The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-09-04
DISAS TER.
AYesseI Conc Dom.

New York, 3.-Herold's st. a ugu
tine, Fla: There is very little doubt tina
: the steamer City of Vera Cruz Of tn
, | Mexican line, which sailed from Ney
t | York On the 25th of August for Hsvan;
Q and Vera Cruz, went down in the recen
hurricane which has already strewn ou
: Coast with wrecks. Only the faintes
hopes :. ms;n that any Of her passenger
: have survived. This terrible discovery
was made here yesterday, when portions
Of tie mail carried by the Inflated Vesse
we're washed ashore some miles south o.
this city. One msil bag contained Letters
for Cuba and Mexico which had ben
posted 10 Paris, France, on August 18th
AID another lot was found with the en-
yelop bearing the pSstmark New York,
August 25th." This at once indicated
that the lost vessel was q mail steamer
bound for southern ports, Gnd the sur
mise was that it must have been the CITY
Of Vera Cruz, as she left New York on
the day last named.
The Vera Cruz was a siaunch ship and
she must have been struck by hurri-
cane and probably foundered on SAtur-
day night or Sunday morning. The
| following il a list of the passengers who
sailed 10 the VeTG Cruz: Rafsel Arrue,
Mrs. r. Arrue, Walter Betchie, AdolfO
osque, Miss L. Burns, Miss a. CLARK,
Geo W. Cole, Miss Sadie Foy, General
Forb hes, E. Fuenks. Mr. s. A. MsrOin,
Mrs. S. A MARGIN, Il. Slashof, John
Gledmill, John Sambay, Felipe Her
nsndez, Miss Hernandez, Z. Liolefeld,
Roderignez A. Martinez, X. A. Owen,
j. Ravensburg, Miss j. Ravensburg,
Miss T. Rubio, s. 2. Silva, j. S. Maur,
Alexander Wallengc, III. Welsh, Mrs.
NJ Welsh.
Mr.. A. Alexander, agent, says he has
not heard any news OF the accident to
the steamer City Of Vera Cruz, and that
the vessel was considered capable of
weathering any storm. She was loaded |
lightly and commanded by Captain Van
Size, an expert seaman, and had a crew
of fifty picked men.
One mail bag contained letters for
Cuba and Mexico which had been posted |
in Paris, Frasce, August 18th, aud an
other lot was found with envelopes bear
ing the postmark Of New York, August
25Lh. This alone indicated that the lost
vessel was a mail steamer bound for
southern ports and the surmise was that It
must have been the City Of Vera Cruz,
as she left New York on the day last
uAmeG. OlOkbI 64uuliudLlOll euOhbu
several bills of ladirg ofthe steamer Vert
Cruz. Every hour brings news of come
more stsrtl ng discoveries In regard 10
the supposed wreck. The body ola lady
aud q little chi d have been found on
shore cast up by the waves. They were
buried by a party of wreckers, on the |
sands near the place where fOuLd. This
makes already five bodies recovered, the |
. al Tho Of II n
known persons. Two, from their dress, |
are thought to be passengers and the
other evidently & sailor. The shore for |
over forty miles is strewn with the cargo |
of the steamer. The trunk found was
marked Hernandez. Two sailing vessels |
in addition to the brig Eddy have come |
ashore since the gale nesr here. The
signs are that the hurricane has been vary |
fatal to shipping. The City Of Vera
Cruz was a wooden vessel, 1874 tons
register, built at Green Point, |
Long Island, in 1874, for Alexander |
s. sons line between this city, Havana |
and Mexico, in which trade she was en- |
ployed. She was screw vessel, 296 feet |
long, 81 feet beam and 126 feet deep, |
and had a draught of 10 feet Of water, |
she had three decks. brig rugged and her |
motive power consisted OF two compound |
cylinder engines. Her propeller was 10 |
feet six inches diameter with pitch Of
. fee, iron stripes, four inches wide and |
five eighths of an inch in thickness |
doubled and diagonally laid strengthened |
the vessel very materially. She had ac- |
cOnodations for l,lG0 passengers,
and was faely furnished. 1t is
suggested t! at in the event of an
accident to the City Of Vera Cruz, or if
the steamer became unmsnageable in the
storm, the crew and passengers might
have taken to the bo=ts, Bringing the
mail with them, and have afterwards
thrown the mats overheard to Tighten.
The postofice authorities here say the
msil washed ashore posimarked New
York, August 25," ard Paris, August
- Indicated that the mail arrived here
bv the Batavia from Liverpool, snd was
dispatched by the CITY Of Vera Cruz.
At the office Of the Alexander line, up to
noon to-day, no further information as to
the loss of the CityOf Vera Cruz has been
received. The owners do not believe the
steamer lost, but think she encountered q
hurricane during which the mail and
baggage went overheard. They pro
nolnce her one of the strongeit steamers
in the world. She was in the dry dock
previous to the last trip. The vessel was
worth 500, 600, insured in London and
America. Many relatives and friends Of
the passengers and crew are at the office
awaiting information. Capt. f. Harris,
who commanded the steamer en- tho pre-
yious voyage ia on board. The chief
engineer is named Miller and the pur-
ser Burke.
Among the passengers Of the Vera
Cruz was Major General Alfred L. a.
Torbert, who distinguished himself dur
ing the rebellion as caval-v commander.
General Torbert was attached to the
army Of the west aud a strong friend OF
General Grant.