LOSS OF THE "EVENING STAR."

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 155, 10 January 1867, Page 2

LOSS OF THE "EVENING STAR."

(From the Panama Star and Herald). "From the statements made by some of the survivors of the steamer Evening Star who had atrived at New York, it appears that the fll-fated vessel encountered a terrific gale on the evening of Tuesday, October 2, when about 240 miles north east of Mantanilla Reef. At midnight on the 2nd instant, her luidder chains were broken, and the vessel being unmanageable, lay in the trough of the sea. MrW. H. Harris, of Williamsburg, New York, a passenger on board the ill-fated steamer, makes the following statement descriptive of the last terrible scene • — All Tuesday night the Evening Star lay at the mercy of the Avaves, and appeared to be settling very fast. The captain had informed the passengers that all had been done that was possible to save the ship, and that further effort was useless. The next morning at five o'clock the steamer was a complete wreck, botli paddle-boxes were gone, nothing of them remained in sight but the iron bars. The pilot house and guards had been swept away ; her engine had been useless for a long time, and she was rolling in the trough of the sea. At 5.30 o'clock the captain notified the women that all who wished to take their chances in the boats could do so. Purser Allen placed a number of women in the boats, but at the moment these were detached from the wreck they were swamped. All the women that could get thorn had life preservers, but these were very few in number. Meanwhile the ship was filling very fast. I stood by one of the hatch covers in company with several women, intending to cling to it when the vessel should go down, which we. expected every moment. In a few minutes she shipped a heavy sea forward of her starboard wheelhouse, completely covering the vessel. She never rose again out of this sea, but went down in an instant. I was carried down with her about 20 or 30 feet. On coining to the surface of the water again, I caught hold of a heavy piece of the guard to support myself ; but being several times struck by pieces of the wreck I relinquished my hold. I next succeeded in getting upon a piece of the framework of ths saloon where I stood two or three hours, having been washed off two or three times. At this time I could see most of the debris as it lay before me. One piece of the hurricane deck, some hundred feet long, was crowded with human beings, ' whose shrieks of terror and despair rose above the fury of the storm. While clinging to my piece of the wreck, I saw one of the life-boats, to which several persons were clinging, turn bottom up. 1 swam to her, and with the assistance of the others succeeded in righting the boat. Some eighteen of us got hold of the boat, which was completely filled with water. Some of those c.linging to the sides of the boat with me were Avashed away. Their places were quickly filled by others.. She turned over and over in the water, like a log.. After great exertion we managed to get her freed of water. During the evening of the 3rd (Wednesday) we began to suffer considerably from the want of food and water. One of our party had found a turnip floating near the boat, and, having secured it, divided it with his companions. Some who had been drinking saltwater became quite delirious from the effect of it. Some even drank their own urine, so intense had their thirst become. From the canvas of the life-pre-servers we managed to rip up a sail which, by the aid of the strong easterly wind, helped up along towards the shore. At eight o'clock on the next morning (the 4th), we fell in with one of the ship's life-boats containing the third mate and nine men. They gave each of us a handful of crackers, they having been fortunate enough to save a box of them from among the drift of the wreck. Shortly afterwards we parted company. The other boat had a good sail. Both boots now stood for the land, wind about ENE, At five o'clock on the morning of the sth we saw a sail, which proved to be the bark Fleeting, of Lauvig, Norway, from Balize, Honduran, bound to Southampton, which hove to and took us on board. We remained on board of her 33 hours. . At two o'clock on the afternoon af the 6th, we spoke the schooner S. J. Waring, Captain Frank Smith, from New York for Apalachicola, Fla. We were transferred to her. The Waring having been disabled in the storm, was making for the nearest port — Savannah or Charleston. We arrived off Tybee on Sunday night and went up to the city the next morning. Our party consisted of ten when we reached Savannah, Purser Allen and the Chief Engineer being of the party, and myself the only passenger. Only four life-pre-servers were on board the Evening Star, wliich were distributed among the ladies. The members of the Ballet Troupe and French Circus Company, not speaking English, could not understand what orders were given in relation to tbe boats, and very few, if any, managed to reach them. The shrieks of the J frantic women could be heard above the roar j of the angry waves, rnshing to and fro, imploring for aid, but it was each for himself In addition to the French Circus Company and Ballet Troupe there were 42 frail women who for various reasons were seeking another field to prosecute their unholy calling. Some with impaired constitutions were migrating to .a warmer climate ;' "others were suffering with ennui, and merely wanted a change of scene. It is state! that one young girl has left a widowed mother, sister, and child unprovided for, she being there only support. The Bister is being educated at a private school, and knows not of her sister's shame. John Thuro, of New Orleans, one of the passengers of the ill-fated A'cssel, bought a policy for 10,000 dollars for the Accidental Insurance Company, for which he paid 10 dollars. Several of the unfortunates had their lives insured for the benefit of those dependent upon them, in various New York Companies,