, 1874-11-21
Sinking Of a Steamer at Her Dock
in New Orleans.
Particulars of the Appalling
s. Catastrophe.
Tho Lives Of Eighteen Persons
ftcc1klcssly Sacrificed.
Statement Of tho Captain and q Pas
senger Who Esoaped.

From &hs, ,Nev orIeans Bulletin, for. "a.
featctdRr tho community was electrified BY tho
Coast packet, Ind sunk At her landing, foot OF
Cont straot, with = largo number ct pclapns on
board. most of whom had been lost. j.
The steamer, 1t appearnt arrived horo at II
monsg s a rs 1esyy aafa IT, sFfnr e.
passengers to go to tloir bomos, most Of tllom
remained on board mud retired to bod. iittlo
dreaming that they, or most OF tliorn. al least.
wose mover afain 70 Witness Tho dawning Of ~
othor day. The Cir rtaIn, 4. u. Jeanfreau, who
ia one Of Our oldest and most reliabs river mou,
l.aI on boasd With him bis astirc family, aouBiat-
ing Of vito and five children. =.
Ia soon as tho steamer wAa necurply Enootfd
eomo few of tho pagsongcrs wont ashore. but 1t
mud II will necessarily bo somp tlmc boforo
full ibt OF the loHt md saved can bo made out.
Thu steamer went down: about ha'f'phet ycs-
totday morning, when almost Ssety6ody ere rs r.,
man must Ia 10 blarae for not HooneF giving ti1o
!a1arm, as tho watorm mna ovor she boi!orsdeek be-
!foro anybody ecemo to hayo rcall&cd tho danger.
Tho Captain atRtee that Wien hia WHO oailed
SAW at once sbat tho etcanler WIS gono, and only
lad tlmo to Swing Lis littlo daughter, Mary, who
was ou tho guards, oft upon the hurricane dech
when ho found hlmself u tlo water and had to
sioamor waa lying inside Of the Empire, and up
on Which le wae enabled to Chamber With lis
daughter by tho Assistanco Of several persons,
who rpn outa iadder to him.
Tho ladies' raro ncnrly all asloep Ia the lladlcs'
cabin, and, as tho steamer wont down bow frat,
all meAns OF oscnpe WIS cut Of, mud they must
!hayo teun either drowned In their beds or In tho
saloon, aH they ran nut OF tho Htaerooma. Some
OF tue gentlemen wbo were 1T tho forward cabins
'1nalagot to run out on the guards and to clambcr
upon tho hurricane roof, from which point most
OF them were reecued; though few, in their OK.
element and terror. 'sprang into tho river and
either succeeded In reaching the dock Or wero
swept nvay BY tho current. Some Of those who
jumped oye, bonrd werc picked up BY .. slsT be-
longing to Tho Bradieh 'lohneon ~ they were
'olIneing to tho poatB OF the whatf.
: The hour at which thu acoidont occurred was
trnost unf ortunato, a. there xefo 90 tow persona
stirring unop, tho leyAe Or upon tho steamers 1n
tho vicinity. .
:, Tho Empire Was . comrarastye1y now boat
HAVING been built IN 1879. 6ho IL '203 toua
biltdcn, and belonged to tho 'Empifo Par'ah
Company. ::
molaases. 200 barrels rico. 795 sacks rough rico,
100 'boxos o,anges, and q lasEo tot q sundfes.
Tho ,nolasses will bo recovered. but tho augar
will hc q total losa. ~
hull and machinery vii! donbt!esa bs saved.
CAPT. 4. JE1NTAEAps RTAIEMEST.
i arrived exactly at 1a o'clock, aud nude fast
at tho landing, Cooled dorm and nada oYery-
tbe 'f ts1us. s ny giie aud litiIs : son Waiter,
months old Vere In tho room with plo. Three
Of my chillson, Fanny, II yeasa old, Johnpy. II
ycsla DID. aud Ala, yoara old. were in g room
10 tho ladiea' cabin nts. About o'clock waa
awakened by ny wifo. Who cried out that TUG
boat Was sinklng. aprang up and rushed out
to find TINT tue steamer WaB sinking rapidly.
