The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1858-03-13

eMs Ms 6FpG9 n thin morning ot =
steamboat SferaA ii The Bigbeerivef,
ldaYs thofhinSs SONS thirty OF forty
nv. reElost, and 261&6e q4d2O0 bales OK cotton
destroyed. Nothine 63cept the hull of the
boat was ) I'LL nnIconsn 1kee THE following pay
s4iculars w have M fhscIn yarioussouf@
and swe publish ti6sia. II tekttSb form for
posxe III reliaaviinns6 EktthlSat flEGaAnxietv "a
:nniversally feIteQns s1t.
Tia deathssa j &}l4incj5 pm y
ma Manv n E336aess& &6&{fsio4 escape !
~ co1ton kales .eonie n .rownea
others evan ID fheHtrees, found
cIinRing to The bfaneheS at the pom
death, and Others actAaily frozen stif.
shocking calauitysf
About 2 O'Clock on the morning Of
inst, the steamer Elfzq Battle, Capt.
Stone. WIS observed tpsbe on FIRE int
nos. Of Che boat. The tiller rope
diately burnt, aud the flames y
such fearful! rapid i at once
Il With the ladies, cabin, thus -
sinication with the life 1bS
passengers were then
part sofN the boat, wi .rion exc,
board, bntgin very few minutes the entire
IUOlt, WIlfI Ltl 1Cd4 Vi dHuuN LOW bN'So =
cotton was e~nveloped il flames, giving them
barely time to escape their lives. There
was d the time Of the ~confagfation abont fiji
lfy-fae passengers on board, not one-half or
whom have been saved.
One child of MI. Cromwell was saved BY
Mr.. Frank Stone. second clerk Of the boat,
[4who swan ashore with it. He then placed
Miss Turner on, . cotton bale and safely landed
beEson shore. Shesaid to him, " You have
saved my life do save my mother, and my
sister,, He then swan of and rescued her
sister, who afterwards frcze to death in his
|arms. Her mother froze to. death on q tree,
which was the fate Of almost all.who persisted.
The assistant pilot saved Miss Robinson. She
threw water on him while he was padding her
ashore on q cottonsbale. Capt. S. G. Stone
remained on the wreck until the flames hl ZEN
tireiY surrounded the boat he got into the
water with a stage plank. where he remained
for eight hours. rendering all the assistance he
coaldsto the unfortunate passengers and crew,
and barely escaped death himself.
The boatS at the time the sad accident oc-
Cured, was near Kelip's Landing and Gaines
|viIles The residents Of that vicinity did every
thing in their power 10 comfort and console
the ,un~ttortunate sufferers. We learn from a
passenger who camesdown il the Magnolia.
that III returning thanks 10 the citizens Of the
above places, only about t%wenty-nine wee to
be found to sign The list, sout Of ffty-fve that
were on board. The wind was blowing EAR
fully from the north, and tie night was bitter
cold. 1t is supposed that the fire occurred
from the sparks from fhe steamer Warrio,,
which passed up only q few minutes before the
boat was discovered to be on fire. Below we
append q list of those who are known to be
lost Mrs. B. Cromwell and child, Sumter
county Mrs. Fl. G. Turner and child, Sumter
county; Mr.. caradine, Chickasahay county,
Miss. Mr.. Willis, Chickasahay county, Miss. /;
Augustus Jones, Columbus Mr.. 2. Kirkland,
Green county. Ala; Mr.. Martin, KY; Mr..
John Powell, barkeeper of E. Battle; DR.. S.
w. Clanton, Warsaw; M. A. Galloway,
Gainesville Mr.. Newman, Ky. q young man
from Fairfield the barber of E. Battle; first
and third cook belonging to the boat cham
bermaid belonging to s. G. Stone; three ne
groes belonging to J. A. Meoring one negro
belonging to Col. Buford, cabin boy one ne
gro belonging to Judge Tory one negro be-
longing to John Foster one negro belonging
to r. g. Foster one negro belonging to
Daniel Rain three white deck hands, names
unknown.