The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1856-08-30
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menced crowding on (gTl5. Z then looked
forward and saw Capn@ 6miAS aft as if te
notify the passengers thss he 1 WIS in dan:
ger, Immediately after which she tapsized. The
passengers and crew ~endeaSored tosgct over or
the bottom Of the hull some Six OF eight per
sons succegded; Immediately after a heavy sea
struck her, sweeping them of. l swan until
caught a part Of the wreck / then looked
back to the wreck, and Jaw a few persons
stumbling on her, after which saw no more q
her, having loated of.
] still saw about twenty-five or thirty per
sons in the sea, holdipG, on to portions Of The
wreck, among whor IS MIR. j. T. Kerr, til,
purser, Mr.. Giles, A mate, Charles Dcson
zier, second engineer, IN. Artegas, seconl
clerk, and q number the crew. / saw nj
more of Capt. Thompsd After floating aboI
haitian hour, | met Mr.. J .hnson, chief engineer
on d large piece Of creek ; l got on W.T.
Mr.. j., the piece / was ol not being Of 1 Il
Gent size to support me. 1 II.
/ asked him if he had seen Capt. Thor son
He said he had not. We remained Y either
two days and two nights the second nj int Mr.
J. became delirious. and notwithstanf ing my
efforts TO retain him, he got %ovcrtf ard next
morning, when my back was toward1 him, and
was drowned, in spite of all my efforts to save
him. I saw at that time two persls.ls at a dis
lance, one Of whom / supposed to be the first
mate, Mr.. Giles, who was on a part Of the
wreck, the other on a large log, with roots
about as high as my head This person ] think
was MIR. John Wells, passenger from Brazos
Santiago. t@
The next day l missed the mar supposed to
be Mr.. Giles, and on the fourth day, being
near the log which Mr.. Wells was OH, and my
raft going to pieces ] swan for it. lie. went
over before l reached him, and ] saw him no
more. l then got on the log, and the next day
picked upa panel door belonging to the wreck
and laid it on the roots about three feet above
water. / slept on this door occasionally, and
on Monday, the 18th, was picked MP by the
steamer f. NJ. Streck, not having had anything
to eat or drink during the eight days, except
about half q pint Of water which ! caught in
the panel of the door on Sunday, the 9th.
On the boats approaching ] jumped into
the water and swan for the boat, and on reach
ing the schooner Jane Elizabeth | c!imed up
her sides and Immediately ran for the water
casks, but was prevented by the officers. | had
but little clothing left.
When we left Brazos and Galveston the
cattle ports were all open. On Saturday the
lower portion was closed, and on Sunday
morning the upper part was lowered down,
but the sca was running so high that they were
unable to fasten it.
Rev. Mr.. Twitchell, who got on board at
Galveston, was unwell during the trip, and oc-
cupied the captains room with the captains
son, Powell. Mr.. Twiclell had every meal
sent up, and he and Powell were in the room
when she capsized. Capt. Thompson did not
leave the deck from the time the gle sprung
up.
Capts. Pittfeld and Cooper state
could not have been over Il
the lighthouse, and if a !,
dispatched Immediately after the s,orm, ,ney
doubt not but a number might have been
saved. ~[Picayune, Goth.