New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-11-09
THE LOST ON THE VARUNA.

The Galveston Ne,cs sketches the passen
gers who were lost on the Varuna:
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hitchcock are vel
known to all our citizens; the husband ;
valued citizen, the wife lady of many ac
compliments Both were members OF the
Episcopal Church. Mr.. Hitchcock was the
brother Of Captain Munson Hitchcock, re
Gently deceased. He was native OF Maine
and his ship chandler store has long beer
the pilot headquarters. AS chief engineer
of the fire department, Mr.. Hitchcock VOL
much renOwn for zeal, Judgment and ad
ministrative talent. Mr.. Hitchcock was
Mason. They leave several orphan
children.
Mr.. Ruttkey was an estimable young mer
chant of less than thirty years. He was ln
til recently, and we presume at the time OF
his death, with the house of Duncan &
Sherman. His mother was lady OF re
markable character, and took an active part
in the political affairs of Hungary. General
Kossuth, the Hungarian patriot, was al
uncle to Mr.. Ruttkey.
The Messrs. Blum were prominent mem
bers Of the great Galveston house Of Leon
& H. Blum. One was the brother and the
other two were cousins of Mr.. Leon Blum
Two other members Of the family were t.
have sailed ON the Varuna, but having re
departure for a few days, in order to see the
sights of New York. To this they are i'll
.debted for their lives.
Mr.. Stephen Southwick was one OF our
oldest citizens, having resided here thirty
one years. He was always an estimable
and worthy citizen of wealth and character
He was for years, and we belive at the time
of his death, one of the vestry Of Trinity
Church. He, too, was Mason, and leaves
several children.
Mr. A. COhn WAS the leading member OF
the prominent clothing firm Of the COhn
Brothers, whose establishment in the Moro
Castle corner of Strand and fremont, was
destroyed by the great fire. He, too, was a
Mason.
We have been unable to identify the
names Of Bernard and Oppenheimer; they
may or may not be GalvestOnians. We
have been unable to ascertain.
A. T. Hamilton is partner in the house
of Mcneil & Co. He was an enterprising
merchant, fast winning respect and esteem
for his prObity and commercial sagacity.
Mr. +. d. johnson was the eldest son of
our highly respected citizen, Judge John
son. His wife was Miss Pitt, daughter of
that highly esteemed matrOn, who is gener-
ally known as the widow Pitt. They leave
behind them two orphan children. If we
mistake not, Mr.. johnson and his lady
Mr.. P. NJ Jenkins was, until last winter,
the partner of Mr.. Walter Robinson. whose
sbrother-in-law he was. He was a bachelor,
and has for some years been great sufferer
from inflammatOry disease. He was q
English birth, though both his parents re-
side in Galveston. In consequence of his
bad health he made the voyage to England
lin sailing ship, and was returning, robust,
to gladden. his parents, when he met with
4, t. A1x-f ,fn no mo
bers Of the Baptist Church, and are COM
pletely crushed by their calamity
We have been unable to ascertain who are
the persons represented as Charles Ames,
james Quin, Wallace Blakely, Burley and
lady, H. A. Rowland and lady, George w.
Seave, James Leddy and James Hand.
They may be strangers to Galveston, or re-
.sidents to- us unknown.
Mrs Lyons, wife of Captain Lyons, of the
eCustOmhOuse, was accompanied by her tour
children. We do not wonder that the hus-
band is almost berett of reason.
Mrs. Annie Won Harten was the estima-
BILE wife OF Galveston merchant, of the
firm of Won Harten & Nichols. She was
saccOmpaniedby her youngest child, Rose, a
little girl of three years. She leaves SIX
children living, the eldest of whom is fine
lad of seventeen, now at the University OF
Tennessee. Mrs. Won Harten was an Eng
her marriage in Chicago. She was COM
municant Of the Episcopal Church, having
received the rite of confirmation at the
hands Of Bishop Gregg, at his visitation In
the first part Of this year,
Mr.. Allen Lewis was one of our most
prominent citizens. He was, if we mistake
not, native Of Maine, and came to Calves
ton about the year 1913. Shortly after his
arrival he made profession of religion, and
in;uoA tho ATofho1ist (,LupcI of which no
has ever since been one of the most active
members. Although then poor, he greatly
prOspered, and was very wealthy at the
time Of decease. In the church he has long
been a prominent steward, and in constant
charge of the temperatures. He was the
chairman Of the building committee
of the new St. Johns Church, and part
of his business in the North was to .pur-
chase the furniture and ornaments of the
church, in which he took a great deal of
pride. He was superintendent Of the cree
ton Of the fine new building Of the Mer-
chants Mutual Insurance Company. 1t was
by his enterprise and his care that this beau
ttiful ornament was added to our city. One
of Mr.. Allen Lewis chief aims in life was
to improve the city, and there are few men
who have done SO much to build her up and
to beautify her. His relations ramified into
almost every department Of business. We
are doubtful whether we know the extent
of his relations to the business interests
of Galveston. He was the superin-
tendent Of the Factors and New
Wharf Cotton Presses. belonging to
the Southern Cotton Press and Man
sufacturing Company, the most wealthy cor
poration in the city. He was Director in
the First National Bank, in the Merchants
and Mutual Insurance Company, in the
Texas Mutual Life Insurance Company, and
a 10 hnld ,v,a tran rot, ny,n
pany. In short, it is very difficult to emu
.merate the various enterprises in which he
was engaged. Mrs. Lewis and several
children are in Canada, where he had spent
the summer. If we mistake not he leaves
ten children, three Of whOm-Mrs. James
Seymour, Mrs. John McMahan and Mrs.
William NichOls-are now in the city Mr..
Lewis was for many years Master Mason.
Mr.. j. L. Briggs, of the firm of Briggs &
! here, we believe, in the same year that Mr..
.Southwick arrived. Previous to the war
we had no citizen more prominent in all
affairs than Mr.. Briggs. He had acquired
much wealth, and invested it in enterprise
that promised to develop the city. He was
one Of the original railroad men of Texas,
and had much to do with the organization
of the Galveston, Houston and Henderson
road. 1t was his distinction to be the Oldest
Methodist in Galveston. As "a Mason, he
, held rank as high as that Of any in Texas.
: AS fireman, he was one of the organizers
of the Hook and Ladder Company, and has
for very many years been an active worker
in the Howard Association. Indeed, it is
not at all unlikely that his zeal and devO-
ton to this good work was the immediate
cause Of his death, for his anxiety to be
present in the city in case the fever became
epidemic, fastened his return from the re-
treat in which he had spent the summer.
The Houston Uni on says:
We are very sorry to learn that Houston
has share in the unhappy victims lost on