Tho Mater naB BIZ tbas time up to tbo boiler
deck, and found thore Haa on1y time to aayo
life. found y, lhtle aaashteF Msry in the
dock.
Tho boat wont down 70 suddenly that i found
myself, With my daughter, IN few moments IN
tho river, and fortanatcly Rucooeded 10 gaining
tho Bradfsh 'Johpkon aud .was hauled on board
by: parties ;on that steamer, subsequently T.
found TINT my ~ifo had been saved aud WHe IN
tho whpelhouee Of tho DradiRh Iohpsop. Four
Of my children wore drowned. Ny wife and lit
tito Maty arc all that'aro now teft:to mo. i am
overwhelmed with grief, anl can scarccls reallzo
tho lolra1a of lest night, The boat did not break
In two, but Wcnt down stiff and Bolia,
Icannot account tor t4o slnkng, as aho was
not oYerloaaoa aud thoro was 20 unusrnl water
'anywhoro whom retired ut night. cannot tell
wcrr, aB the books arc III tho safe in Tho clcrk's
room. Many Of tho hopassoogers; OF whom Ieup-
poso thero were about nlisty-tlye, were ssraugora
to mo. Among thoscI tnew were atr: Antonio
,heo, engineer Of M4groln plhntation. Mr. An
:, ssvfd but his lost and r
TO tho best Of my belIef We Ind 1877 Aognhoade.
Of sugar. 50 barrels OF mofnaaos, 26U barrels Of
irice, md 1855 sacks Of rough; RICE
trhc Captain ia an old;geutleInan about 80 years
OF aye, and Is very phtutallv whelmol .lu Eraof.
Tho bodies Of two OF bis children: Fannie 'and
Capfain's residence, No. 12 spain Btlcet: Mrs.
Jeaufreau waa slightly Injured Receiving blow
on tho back Of her lpad il soma way.
srArEnEST or Mn. o, u. PEnRET.
Tas sn o. e. sm,s e1epa asp
Time Plantation" Tic steamer 'was +already
pretty veil ioadod. = :: -,
Altar GOT %, the steamer tool. on boa1d
about 80 OF GO hQgaheHda Of sugar and some LOO
aacks e rough tice. making load tint in my
hIr. Dsidin, Of Mieaiaaippl, and mybou 70,
married. to tue Captain that thoy thought he bad
alraady autaicept load, hnt he replied that tha
river was smooth and tho wind had spbsided. aud
hotho4ght it WA perfeetty safe.
When tho steamer landed 1rettrea to my room,
~ Tired too far of to 50 Aomc.
! wsslyi9ag on tho bed with my cont thrown
| oil, wien heard rush mud commosion aud
.sprang up. Or. going INTO tho cabin found thu
nauoh deprossci. Boiose could get to tho side'
guards noxt tho leveo. was knoo-docp In the
4GHulptu At UI!tH w tAo AooAt AAu oLAtoA
there until r waa rescued BY yawl from the
B1aois', ohnaon, whloh boat was the oa!y ono
that rendered 4sRiBtanco tora long time.
I There rms considerable unoaplnens at tho time
The atoamer landed, about tho aoOply-ladon con,
dtion Of tho steamer, and It was reeFotted thai
1t WA impossible to got out aone Of Tue sugar
nt tho time tho laudlng was made. About seven
or eight gentlemen eseapod II tbe same way y y
whoh,I did, climbing upon tho hurricane roof
sblity ID swim; spraag from lilo hurricane reo'
into tho ryer, and could SEQ them tn tho dim
light struggling III tho water md thon clingng te
TIC poata of tho wharf. I boilovo they we're Al
q mott Of thom saved by the'yaWl OF the Brad
iah JohnBnn.
My opinion is, that tho ladies in the after-par
u tha bohs, On hearing tho a!nrrs, rnshed oHs o
thetr atatp-rooms aud ran forward, aud met the
fate almost Instantly. ~ tho steamer sanls boz,
first. The old oolored woman Louise, who j
known to everybody on The Lower Coast. waa Of
board, and haw her standing On tho guard op
posIte tie gapgway Of tho ladies' oebin. ,sh'
was standing With only her head and broaat on
Of tic weter, but was saved w tho same yaH
| that saved me.