National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-05-29

About II p. m. on the night OF April "a
the Pacific Mail steamship Honduras left
La Libertad, Salvador, bound for Panama,
having on board about eighty souls, pas
sengers and crew, all told. The following
morning, toward B o'clock, dense fog
gathered up, shrouding everything in i'm
penetrable gloom, so that objects could not
be distinguished yard ahead. The vessel
was then of the mouth Of the river Lempa.
at a distance Of four or five miles from
q. shore. A sand bank which did not exist
when the steamer passed up on her preced-
ing voyage had been formed at this spot,
and here the vessel struck. Capt. Grinlths
had been on the bridge since very early,
but the unexpected nature Of the catas-
trophe made 1t impossible for him TO take
any PRECAUTIONS against 1t; the peril was
unknown until IL was too late. However,
his self-possession did not desert him. He
issued immediate orders to reverse engines
In the hope Of backing off, at the same time
charging the purser with instructions rela-
tive to the safety Of the passengers. But
the most strenuous attempts to get her
off proved Intellectual, and at the end
Of half an hour, finding the vessel
had sprung aleak, Capt. Griliths
ordered the boats to be lowered, into
which first the passengers and then the crew
were placed, he and his officers remaining
at their perilous posts until the last mo-
ment. All was effected in perfect order,
thanks to the ready obedience OF the crew,
and the excellent discipline exercised by
the officers and captain; but no idea OF
saying the mails and baggage could be en-
tertained on account Of the insufllciency Of
boats. At $3.50 a. m. all was In readiness,
and when the last hope Of saving the vessel
was abandoned, the boats, to the number
Of seven, were put out, and their course
directed toward the bay Of La Union. Az
ter rowing all day, they reached the cove
OF Jiquilisco at 10 p. m, where they sue
ceeded in landing. The shipwrecked crew,
overcome with fatigue, flung themselves on
the beach, and slept until o'clock the fol-
| lowing morning (April 26), when they
| again took to the boats, and In six hours
reached the port Of La Union, the captain
being the first to arrive In his boat, which
was rugged with a sail.
On the morning Of the 2Sth the Crescent
| City, OF the same line, coming from Panama
bound for La Libertad, passed near the
scene Of the disaster. The steamer stopped
and lowered her boats for the purpose of
visiting the wreck TO see II II were still
| possible to save anything, but heavy sea
| prevented their getting near, and they could
only ascertain that the vessel had parted
amidships, that the stern had completely
sunk, and that probably in six hours or
| pletely disappeared.
1t is the opinion Of experts that the sand
bank ON which the Honduras was wrecked
could not have been formed by the river
Lempa, which, during the dry season, like
all tropical rivers, brings down very little
water to the sea; even during the rainy sea-
son, which lasts from May to November,
when the river is swollen TO rushing tor
rent, 1t is considered improbable that q
bar could be formed at such distance from
shore. The presence Of the sand bank
must therefore rather be considered due to
volcanic agency, well known TO be active
throughout Central America and particu.
larry so in the republic Of Salvador. d.
SAN SALVADOR, May, 1886.