Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-09-05
TELEGRAPHIC.
News in Brief, Gathered by
Wire and Cable.
FEARFUL STORM AT SEA.

New YORK, Sept. 4.-Specials from
st. Augustine, Fla, furnish the fol
lowing additional particulars OF the
disaster to the steamship City of
Vera Cruz: On Saturday afternoon
the steamer encountered o strong
gale which soon increased in fury; it
was then about two bells, 5 p. m,
and the steamer was running on her
course, being. in about 80 degrees
west longitude and 30 degrees and 40
minutes north latitude. The sea was
running high and the City of Vera
Cruz labored heavily but sturdy for
some hours. Every effort was made
to keep her before the wind, but it
was found necessary, at I o'clock
on Sunday morning, to throw
out dag to keep her head about.
This secured the desired effect for
the time being. bat the gale had now
grown to hurricane, and immense
waves began to break over the doom
ed steamer. Each succeeding wave
tore away pieces of her upper works
until her deck was fearfully swept
clear, even her rigging being torn
and shattered The drag ceased to
fulfil it's functions as seas rose over
her bows and deluged her decks.
They soon reached the furnaces and
extingu shed the fires, the matches
having been torn from their fasten~
mrs by the pillows. The fires be-
ing out soon put stop to the
engines, and the city of
Vera Cruz lay at the mercy of
waves and the storm, Not even the
donkey pumps could be worked to
relieve the vessel of the water she
was rapidly making in her hold. In
this extremity Capt. Van Sice order
ed his men to throw overheard the
deck load,a task that had been begun
about midnight. 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 in
coming seas, and many washed
overheard. Capt. Van Sice aud his
officers acted courageously in
the performance of their sew
eral duties, but were one by
one washed overheard from their
station. The steamer labored in
the trough of the sea. AS near as can
be ascertained, the captain perished
fully an hour before the vessel finally
succumed. The few remaining alive
on board now saw that there was nc
hope, so they took to the ife-pre-
servers, the life-boats having already
disappeared. In fact, every boat anC
life raft was stove in, when the toI
hamper went by the board. The
sailors and passengers then siezeC
fragments of spars, state room doors
or any other movable article that
would float and awaited the end tina
all knew to be at hand The surviving
sailors state that the vessel wa
about twenty miles off the shore a
this time, the hurricane being on
terrible fury by the time the ship
wrecked men and women had equip
ped themselves with their impromI
tn buoys. The final catastrophe oc
Cured, it being then about $50 {
m. With one awful and tremendeou
lurch the steamer suddenly sank int
the ocean swirl, carrying dow
many of the living. Of the sevent
souls on board before the storm be
gun only thirteen have reached Ian
alive. These thirteen were a
men, three of them passenger
eight deck hands, one enginee
and one oiler. They were all in th
water buffeted by the tempestuou
sea for from twenty-four to thirty
six hours, and there is little dout
but for this ordeal many more woul
have been saved, for there can /
but little doubt that several perishs
after the laundering of thessteamt
through exhaustion. The names
two of the survivors only have bee
furnished. They are Mason Talb
and James Kelly, both seamen. o.
of the passengers saved was o your
man, but strange enough, he stat
he does not wish his name sent t
publication. It is said he was
companion Of Gen T. A. Torbert.
The bodies of the victims cal
on shore thirty miles south of IL
place. Among them was that
Gen. Torbert, and his bodv W
placed in a cask and buried
the grounds of J. Fl. Batefuher, ne
Doytona, the settlement oppos
Musquito Inlet. The bodies of t
of the steerage passengers hi
been found, at least that is th
classification by the survivors. ]
bodies of three females were 1
cued from the waves along
shore, and four othor men, proba
sailors. These, like the others, hi
been duly buried. One of
bodies is that of a grey-bail
man. Near the body of one of
woman was found that of a you
girl. Of course it has been impos
BILE to identify any of these bob
except that of Gen. Torbert, "
was we'll known to all on board. I
masts and portions of the gunwa
of the steamer lie scattered lie
tho hoooL, ,r-bo~.a L. x7;oe ~~,o,.o H.