The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-09-11
LAKE CHARLES CALCU
FURRIES OF THE WIND.
BY the CapsiZing Of a
SaiIbOat.

BY the CapsiZing Of a
SaiIbOat.
Editor Lake Charles Echo:
Thinking it might be of some in
terest to you and the many readers of
your most valuable paper, I take the
liberty of writing you and giving an
account of sad occurrence of the
drowning of Mrs. Bickerstaff, her
daughter and Mr.. Westly McCarver,
on Aug. 25th, 1886. Mrs. Bickerstaff
was formerly the wife of Mr.. Jacob J..
Simmons, who lived at the time of her
death on the east side of Sabine Lake,
at what is known as Three Bayous.
On the morning of Aug. 25th, she
and daughter, in company with Mr..
McCarver, started from their home in
a yawl-boat to go to Mr.. Povel's store,
at the mouth of Sabine river, to do
some trading. They arrived at the
store in due time, did their trading
and started back for home that even
ing about o'clock. While crossing
the bar into the lake they we're over
taken by terrible squall, and did not
run far before the wind was so strong
that Mr.. McCarver turned both sheet
ropes loose. The yaw was schooner
rugged and had very large main-sail
the boom being so long that it would
not pass the foremost mast, and in
this wild and unmanageable condition
the boat lived for a distance of about
five miles, and was within a short dis
tance from the lake shore when she
capsized. A lady from the Pine Set
tlement was watching the boat with a
spy-glass at the time the sales disap-
peared, and thinking Mr.. McCarver
had taken down his sales and had
reached shore safely, it created no
suspicion of their being capsized and
lost. This was on Wednesday even
ing after leaving home the same morn
ing.
Mr.. Bickerstaff remaining at home
to take care of the place, remained
there until Friday morning; becoming
very uneasy about his wife and step
daughter, started out on the lake in
search of them in a small "dug-out."
Having to stay close to shore on ac-
count Of his small boat, he did not 60 |
far before he saw the yawl drifted |
ashore. Pulling up to it and seeing
that there was no one there he sup
posed that his family had stopped off
at the Pine Settlement and was wait
ing over there until the squall was
over, and that their boat had gotten
away from them and drifted down the
shore. Rowing his boat on about
three hundred yards from where he
found the yawl he came across the
the body of Mr.. McCarver drifted
ashore. Pulling about two hundred
yards further he came to the body of
his step-daughter, Miss Minnie Sim
mons, young lady about fifteen years
old, in the full bloom of life only
the day before.
The Pine Settlement being but one
and half miles away, and the nearest
point from which be could get assist
auce, he pulled his boat on to that
place, thinking every moment he
might come across his wife, but to his
disappointment did not find her. Az
ter reaching the Pines he dispatched
a messenger to the bayou to carry the
news to their relatives, and have the
steamer Lark to come after the bod
les of his step-daughter and McCarver.
The Lark immediately started to the
lake after the bodies Mr.. Bickerstaff
had found, and got back to the bayou
some time that night, and next morn
ing they were buried in the family
graveyard. .
Up to the time of writing nothing
has been heard of the body of Mrs,
Bickerstaff, Notwithstanding every ef-
fort has been, and is being, made to
find her
Mrs. Bickerstaff is one of the Oldest
of Johnson's Bayou, being
So years old, daughter of Henry
Griffith, having been raised from child
hood on Johnson's Bayou, At the
time of her sad death she was hale and
hearty, and looked as if she was good
for many years sojourn here. She
leaves four children to mourn her sad
death two daughters and two sons, s
all grown. never saw any one who t
grieved so much about a mother and I
sisters death as did Mrs. Loony, one I
Of her daughters, For long time q
| thought she would never survive it, /
but happy | am to say | now think her I
Ill safe, t
Mrs. Bickerstaff has crossed and 8
'ecrossed Sabine Lake a thousand q
lines, but no one knows the danger of !
! small sale boat in one of those I
squalls. The writer himself knows |
something about squalls on Sabine
Lake, having been in one on board the
steamer Lark, when men even asked
adies how to put on hfe.preserVers.
2. S,-This morning (Sunday, Aug,
29thl about 8 o'clock two gentlemen
coming from Orange to Johnson's
Bayou found Mrs. Biekerstaff's re-
mains floating in the Lake off the
Pine Settlement about three miles
from where her daughter aud Mr., Nc
Carver were found, She was brought
to JohsoR's Bayou aud is being inferred
this evening, by the side Of her
daughter, u, w. D.
West Monroe BalletiR Lake
Charles, 10 the southern portion Of
the State, is one of the towns that is
going on a genuine boom; like Mon
roe il is an old towu, bat town never