got copy o this dispatch made an in
Yestigation and settled beyond doubt that
the recovered mail is part of it from this city
by the steamer Vera Cruz. That vessel took
usually q large consignment of French mails
of this description, there being no less than
ninety-eight bags, ell together, while the Mia
CARA, the steamer which left the day following,
had none whatever. 1t is suggested that in the
event of accident to the Vera Cruz or if the
steamer became manageable the crew and
passengers
MIGHT HAVE TAKEN TO THE BOATS,
and carrying the mails with them and after
wards thrown the mails overheard to tighten.
The postoffice authorities here say that the mail
washed ashore, being pest marked New York,
Aug. %, and Paris Aug. l, indicate that the
mail arrived here by the Batavia, and was dis
patched by the City of Vera Cruz.
At the office of the Alexander line, up to
noon to-day, no further information in re-
gard to the reported loss of the City of Vera
Cruz has been received, though an answer to q
dispatch to St. Augustine, Florida, asking for
details, is momentarily expected. The owners
do not believe the steamer is lost but think
she encountered hurricane, during which the
mails and baggage went over board.
They pronounce her one Of the strongest steam
ers in the world; she was on the dry dock pre-
vious to her last trip. The vessel is worth
5000, 900 and Insured in London and America.
Many relatives and friends of the passengers
and crew are at the office awaiting information.
Capt T. Perry, who commanded the steamer
on the present voyage, is on board. The chief
engineer is named Miller, and the purser
Burke. Among the passengers of the Vera
Cruz was
MAJOR GEN. ALFRED 7. a. TALBOT,
who distinguished himself during the rebellion
as cavalry commander. Gen. Talbot was at
tached 20 the army of the West, and strong
friend of Gen. Grant.