The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1880-09-11
Loss Of an Ocean steamship.

The steamship Vera Cruz, which sailed
from New York for Havana and Vera Cruz,
Mexico, has been wrecked In q hurricane on
the coast of Florida. The drst infimaflon OF
the disaster was received when portions OF the
steamships mail and several oorpses foated
ashore on the Florida coast. The positive
knowledge that the steamer had foundered
WAS afterwards obtained from the lips of thir-
teen survivors, eight sailors and three passen-
gers, who confirmed the rumors OF the YES
sells loss. There were about 30 persons
on board the steamer-28 OF these being pas
sengers and the rest comprising tho officers
and crew. Among the passengers was Major
General Alfred A. Torbert, Federal cavalry
officer and intimate friend OF Generals Grant
and Hancock, and who has been United States
consul at Paris and Havana and minister at
Central America. The story OF the disaster
as told in the first dispatches to the New
York Herald, is as follows:
On Saturday at ernoon the steamer encoun-
tered strong gale, which soon increased in
fury. The sea ran very high and the City OF
Vera Cruz labored heavily but sturdily for
some hours. Every effort was made to keep
her before the wind, but it was found neces-
sary at one o'clock on Sunday morning o
throw out a drag to keep her head about.
This secured the desired result tor the time
being, but the gale had now grown to hurri-
cane and immense waves began breaking over
the doomed steamer.
Each succeeding wave tore away pieces OF
her upper works until her deck was finally
swept clear, even the rigging being torn and
shattered. The drag ceased to fulfill its func.
lions, and as the seas rose over her bows and
deiuged her decks they soon reached the fur
nae and extinguished the fires, the batchrs
having been torn from their tastenings by the
billOws
Nh<E 1~osv, amt c<nr tOt t,
ensines, and the City OF Vera Cruz lay al the
mercy OF the waves and storm. Not even the
donkey pump could be worked to relieve the
vessel of the water she was rapidly making in
her hold. In this extremity Captain Van
Slice ordered his men to throw overheard the
deck load, task that had been begun about
midnight. But the sea was too heavy to per-
NIT the crew carrying out their captains
orders, for while thus engaged several Of the
men were carried off their teel by incoming
seas and many OF them washed overheard.
Captain Van Slice and his officers acted cour-
ageously in the performance OF their several
duties, but were one by one washed overheard
from their stations as the steamer labored in
the trough OF the sea. As near as can be
ascertained, the captain persisted fully an hour
before the vessel finally succumbed, and when
nearly ali the hands we're lost. The few
remaining alive on board now saw that there
was no nope, 30 they TOOK TO the
lite preservers, the lfeboats having
already disappeared; in fact, every boat and
lie rait was stove in when the top hamper
went by the board. The sailors and the
passengers then seized fragments OF spars,
stateroom doors or any other movable article
that would float, and awaited the end all knew
to be at hand.
The surviving sailors state that the vessel
was about thirty miles off shore at this time
the hurricane being one of terrible fury. By
the time the shipwrecked men and women had
equipped themselves with their impromptu
buoys the final catastrophe occurred, it being
then, as already stated, about half-past five A.
ii. With one awful and tremendous lurch the
steamer suddenly sank into the ocean, the
swirl carrying down many OF the living. Oh
the seventy souls on board before the storm
began only thirteen have reached the land
alive. These thirteen we're all men, three OF
them passengers, eight deck hands, one engi-
neer and one oiler. They were all in the
water, buffeted by a tempestuous sea, for from
twenty-iour to twenty-six hours, and there is
no doubt that but for this ordeal many more
would have been saved, tor there can be but
little doubt that several persisted after the
laundering of the steamer through exhaustion.
Such is the story OF the wreck, which, though
briet clearly tells the tale.