The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-05-31
ANOTHER HORROR.
Six Persons Drowned Near
Lake Charles.

ITT. S. mail on the iCalcasieu river
between Lake Charles and Cameron
\ Tor Leesburg) post offices. 1t leaves
\ Lake Charles on Mondays and
4 Thursdays, and leaves Cameron
4 Wednesdays and Saturdays, MAX
ling each trip in one day.
! Last Saturday the Ramos left
Cameron having on board the cap
tain and acting pilot, BENZ. Moss,
the engineer, George Telley, and
taking there and at Rose Bluff,
xix passengers, named Lucien DE
\ Naive, of Galveston, representing
1 the firm of p. j. Willis & Bro, j.
itC. Bird, of Grand Cheniere, Cam
eron parrish, Fora and Madeira
1 pithOn, two beautiful little sisters,
aged respectively ten and twelve
years, daughters OF A. M. Pithon,
deceased, for;<erly of Lake Charles,
and colored woman named Jose
phine Hawkins, and her child aged
about five years. None Of the pas
sengers could swim.
When the Ramos was about a
mile below the lower edge OF Lake
Charles she was struck by q violent
squat (which uprooted two large
trees on the opposite bank OF the
rivei) and thrown on her beam
ends. She shipped water heavily
and sunk instantly, going down
stern foremost III about thirty feet
of water. The little Pithon girls
We're in the pilot house with their
cousin Captain Moss. and the doors
were closed. The other passengers
| had gone into the after cabin to lie
out of the falling rain. Captain
Moss and the little girls fell to the
floor, and on rising the s;iptain
broke open one Of the doors and
stepped out, holding the girls by
either hand. As he did so the bout
went down. The engineer handed
the captain IL float IA piece of ,cy-
press wood about six feet long and
fourteen inches wide,) and threw
another float to- Mr.. DeNaive. The
little girls caught the captain
around his neck. lie begged them
in vain to take hold of the float,
andtwice dragged him under waiter.
AS they emerged the second time
they simultaneously let 20 of his
neck and sank beneath tile WAVES.
A moment afterwards the Younger
sister arose about six feet off and
the captain and engineer started
\ towards her, but she sank before
they could reach her. captain
looked around and seeing none oi
the other passengers, caught a
wooden trough, used on the boat,
and swan to his float which had
4 drifted away while he was unde,
water. He and the engineer then
swan ashore. Itis supposed THAT
Mr.. DeNaive did not reach the float
Thrown to him as none of the Other
n passengers were seen after the little
girls sank from sight. The squat
ceased instantly, and not a breath
of air was hlowingwhen the captain
reached the shore.
4 All the drowned heJies except
Joseplline's were recovered the
same evening and were hurried here
the next day. Josephine's body
was recovered last Monday and
hurried Monday night, large mum
bers ofcolored people, men, women
and children, following herremains
to the grave, and singing as they
passed Through town, just after
Il dark, a wild aud momnful chant
II At was u sad, sad sight here on
h Sunday evening when the other
bodies were carried to the grave
\ Mr.. Bird was buried in the new
corporation cemetery, Rev. y. T.
\ Seurlock officiating at his funeral
4 1t lis said he leaves n wife and sfon,