Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-09-04
kilograms to The Star.
GEN. GRANT DECLINES
LOSS OF THE VERA CRUZ
Graphic Report of the Wreck
Fifty-seven Lives Lost.
THE CZAR'S LIFEIN DANGER
D ESTR UCTIVE FIRES.

THE VERA CRUZ DISASTER.
Graphic Story Of the Storm and of
the wreck of the Nteamer-FOrty.
seven Lives Lost.
NEW YORK, Sept 4.-Specials from st. Angus
tine, Fla, furnish the following additional par
ticulars OF the disaster to the steamship city
OF Vera Cruz On Saturday afternoon the
steamer encountered strong gale, which soon
increased In fury. 1t was then about two bells.
% p. m.) Then the steamer was running on
her course, being In about 50 degrees west Ion
gitude and 30 degrees 40 minutes north latitude
The sea was very high, and the City OF Vera
Cruz labored heavily but sturdiIy for some
hCurS Every effort was made to keep her be-
fore the wind, but 1t was found necessary at
one O'Clock on sunday morning TO throw out a
desired effect for the time being, but the gale
had now grown TO hurricane, and immense
waves began TO break over the doomed steamer.
Each succeeding wave tore away pieces of her
upper works. until her deck was nnalIy swept
clear, even the rigging being torn and shat
tered. TIE drag ceased to fulfu its functions.
and as the seas rose over her bows and deluged
her decks, they soon reached the furnaces and
eAtnguished the fires, the matches having been
torn from their fasteDings by the biilows The
nres s t9 99elng out soon put stop to the engines,
ana the City OF Vera Cruz lay at the mercy of
the waves and storm. Not even the donkey
pumps could be worked TO relieve the vessel OF
the water she was rapidly making in her hold.
La this extremity Capt. Van Stce ordered his
men 10 throw overheard the deck load, a task
that had been begun about midnight
OffIcers and Men Swept from the
Decks.
But the sea was too heavy to permit the crew
carrying out their captains orders, for while
thus engaged several OF the men We're carried
on their feet by incoming seas aud many of
them washed overheard. Capt. Van Slice and
bis officers acted courageously In the perfor-
nance OF their several duties. but were one by
one washed overheard from their stations The
steamer labored In the trough of the sea. As
near as can be aScerta1ned the captain perfShed
fully an hour before the vessel finally succunbed.
me lew remaining alive on board now saw
that there was no hope so they took to the life
preservers, the life boats having already tisap-
peared; In fact every boat and life raft was
stove in when the top hamper went by the
uOar0. TEe sailors and the passengers then
seized fragments OF spars, state room doors or
any other movable article that would float and
awaited the end all knew to be at hand. The
about 80 miles of shore
The Sinking Of the Steamer-Thir.
teen survivors Only Out of Sew.
enty Souls.
bad equipped themselves with their tmpromptu
buoys, the final catastrophe occurred, it being
then. as already stated, about half past flve a.
N. With one awful and tremendous lurch The
steamer suddenly sank into the ocean, the
swirl carrying down many Of the living. OF the
20 souls on board before the storm begun only
13 have reached the land alive. These Is were
engineer and l oiler. They were all In the
water buf1eted by the tempestuous sea for from
"a to 36 hours, and there Is no doubt but for
this ordeal many more would have been saved,
for there can be but little doubt that several
perished after the laundering OF the steamer
through exhaustion. The names of two of the
SURVIVORS only have been furnished. They are
Mason Talbot and JAS. Kelly, both seamen.
One of the passengers saved was young man,
but strange enough he states that he does not
wish his name sent for publication. II is said
be was the companion OF Gen. Alfred I. A. Tor
bert
The Recovered BOdies-Those of
Gen. TOrbert and Several Ladies'
Bodies or the victims came on ashore 30 miles
south OF this place Among them was that OF
Gen. Torbert, and his body was placed In a
cask and buried on Wednesday In the grounds
Of j. 81. Batefughr, near Daytona, a settlement
opposite Mosquito Inlet. The bodies of two OF
the Steerage passengers have also been found
yfyors. 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. One OF the
bodies is that of a gray haired man. and near
| the body Of one OF the omen was found that of
young girl OF course ft has been Impossible
10 identity any Of these bodies, except that OF
Gen. Torbert. who was well known to all on
board. The masts and portions of the gun
wales OF the steamer lie scattered along the
beach, where the DO lies were discovered. With
them is quantity of handsome cabinet furni-
ture, all badly smashed and ruined by the
waves. The trunk mentioned in dispatches last
nlght contains quantlty or childrens clothing
and some playthings.
List Of the Lost Of the Vera Cruz.
The Following names OF passengers and onf-
GERS OF the City of Vera Cruz known to be lost
appear In the specials Edward Nansce, captain;
Frank NJ. Haines, 1st mate; S. E. Whitney. 21
mate: Gen. A. T. A. Torbert, passenger: Mrs r.,
Ames, passenger; Miss Z. Burns, passenger:
MISS A. Slark, passenger; Miss Sadie Fay, pas
SeDger; MIS- A. Garcia, passenger; Mrs. f. Her
Dandez, passenger; Mrs. NJ. WEIGH passenger;
- Welch, child, passenger.
More Fortunate than the Vera CRUZ.
HAVANA, Sept. 4.-The steamer Niagara,
which left New York day later than the City
OF Vera Cruz, arrived yesterday morning. She
reports that she encountered very heavy
weather.
Seven Survivors.
SAVANNAH, GA, Sept. "A special 10 the
Morning Netrs from 81. Augustine says:-Last
night seven survivors of the Vera Cruz arrived
from the Halifax river. The party consists OF
Owens "a passenger), an engineer, an oiler, and
four seamen. On Sunday, at $50 o'clock, sea
struck the steamer, putting out the fires and
lights and washing away the boats and rarts
The captain was the first man lost. The
steamer sank on the 2sth, 80 miles from the
coast 1t is supposed that the other survivors
are further south. Gen. IorDerts pody was
washed ashore and was buried at Dayton.
The Course of the Hurricane.
KEY WEST FLA, Sept 4.-The hurricane In
which the steamship Vera Cruz was lost passed
reported on the Florida reefs, and no damage
was done below Cedar Keys on the western
coast.
Safe.
CHESTER, PA, Sept. 4.-Mr. A. K. owen, OF
this city, one OF the passengers on the Inflated
Vera Cruz, telegraphs from St Augustine that
he is safe.
other Wrecks by the Storm.
The schooner Ado j. Simonton OF Rockland,
Me-, commanded by Capt. Parker, and bound
from Pensacola to Boston, went ashore near
Mosquito Inlet The gale struck her on Satur-
DAY morning, and after sc hours battling with
the elements she was driven on the beach. All
her crew and one passenger were, saved. A
Dark, the name OF which is unknown, went
ashore at the same place. Her crew were also
saved. There are now about 80 men at Port
orange. all OF whom were shipwrecked during
the storm.
Wall Street To-day.
NHw YORK, Sept 4-The Posts financial artf-
Gle says: The Stock Exchange markets are all
strong to-day. U. s. 4'S are ruling at 11ekasS
and hrst-class railroad Investments are up to
the highest figures In several cases yet reached.
Rock Island stock Is up to 120 or 240 for the old
stock before the share capital was doubled. The
stock market is up 4alx above yesterdays
closing, although at the opening prices were
haK below yesterdays latest sales. The rise
has been led by Hannibal and st Joseph, Iron
Mountain Reading Northwest MflWaukoo onA