In 1853 the sidewheel steamer George Law was launched. Later she would be renamed the Central America. Her last voyage began on the morning of 8 September 1857. She was carrying $1.5 million in gold. Her captain was William Lewis Herndon, a capable and experienced commander. Aboard the ship were about 600 people.
On September 9th, passengers and crew noted the the wind was beginning to pick up. That evening the rain began to fall. The next day the Central America was tossed around like a piece of driftwood as the sea raged all about. Still the stalwart steamer weathered the ordeal well. But that was not to last. On the 11th, Chief Engineer George Ashby informed Herndon that the ship was taking on water. The water was settling on the starboard side, as the ship listed. Down below, the engine crew was having trouble keeping the furnaces fed with coal while keeping their footing at the same time. Herndon sent more crewmen down to help, but it did little good. The coal still didn’t come quick enough and as the water continued to rise, it threatened to put the starboard paddle wheel out of commission. Meanwhile Herndon had other crewmen set a sail. But as they would learn, it was impossible. Each time the sails rose to meet the wind, it was torn to pieces.
As the hours passed Herndon and his officer fought a losing battle. They struggled to bring the “ship head to wind” but found it impossible. The passengers had also become aware of how grim the situation was. That same day a loud cracking noise resounded throughout the ship. At first passengers feared they had sprung a leak (which they had, Ashby just hadn’t been able to find the source). Then the engines stopped, but passengers barely noticed their absence midst all of the storm’s noise. Soon came the call for all men passengers to assist in bailing. As quick as the ship was bailed out though, more water would pour in. The hours were long and the men began to tire. When the long night passed, the morning of September 12th was a welcome sight. The storm even appeared to be dissipating.
The ship’s flag flew upside down to alert passing ships of their distress. It was only a matter of time before the Central America went down. Despite the best efforts, water was gaining ground in the ship. In a conversation with a sailor passenger and Ashby, Herndon resigned himself to the fact that the Central America would sink. Ashby, prone to expletives and a furious temper, blustered how he wasn’t about to let the ship sink.
By noon the storm had returned with vengeance. A few hours later the brig Marine under Captain Hiram Burt limped over to the wounded steamer. Burt offered his assistance and tried to stand by. But the storm pushed him on and the distance widened between the two ships. The Marine had also been damaged in the storm, but wasn’t sinking like the Central America. Herndon set to loading women and children into the Central America’s 3 remaining lifeboats. One lifeboat had been damaged the previous day and two were lost while being launched. Families were separated and men left the bailing line temporarily to bid their families goodbye. Some people left behind all the money they had. There were quite a few women injured while dropping into the awaiting lifeboats. One lady was lowered into a boat only to land in the sea. She was picked up, but as she settled into a seat a heavy woman landed on top of her. Once the boats were full, they began to pull for the Marine. The trip between the Marine and Central America took from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. The survivors were taken aboard the Marine and given dry clothes.
Back on the Central America, a saddened Herndon gave his watch to a passenger to give to his wife. When the lifeboats returned to take on more passengers, Ashby got permission from Herndon to go to the Marine and bring the Marine’s boats back. While climbing down into the boat a man tried to follow Ashby and landed on top of him. Angry, Ashby told the man to jump overboard or he would kill him with a knife he was wielding. Herndon put an end to it, so whether Ashby was bluffing we can only speculate. When the boats arrived at the Marine, the boat crews were exhausted. They refused to go back. Ashby tried to convince them to go back, but to no avail. He gave up and found himself breaking the promise he made to Herndon that he would return.
At 4 PM the schooner El Dorado arrived near the Central America and tried to stay close. But like the Marine she began to drift away as she fought the storm.
The very last lifeboat arrived at the Marine’s side with grim news. The Central America had sunk. There had been approximately 500 souls left on the Central America. With the terrible news Burt tried to find survivors but was unsuccessful. The next day he sailed for Norfolk.
In their last hours some of the men aboard the steamer began throwing their gold all over the place (gold they had earned in the California Gold Rush). Exposed to the storm, Herndon and his second officer sent up rockets. They were lighting the last one when a wave slammed into the ship, rocking it. Two more waves followed. It was too much. The Central America sunk to her death, taking with her hundreds of souls or leaving others to battle the elements on the surface. Those who were not pulled down with the steamer, latched onto wreckage and tried to ride out the storm. Some survivors were suffering from wounds inflicted on them during the sinking.
The Ellen under Captain Anders Johnsen stumbled across the survivors and began pulling them aboard his ship. Johnsen combed the waters for some time before he was certain that everyone had been saved. Then he too headed for Norfolk, arriving before the Marine.
Three more men would be found on September 21st, bringing the total amount of people saved up to 143. Second Assistant Engineer John Tice had survived on a plank of wood and later found one of the Central America’s lifeboats. He had come across two men floating on a raft. He took them aboard and they floated around hungry and miserable until they were sighted and rescued by a brig. They arrived in New York safe, but a little worse for the wear.
In 1987 the wreck was discovered, gold and all.