New Orleans Republican., 1873-08-10
DISASTER.
The Loss Of the WawGssett Confirmed
Most Of the Passengers Perished-Re.
cOyery of Bodies.

CotcIy VI DOuACSs
WASHINGTON. August 9.-The Wawassett
ior.or is fully confirmed Most of the pas
sengers perished. She left Washington on
!. regular passenger "trip for Cone river. and
burned off ChattertOn Landing, where there
is 10 y mart. the passengers and freight tor
that point being discharged by small boats.
One boa. had been lowered when the flames
i,urs. rem the vessel. 200 yards from shore.
NothiG. remains but the broken shaft and
s!L0kestaGn.
The passengers registered when she left
Was .iineIon we're 20. but she received and
discharged passengers AT various landings.
o: whom no record has been received. The
crew consisted o: twelve. The loss will
prohao.y Ue 1i.ry passengers and two OF the
crew.
The cause ci the fire is unknown. AS
soou as the flames were discovered the YES.
sci was headed tor shore. and struck on a
Ga. on tne Virginia side.
Many .ad!es ant. children were aboard.
visitin: friends so:ourniHg in the places OF
resort down tAe RIVER. There were alse
many coiored people on board.
Ten bodies have. cached the wharf. five
OF which are unknown. Al. accounts ap.
plauti the ga!iartcy Ot The captain and crew.
Captain, John L. Woods. of the Wawasset,
is burned: around the neck and ears slightly.
His account Us substantially as follows:
The ire broke out twenty-five minutes
mast twelve O'Clock. between ThOrn's Gut
an., Chattecton. ! was n the pilot house
a: the time. A fireman came IN and told
, lie that the boat was on fire below. l i'm
mediatelv came on. and found that the
flames had reached quite to the hurricane
deck. along The walking beam. then saw
it was impossible to ge: to the Iteboats,
which were or the after quarter, 70 lower
| them. although they we're tull OF passen-
: gers. threw water Oh the wheel ropes. so
as to keen the .teerage all right. and passed
: buckets o: water icom below 10 the nurrI.
! cane geek tor this purpose, as ! became
satisfied there was no nope OF saving
! TIE vessel. ani tha: the only chance to
| save the passengers was 70 Keep her
! going. She acade. FOR The beach. The boat
! reached the beach in ahou: twelve or :hir.
.een minutes after the alarm. was given.
! IL less .ian i've minutes after the alarm
was given the ire was III the rear of the
pilo, house. The engine refused to work
, abou. hal: a minute before she struck tina
| shore ANA the boat run a length before she
! came 70 "a dead stop ald grounded in less
! than :iVe feet OF water at rhe bow. re-
| manned on the hurricane deck until the
NV room. and the saloon windows below
/: were shooting forth fiery darts. ! then
| came down ON the forward deck and did
| what l could 70 save :he passeL gers. A
| great many were afraid 20 ;Ump overheard.
! assured them they were safe IN jumping,
! as the water trCm the bow was not over
their heads, ana upon this assurance one or
| .wc mace a leap. and many Others seeing
! that the water was shallow followed then
| example and were saved.
II wa. with difficulty that / checked
them from jumping owe: IN large bodies
and drowning each other during the eX
| citement. l am satisfied. :ha. nearly all
| the lives tia. were lost were lost on the
stern @: the boat. the flames driving :ha,
, way and :occ!n. the passengers to jump o.
| be burned. Jus. before l ief. the boa.
heard lady. Mrs. Taylor. OF Alexandra
| crying for help a. the gear %. the vessel.
J saw her hanging 20 the middle chains. and
! sent boat 10 Aer rescue. anu saved aer.
! am satisfied that the excitement caused IN
due loss of life. and tha: every passenger
was saved who jumped cverhoarC. forward
4 great mar: 1--we. were los: - :.s Eie
boat. hv be-.2 "vercfowded.
Before IN. BOA. stopped one OF them wal
! crowded with co.ored passengers. and w.IeI
she was cut .cose the s.e:L UuIsed su: aOc
swamped the cca:..
ADcut d dozen srla.! children ~er<
aboard. AID :hlaE Ave o. six were lost.
| The cargo was y! miscellaneous nature
and contained nothing .Utiammable excep'
two barrel. o: whisky. which We're IA the
! forward hold. and were among :he last
shings burned: :: was entirely lost. 1he
passenger list and and manifest o: the
yesse! was lost. ;c being impossic.e 10!
the clerk TO reach the office 70 obtain It.
At the time OF the accident but Few OF the
passengers were asleep. and none IN the
stan rooms. Some were lying down sr
sofas. The Georgiana came along on hel
way from Baltimore. and brought ~ few
OF the passengers.
Bodies Being Brought to Washing sfon.
Another steamer arrived here at z. M.
bringing uD two Of the bodies of thOst
who persisted by the Wawassett disaster
viz: Miss Bette Reed, c.,iid Of Mr.. JOSEPH
Reed. and colored child. whose parent
reside on Madison street.
Twelve bodies were heid-nine Of then
being coiored women and three children
who were not identified. They were al
buried on shore, after description of eacl
body had been made for further identified
ton.
Persons we're engaged in graphing to-da.
about the wreck. But one body uss dsbe'