The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-09-07
The Bienville Catastrophe.
Account of Capt. Maury
and Others.
FOrty-Three Persons Lost or Mis-
sing.

New YORK, Sept 6.-The steamer Moro
Castle which arrived today from Havana,
brought Capt Maury and IL of the survivors of
the steamer Bienvile. The number of passen-
gers saved thus far reported is 81 the number
of officers and crew 49, making SO in all known
to be saved. The number known to be drown
ed is g. The number missing from boat No. 5,
and supposed to be crowded, 10; number I'M
heard from "a; total 127.
Capt. Maury makes the following report to
the agent of the Pacific Mail Steamship Co.
have to report the total loss by fire of the
chartered steamship Bienville, under my COM
mand, on the morning of August 18th, at sea.
At 3 45 a. III. the officer ON deck called me and
reported that the vessel was on fire. 1 gave
the order to call the crew to the pumps and
had steam turned on to the fire extinguishers
leading to the forward freight room. The
steam pumps were disabled few moments af-
forwards, caused by the breaking of our sup
ply The water was entirely cut off from that
source and then detached the chief officer
and the second officer to get the boats prepared.
| had four boats lowered and they were drop
ped astern. l provided them with boat keep
ers. Two of the large life boats were manned
| had water and provisions furnished them ALL
There was full supply of life preservers and
had extra ones as well as provisions placed on
the quarter deck at $50 a. m. Only steam
could be discerned and had hopes of running
for Watlng's Island, about 65 miles distant.
Soon smoke and fire worked their way through
both sides of the ship just ahead of the boilers,
With the steam pump broken saw that it was
hopeless to try and save the ship and gave Or
ders to disembark the passengers.
/ directed the boats to lay by the ship, and
divided the women and children up as equally
as possible. / then had them placed in boats,
and gave each of the larger boats a suitable
crew. Two boats were safely loaded and sent
off A third was also loaded and sent off. but
owing to the careessness of one of the crew it
was crossed under the counter ship and cap
sized, and stove at the same time. The peo-
pie were all picked up, however, and placed in
another boat.
Att A NJ all the boats were sent off except
two of the smaller ones, neither of which were
life boats. More persons remained on board
than these could possibly hold l then had
some of the ships crew and some of the bows
from the steerage put in one of the boats and
Mr. Hagar, the chief officer, sent off in charge
Of the boat Two of the highest laden boats
were boarded and three persons put in each.
The flames were intense by this time, and at
half-past A. nj. left the ship. The flames
were bursting from the cabins by this time.
The largest life-boat was filled and capsized,
the sea was increasing, but by the aid of
wreck of q steven life-boat which was floating
around they were righted and bailed. Seven OF
ten, however. were lost.
An account is given Of the voyage to Eleu-
thera Island, where they landed. We learned
that five boats had reached Nassau, where the
passengers had arrived. One of the boats cap
sized on the beach at Eleuthera Islands and
nine persons drowned. There is still one boat
missing. She was only moderately loaded and
was one of our best boats and was well provid-
ed with water and food.
E. II. Lawlor of Albany, N. Y gives an ac-
count of the sufferings of the boat in which he
was 1t was capsized by being overloaded by
the mate, John Golf, whom he calls brute.
Ten were drowned there The rest, twenty five,
got into the boat again and after forty-two
hours of intense suffering from tropical sun,
hunger and thirst, landed at Cat Island, where
they found colony of negroes who kindly
cared for them The boat was without oars or
sails The latter was improvised by using the
skirts OF the ladies and the shirts of the men.
From Cat Island the party was sent to Nassau
ninety miles, in a sail boat provided by the
American consul