The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1892-06-25
A D~EPLORABLE ACCIDENT.

- Tx oODiot quiz az
cident that happened at N%apoleonville
on Monday, the 18Th, inst, by wl.icl
the ferry-boat at that place wa.
capsized, and II men and Z mule,
were plunged i'll the angry waters o
the Bayou LAtfourciie, as clipped from
the Assumption P!onee.," in It's issue
Ut the 18th inst.
"On Monday last one of the most
heart-rendirg aud fatal accidents thai
ever happened in this community oc.
cured about 8 o'clock p. m. At that
hour some of Mr.. Leon Gudchaux's
overseers appeared at the ferry with
Il lot OF mules and men, who desired
to cross !; they were on their way to
Raceiand to fight the high water from
the Wagganan crevasse. The attempt
was made to cross all the mules and
men 1T the same time. When about
In the middle IF the bayou the mules
began to move around ON the boat aud,
the current being SO strong, it was al
NEST impossible for the ferryman to
manage The boat, and in this perilous
p">Iti,n the postlolding he ferry rope
gave way and turned the boat loose
with Its precious freight. The mules
b,c'ttno Interchangeable aud some of the
passengers jumped into the skiff 4;
Out almost ut the saiIe moment the
1erryboat capsized, precipitdting every
one. mules included, into the BAYOU.
Reports differ as TO the sinking of the
skin, some saying that too many jump
ed Ill aU once, and others that q mule
Jumped from the ferry into the skitf.
AT any rate, within less than a minutes
time from the first notice of danger,
all were struggling for their lives in
nifty feet of water and contendin~
against a current of at least five miles
al nour. To attempt to describe the
appeals for help from the unfortunate
victims struggling in the water and
the effect that it produced upon the
hundreds that Immediately hocked
upon the levee-some of them The
wives, brothers, sisters and children of
some OF the vlctims-would be an i'm
possibility. The night was hideously
dark and 1t was impossible to discern
the difference between ii mules head
q IA human being. Several of the
unfortunates caught hold of the ferry
as she came up, and were rescued
ABOUT two mi es below town. S. j.
Bian ;hard, the owner Of the ferry.
was thrown into the middle OF the
bayou but as he arose ne caught
hold Oh a plank, to which IA negro was
also holding. They t1oated down the
bayou for nearly IA half mile, when
they were rescued by JOS. Prestimone,
ali Italian fruit yender. who went to
the1r assistance III his skitf. (And
right here we may say that Joe and
MS entire crew are entitled to the
thanks Of our citizens for their brave
and energetic seryices.) The list of
Q drowned is as follows
Raduiph Aiken, coIored.
Philippe P~ecorini, iaburer.
Jaconhni Nardelli, resident of
Napoleon Vile.
Edmond Sehexnaydre, overseer on
Foley plantation.
Nardelli was 81 years of spe. a nA-
tive Of the island of Eliza, a DEEPEN
dence OF Tuscany, Italy. and "a resi-
dent OF Napoleonville for IA years,
lie leaves IL wife ana one child 10
mourn his loss.
Schexnaydre was II years of aRe.
Ills parents and brothers and sisters
reside III st. James parish. He was a
young man OF exemplary habits and
stood very high in the estimation of
his employers.
A search for the bodies was COM
menced on Tuesday morning and has
continued since, with the result of
fnding Rudolph Aiken on Tuesday.
Philippe Pecorini on Wednesday.
Jacomlni Nardelli on Thursday.
up to the time of locking forms, we
regret to say, the body of Schexnaydre
had not been recovered.
Mr.. b. r. Bourgeois, manager Of
Elm Hall plartatlon, .nd his assis-
tants-partlcuiiarly Eugene Chauvin.
Esqv--deserve especial praise tor their
untlrlng services in trying to recover
the BODY OF their confiere, Mr..
AT dusk on Sunday last the Children
Oh MI. Bertrand Hebert, living lust
below town, Saw what they believed
be, a human body floating down the
Bayou. 1t is presumed that it was
the body OF ochexnaydre. Farther
Developments will tell.
JUDGE LYNCH.