Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-09-07
THE BIENVILLE DISASTER.
Full Particulars Of the Burning Of the
Bienville Sea, as Given by the
Captain and One OF the
Passengers.
FOrty.Three Persons Missing, Of Whom
Nineteen are Known TO be Lost
Thrilling Story OF Suffering
and PriyatiOn,

NEW YORK, September 6.-The steamer
Moro Castle, which arrived to-day from Ha
vana, brought Captain Maury ana forty-one OF
the survivors OF the steamer Bienvilie. The
number OF passengers saved a. thus far report
ed is thirty-eight; the number of officers and
crew Is fOTty-six, making elghty-four In all
known 10 be saved. the number known to
be drowned is nine; the number missing from
boat No. and probably drowned. ten; the
number unheard FROM tWenly-iOuri total,
one hundred ana twenty-seNen. Alist Oi the
I saved has been sent by telegraph, and no ad-
ditional names have been reported by the ar
rival of the Captain.
REPORT OF HER COMMANDER.
] Captain AIaury makes the following report
/ 10 the Agent of the Pacific Mail steamship p
/ Company: 1 have 10 report the total loss by
! IRE. Of the chartered steamship BienVille,
l gust 18th at sea in latitude . ~, north longi-
Z tude "A, Is west by account at foriy-nve min
utes past three O'Clock in the morning. The
officer OF the watch called me, and reported
THE SHIP WAS ON FIRE
in the forehold. gave orders TO call the crew
I to the rre quarters quietly, and TO have the
/ pumps started and steam turned on and the
| the fire eKtinguishers brought into the fore
hold and forward freight room, at the same
time keeping the ship before the wind and
hauling down the head sails, leaving the head
of the jib up and stopping the engine.
Captain MauTy says that he had the hose
laid down 10 the fore hatch and endeaNOTed
10 get below with water, but SO great was the
volume OF smoke that came out that II was
necessary 10 close The hatch. he then mad
the matches covered over with Wet awnings
and started the hose at the yentilator, buI the
steam pumps We're quickly disabled and
THE WATER CUT OFF.
Meanwhile fire extinguishers and buckets
were used 10 keep the fire under, and boats
were made ready and manned. The two large
life boats were prOVisiOned and Watered, and
a full supply OF life preservers were served out
to all the passengers. At half-paSt i've O'Clock
in the morning Captain Maury thought the
fire was SO far smOthered that he would be en-
abled 10 run for Wattliug's Island, about sixty
five miles distant. Captain Maury soon dis
covered that the fire was working Its way
through both sides Of the ship, abreat of the
boilers, and that il would be necessary 10
abandon the vessel. The passengers then dis
embarked, the women and children being
equally divided, as near rs possible, in each
boat. Two boats were safely loaded and sent
on; a third was also sent VI, but was caught
under the counter of the ship,
CAPSIZED AND STOVE IN.
All in her were rescued and placed in an
othST boat. At seven o clock in the morning.
all Sut two small bOais had been loaded and
sent of. There were still more persons on
board than the boats could hold: The two
small boats were then sent of with passen-
gers 10 be distributed among other boats
which had lghtest loads. from which they
were TO return TO the ship. By that time the
flames had gained such beadway, and the heat
was 20 intense, that all the remaining persons
hastened into boats as quickly as possible,
and at half past seven in the morning, Captain
ing from the cabin by this time. The largest
nfe-boats filed and capsized. The
SEA WAS INCREASING,
hut by the aid OF the wreck of the stoven life
boat, which was floating around, they were
righted and baled. Eight or ten Others, how
ever, were lost. An account is then given Of
their voyage to land and the landing of the
passeng gers at Nassau. One OF the boats cap
sized in the surf, and nine persons drowned.
None Of the names OF the lost are known eN-
cept Mrs. Brandon and her three children;
by the authorities of Eleutherea Island. There
Is still one boat missing. she was only mod
erately loaded. She was one Of our best boats
and was well provided with water and food.
THE fire broke out between decks, immedi-
ately over the boilers, and not IN the fore
hold, as was at first supposed. am unable
to give the origin Of the fire.
E. H LAWLER,
OF Albany. gave an interesting narrative of the
burning Of the steamer, and subsequent suf-
fering OF the survivors. He says that about
three o'clock in the morning on the fifteenth,
smoke was discovered issuing from the hatch
was set at work, but IL soon broke down, when
the flames, still continuing to increase, orders
were issued TO batten down the matches, and
prepare TO take 10 the boats. At seven O'Clock
Captain Maury ordered the life boats lowered,
they were seven in number, and Ought to have
been capable Of carrying all the passengers.
