Evening star., 1940-03-10

Lewis Herndon of Fredericksburg,
Va, afterward became the wife of
Chester A. Arthur. CShe died the
year before her husband became
the 2lst President of the United
States.)
Many of the passengers aboard
the Central America were from
Virginia and Maryland, not far
from Washington. They had been
to the California gold fields, and
some were returning home with
| what, in those days, was considered
fortune. When the ship sank,
many passengers tried to save the
gold they had concealed on their
persons-and died in the attempt,
no doubt, through the added weight
of the metal.
Capt. Herndon was graduate Of
the Naval Academy and a lieuten-
ant in the Navy, but because he
was not then needed for active duty
IN this branch of the service he
was allowed to take command Of
the privately owned Central Amer
lea. The chances are he was well
acquainted with the Virginians who
went down with the ship as well as
with those who lived in our i'm
mediate vicinity, since he lived
here at the corner of Twentieth and
H streets NV. where he was
employed in the Naval Observatory.
The vessel was not regarded as
especially seaworthy. 1t was built in
New York in 1888 and was first
named the George Law. In an ac-
count OF the disaster transmitted
to The Star by one of the passen-
gers and published September 10.
1857. it is said:
We left Havana September 8,
having had delightful weather and
a calm sea from the time of leaving
AsplnWan. In the afternoon of the
day of sailing from Havana a fresh
breeze sprang up, and on Wednes-
DAY morning, the 9th, it COM
menced blowing very strongly. The
gale continued all day, and at night
1t was still increasing and raining
in torrents.
"On Thursday the wind blew a.
complete hurricane and the sea ran
very high. Through Friday, the
storm ragged with unabating fury,
and at II am. it was first known
among the passengers that the
steamer had sprung a leak and was
taxing water fast. A line was formed.
ana all the men went to work BAIL
ing from her engine room, the fires
having been already extinguished bv
the water.
After some hard work. we gained
on the water so much as to be able
to get up steam again, but held it
so for only few minutes, when the
water again rose on us and the
engines stopped forever"
Final Scenes.
OF the final scenes, the statement
goes on to say:
The passengers continued to bail
until within an hour of the Central
Americas disappearance. Life pre-
servers were then given out to them,
The ship sank at o'clock. Capt.
Herndon stood upon the wheel. and
was heard to say that he would
never leave the ship. No one who
knew the gallant commander could
ever imagine that he would. The
final scene took place more suddenly
and at an earlier period than her
unfortunate passengers anticipated.
All at once, the ship made a plunge
at an angle of As degrees, and then
disappeared forever. A simultaneous
shrek of agony rose from 500 human
throats, and 500 human beings were
left floating on the bosom of the
ocean, with no hope but death.
About 1:30 o'clock on the morning
OF the 18th, the Norwegian bark
Ellen came running down with a
free wind. The cries of distress
from the Central Americas pas
sengers were heard, and the Ellen
hove-to under short sail. And now
the task OF rescuing those who had
oeen able to survive in the water
was commenced. BY 9 am. 81 men
were rescued. Diligent search was
made until IL o'clock, but no more
survivors could be seen, so the Ellen
bore away for Norfolk, where the
passengers rescued by her, as well
as those taken off by the brig
Marine, were placed on board the
steamer Empire City, and conveyed
to New York. At the time we 60
to press, no others are known to
have been saved, except those picked
up by the brig Marine or sent In
boats to the bark Ellen. The
former rescued SO. and the latter 81,
making only 124 saved out of a
total in passengers and crew sup
posed to have been on board the
Central America of 5S6 souls"
True to his word, Capt. Eerndon
perished with his ship. A monu-
ment was erected in his honor in
the Naval Academy grounds, and
Il is understood the town Of Hern-