Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1867-01-01
500 ERsONs ON BOARD.
Fifty or Sixty Supposed TO be Lost.
FULL ARTICU L A Rs.

In our edition Of yesterday morning we
furnished q few brief facts IN relation to
the burning of the steamer Fashion, on
Thursday last. From Mr.. Thomas Hast
ings, mate Of the i'll starred boat, who
reached this city on tho Magenta, we have
obtained the following additional par
tigulHrs:
statement OF MIR. Hastings.
The boat took fire at half past three
o'clock on Thursday afternoon. on the out
side cotton the outside tier on the lar
board SIDE. We used every effort to put il
out, but when rounding to : we rounded to
on the windward side the wind b,ew the
fame right through the tier Of cotton, and
the fr-t thing discovered was, that vi ilst
the fire had been extinguished on the out
side, the flames had been blown through
and had caught on the inside tiers. There
were three Burton tiers OF cotton ABREAST
the boilers. Soon as l discovered the
smoke coming up between the guards and
the cotton, knew there was no chance TO
save the boat. Then the next thing was to
land her and try to save the people on
board. We ran into the bank on the
Baton Rouge side, about seven miles above
Baton Rouge under a fu Il head OF steam
both engines working, and we ran her in
high and dry forward, so that the people
on the forecastio jumped off right on the
bank. | then went aft TO try to save the
people on the ait of he boat.
At about the time started aft and com
menced throwing ladders and lfestles over,
that we used for scrubbng, q panic was
created among the passengers, and the
dren over board and jumping overheard
after Thorn. The scene that ensued was
indescribube. There we're between forty
and fifty persons ia the river at one time,
struggling between life and death-ladles
who could not swim with their hands up
and shreking tor assistance.
then got both the life boats overheard,
but to no effect at all ono sinking, and
the other which came up right side got
adrift, AID no one got into it, After leav-
ing the wreck got into the river and
came between the aft derrick guy, and
swan to the yaw. After | got into the
water. picked up several lady passengers
and went ashore and put them off. ] WAS
50 perfectly exhausted by battling with one
Of the sides OF the yawl that l got out
there, and another party got into the yawl
and = arted down the river to see if he
could discover any persons clinging, to the
wreck or cotton bales, and he went down
to Baton Rouge. a cou, lie OF children
were picked up, but believe they died on
the way OF rs soon as they got to Baton
Rouge. One of the children was recog-
nized by lady, but the other was not.
There was u largesnumber of emigrants
bound to Texas on the boat, one Of whom,
q lady, behaved in very heroic manner.
After had taken her child from her, she
got hold Of the yawl, and when l tried to
pull her up. she said, "Let me alone; am
safe; help those ladies on the other side:
for God sake help them" 1t gives me
pleasure to Il I'd she Was among the saved.
W hen | swan to the yawl, Capt. Pratt
was in it padding with one of the state
room blinds. He had waded waist deep
TO get in the yawl and save some ladies.
when ! got into the yawl he was perfectly
exhausted and said Hastings, takn this
paddle and help save the ladies;'' and we
both worked away to save the ladies'. We
got all the ladies of this party of, but they
lost one or two children. These ladies
were from Natchez and | think were re-
lated TO Messrs. Rick and Shelton.
There must have been between fifty and
sixty persons in all lost, for saw between
forty and fifty persons at one time strug-
Cling for their lives. There were not less
than three hundred persons in all on
O0ard. Every Oouy iofWaTa gov ouS DuL
the moment the wind struck the cotton it
drove the flames right through, envel-
opiLg the whole boat from the larbcard to
the starhoard. 30 that no one could get
forward and all had to take the water.
| was on watch, and said, pilot, stop
the boat,n as saw that as we kept under
way the wind tanned the fame. He
stopped the boat. When be stopped her
there was heaAway on her, and he started
to the Baton Rouge aide aud the starboard
shore. II he had let her 60 the other way
there was deep water, and her stern would
have swung in, and great many more
persons would nave been saved. After he
rounded to, | was afraid to countermand
the order. for fear she would not reach the
shore, but would burn in the middle Of the
river. and every body would be lost. II he
had gone to the other shore, whore there