THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE TWO SISTERS
History, Cameron, Louisiana
Submitted by Kathy Tell
Source: W. T. Block, Historian
Submitted July 10, 2004
 ~~Names referenced~~ Valsaint Montie, Valcour Miller, 
Emanuel Sturlese, Charlie Sturlese, 
Andrew Sweeney, Margaret Doland, John MIller, Alphonse Guidry

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THE  LAST   VOYAGE  OF  THE  TWO  SISTERS
By  W.  T.  Block

	Providence smiled on the farmers of Grand Chenier, La., that 
second week of October in 1881. The limbs of VALSAINT MONTIE's satsuma 
orange trees sagged to the ground with luscious fruit, and VALCOUR 
MILLER's steam cotton gin was processing 30 bales of ginned cotton 
every day. And during that season it required two schooners, Capt. 
EMANUEL STURLESE' Two Brothers and Capt. CHARLIE STURLESE' Two Sisters, 
just to haul all the produce to Galveston.
 
	And my Uncle ANDREW SWEENEY's face was lit up all that week too. 
MILLER had just finished ginning 18 bales of SWEENEY's cotton, which 
became a part of the 56 bales of cotton stored in the hold of the 
schooner Two Sisters. And on the deck of the schooner. Capt. STURLESE 
had loaded aboard 60 sacks of MONTIE's oranges.

	Uncle ANDREW's face was all aglow  as he walked out of the gin 
house that day. He was betrothed to MARGARET DOLAND, and for the previous 
two weeks the lovers had discussed their impending wedding. SWEENEY 
needed only to accompany STURLESE to Galveston, where he would sell 
his cotton, and then buy his wedding suit, a cook stove, a table, and 
some pots and pans for their pantry. He kissed his beloved one goodbye 
as he walked up the gangplank of the boat.
 
	As the 3 passengers embarked on the Two Sisters that morning, 
they failed to note that there was neither a lifeboat nor pumps aboard. 
The crew consisted of Capt. STURLESE and his unnamed deck hand. The 
passengers other than SWEENEY included JOHN MILLER, a pioneer Grand 
Chenier merchant, bound for Galveston to purchase his annual stock of 
merchandise, and ALPHONSE GUIDRY, a sailor. MILLER carried $500 in gold 
in his money belt.

	At first the schooner was becalmed, but during the afternoon a 
brisk norther churned up the waters. As night approached and STURLESE 
reefed his sails somewhat, he heard a gurgling sound down in the hold 
and realized the schooner has sprung a bad leak.

	"We ain't going to make it into Galveston," STURLESE startled 
everyone. "The boat is filling up with water and I have no pumps."
	"Shouldn't we throw some cotton overboard to lighten the load?" 
MILLER inquired.

	"It's too late for that! SWEENEY, your cotton and my schooner 
are going under the water," STURLESE continued. "We need to tie together 
five bales into a raft, and when the boat goes under, we can float away 
on the raft."

	Finally, as water filled the schooner's hold, the men launched 
and floated away on the cotton raft, as the Two Sisters went under amid 
a froth of bubbles. However it happened, the raft soon broke apart, and 
each of the castaways floated away on a single bale of cotton.
 
	The next day, Capt. STURLESE woke up on the Bolivar beach, 
vomiting water, but still alive. A few days later, JOHN MILLER's and 
the deck hand's bodies were found, but some beachcomber had already 
looted their wallets and MILLER's money belt. The bodies of SWEENEY and 
the other sailor were never found.

	A month later Capt. STURLESE returned to Grand Chenier, but he 
never went back to sea during the remainder of his life. For two weeks, 
MARGARET DOLAND kept a lantern burning in her bedroom window, awaiting 
her fiancee's return, and still unaware that he had drowned. Finally 
MARGARET met and married a man named LINDSTROM, but she never forgot 
her lover who did not return for his wedding.