The number placed in them varied from ten
10 thirty-twO; the latter number was too great,
and some of the boats were unseawOrthy, and
the sea was very rough.
THE TERRIFIED PASSENGERS,
with no land in sight, saw death staring them /,
in the face. The first boat launched contained
twenty persons, and was swamped at the I
ships stern. After much trouble, however, |
all the passengers in the boat were saved, ana /
/ should observe that placing only ten persons /
in some Of the boats caused undue proper |
tiOns 10 be thrown into Others, and in this life |
was unnecessarily sacrificed. The sun was
blazing hot. so that our Sufferings were terri /
bic. After We had left the ship about ten
the second mate, John Gof, ap-
preached in another boat and sgnaled US. he
told us, when he came along side, that we
must take four more persons IN our boat, IN
which there We're already twenty seven
Three clambered in, and, simultaneously with
the fourth getting in, our boat capsized and
we were
ALL THROWN INTO THE SEA.
There were twenty-seven males and four Ia
dies. incredible rs u may seem, the mate
passed toward his ship and made no effort
TO save US, not even the ladies'. The
mates boat took no other passengers but sea- |
men, and subsequently landed az Jamess
Point, Eleutherea Island. At the time we were |
capsized we were distant sixty miles from the !
nearest island. Ten of our boats load were
drowned when she capsized. don't know
their names; a lady was among the number. ]
have no hesitation in saying that the re- |
sponSibility for this rests upon one whose l
reckless, heartless and tnhuman conduci, IN |
forcing four additional persons into
our already sinking boat under the threat, |
-'Get in, or I'll throw You in" that we were |
preclpltated into the water ana zen ,l o. our [
humber drowned. Words cannot describe 7
our excruCiating suferings after this. The /
sun was
and we clung as best we could to the gunwale 1
Of the boat for several hours, with a heavy sea /
washing over US and the tropical sun pouring 4
upon our uncovered heads. We were without /
food OF water for forty-tgo hours, there being /
but one lemon to be divided among l
twenty-five survivors. After ciinging 10 1
the boat all these long hours Ee bro;
ken boat, which was first capsiZed, drifted /
toward us. This was our only hopei having /
no OARS and means by which TO right our own
boat, and we could not have lasted but few /
moments longer. One or two, who /
had sufficient Strength, managed to crawl |
into the broken boat, and with their hauds |
began bailing out our own boat. We all had /
on life-preseryers, otherwise none Of us could /
have survived. In the broken boat We found /
one oar. Finally our boat was bailed and we 4
got into her. \ sailor named Peter Barry,
who subsequently proved himself
A HERO,
Improvised a sail. using skirts of ladies and
shirts Of men, rfgged to our boat, and We
made our way with this aid "a best we could 7
toward land. Before leaving the ship, Captain
Maury told Us that the nearest land was Wat
things Island, and for this point we made,
taking our bearings from the sun and iudg-
Ing the hour, all having lost our watches
Our sufierings were intense; with wet cloth
Ing, the great heat of sun and pangs
Of hunger upon us, we despaired OF
being saved. Heavy seas were continually /
two o'clock the steamer exploded with a ire
mendous report, and Immediately sunk, car
rying every thing on board down with her;
nothing whatever being saved. hope never
10 witness or experience such suffering as at
tended Us after this; but, cheered on by cur
sailor hero, all, even the ladies, bore up wi tn
iortitude and resignation. When night came L
we took
THE STARS FOR OUR BEARINGS,
and kept before the wind with our strangely
sail the waves ran thirty or forty
eet high, and We believed, although we could
,ee no land, that we were near il. We coasted
al that night cndeaYoring to find a safe land
ng place. II was a task OF immense difficulty
n the terrific gale and tremendous surf which
vas rolling. About three o'clock in the morn |
ng We landed at Cat Island, San Salvador. IL
% happened that We landed in calm under
he skillful pil0tage OF our heroic Barry, al
hOugh few moments later the storm was re-
lewed with redoubled fury. Cat Island we
ound TO be perfectly barren, and for long
line we believed II TO be uninhabited, and
,ur feelings when we found no human hands
o relieve our distress, and with neither food
Tor water, words cannot describe. several Of !
'ur party went out to
EXPLORE THE ISLAND,
md shortly before daylight some of them
ound several matched huts. Upon a close
we discovered quite colony of
'olOred people living in huts, who we're en-
aged in the propagation Of fruit for the New
iOrk market. They LOST no time in relieving |
'ur distress and administering TO our wants in
very possible way. First, they gave us in oar
amished state a very little IfoI,or aud soon /