Luggers Landing in Canals and River Bring More Survivors to the Generous City Submitted by Larie Tedesco Daily Picayune 10-09-1893; pg. 3; Issue 258; col A ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Luggers Landing in Canals and Rivers Bring More Survivors to the Generous City, As Well as News of Hitherto Unknown Disasters. Bodies Picked Up All Along the Water Way, From the Louisiana Marshes to Grand Pass - Oysters Still Available - Other Storm Echoes. The return of those who had been given up for lost had the effect of partially diverting the mind yesterday from the horrors and calamities of the storm of a week ago. Parties who had visited the scene immediately after the occurence in quest of relatives and friends whom they feared had perished has begun in return with information, telling that they had seen and conversed with some for whom apprehensions were entertained, but, alas, confirming the fears of the worst regarding others. The discovery of some, however, did not fail to have a mitigating and ameilorating effect upon very many, especially those who had no immediate loss to mourne. Suring Sunday afternoon and evening the lugger landing was visited by large crowds of people from every portion of the city and adjacent parishes. There were very few arrivals and with the exception of what has been stated above, there was very little to learn that would throw any additional light upon the dark and gloomy subjects that have engrossed the public mind for the past week. The visitors, therefore, appeared to content themselves by gazing wistfully at the luggers moored at the wharf, a few of which have already been placed on record on account of having passed through the storm, while others had since visited, the calamitous scenes. The following is a list of the schooners in port yesterday that had passed through the storm: The John Baptist was in Grand lake; the Natchez was at Cheniere Caminada; the Josephine was in bayou Cook; the Maria di Trapani was at Cheniere Caminada; the Three Brothers No. 2 was in bayou Terrebonne; the Punch and Judy was in bayou Terrebonne. The following are those in port that visited the storm-swept districts subsequently: City of New Orleans, Victoria, Americano Vespucci, Bella Puglia, Indiana, Cheviere Todescho, Satissimo Salvatore, Fourth of July. The Three Brothers No. 2 was in the bayou Terrebonne on last Sunday night during the storm. There were aboard Captain Pascal Corella and his two sons. The storm was not so severe at that point but was sufficient to occasion great alarm, and consideration. The captain's son Vincent, a lad of 17, was washed overboard, but being an expert swimmer, aided by a heavy return swell, he regained the vessel almost immediately afterwards. They were compelled to throw fifteen barrels of oranges overboard, and, with two anchors out, the vessel was enabled to withstand the fury of the wind and waves until the abatement of the storm. The Maria di Trapini was one of the luggers supposed to have been lost in Grand bay. She was almost a total wreck, but, patched up with parts of abandoned luggers, she finally made her way back to New Orleans. Her present mast is the one used by the ill-fated Bixio, the rudder block of the Happy Joe and the Pauline's skiff. The Josephina was stuck in mud for three days on the banks of bayou Cook. The Dexter came up last evening. She was blown ashore at Point-a-la- Hache, and gotten off only yesterday. The lugger Esperanza was among yesterday's arrivals. She brought in seventeen Malavs, many of whom were mourned as lost by relatives here. The Esperanza is commanded by Captain Peter Rosella. Mariano Borbi was one of the rescued Malay arrivals aboard the Esperanza. His camp at Cavanoch was demolished. He managed to make his way to the home of a friend named Quentin, some 750 feet away. This house withstood the fury of the storm, but the inmates were compelled to remain without food or provisions for three days. There still remain three families, all the members of which survived the storm. Antonio Martez and Benigno Marl were also among the rescued Malay residents of Cavannch who were brought up to the city on the Esperanza. Their experience was nearly identical with that of Borbi's. Francisco Palmisano was wrecked in bayou Defon. He also passed through three-days' siege of starvation. There were eleven persons drowned in bayo Defon. He was another Malay passenger of the Esperanza. The Esperanza landed at the head of St. Louis Street. Captain Luke Ziblich's lugger, Fidella drifting near Southwest pass, was cut in two on Tuesday night by a passing steamer. The lugger was used in the oyster bay by trade. Captain Zibilich, after having had a very close call himself during the storm, was one of the very first to reach the city to report the calamitous occurences. Pasquo Piazua had quite a thrilling experience. With four companions he was in camp on last Sunday near bayou Razoir. The house was demolished about 11:30 that night and thus was separated from his companions. A piece of floating timber supported him until daybreak when he discovered that he had floated into Grand Lake. Here he sighted a skiff and eventually reached it. The skiff was bottom up, and after considerable struggling Plazun succeeded in righting it. Early Tuesday morning his skiff grounded and around in the shallow water he saw about 15 corpses. Being cold and naked, he took a shirt from one and trousers from another, wrung them out and dried them and put them on himself. He then drifted on in the skiff until Wednesday, when he found himself about six miles off Southwest Pass. The lighthouse keeper rescued him about 10 o'clock that morning. His rescuer treated him most kindly until he was finally taken to the city by a passing vessel. He is ignorant of the fate of his four companions. The men who come from the storm stricken section of the state to this city for relief are an interesting and affecting study. They are mostly ignorant of English, and their foreign appearance is made more strange by the odds and ends of clothing which they have picked up. They show such implicit confidences to the generosity of their fellow-countrymen in this city that it is touching to witness it. A prominent Austrian, who belongs to the relief committee, said yesterday; "Those people have always traded with us and know nothing about New Orleans except that section along the lugger landing. If they got three or four blocks away they would not know the way back. They bring in their boat loads and buy their supplies and return home. And now when everything is swept away they only know of one place to go and that is to us. They come to my door, day or night, and say: "Here we are, and I say: "Come in and have something to eat and drink and we will see what we can do for you." "There are about four men down here on Decatur street who have spent a great deal of money already in providing for the refugees. I have had as many as twenty seven in my house at one time, and, including my loss of business, I expect to lose about $4000 by the storm." "The men remain here a day or two until they begin to recover from their dazed condition, and then they commence to say that they must go and look for their families or see to their burial or search for their boats and get their camps rebuilt. Most of them will go back. They need lumber to rebuild their houses. They can do work themselves. Many of the boats can be repaired and made serviceable, but it will take some money to do it. We must help them until they get started." A week of time has passed since the storm, and the news of the luggers which ply between the Old basin and lake points is just beginning to come in accurately. The stories of all the luggers which come in are alike in the general details, but each has some peculiar feature to distinguish it from others. The Young Wallace, the story of which was told in the Picayune on Sunday morning, left that same morning with provisions for Midway, bayou Scott and Grand pass, and Captain Lauretich will pick up any men he may be able to find, bury the dead and supply the living with provisions. The cruise will take five or six days. There is always a group of men and boys about the Old Basin when a new lugger comes in, and every rescued man has a group of friends who grasp his hand and sometimes fall upon his neck and kiss him. Every lugger which comes in now is a relief boat, for about the only business left them at present is that of rescuing the lost and picking up boats here and there, and every boat that goes out will be a relief boat, carrying provisions and picking up the dead, even if it has something else as the main object of it voyage. Very few boats come into the New Basin from the storm region. Late Saturday night several luggers, including the Josephine, B. L. Lovrano, Salvador Russo and Natalie, came into the new basin and tied up. They brought the unusual stories, and some rescued men and reported bodies found putrifying in the open air, which they carefully buried on terra firma. The B. L. Lovrano, Captain Andrew Ingargala, was at Grand pass in the storm. She drifted away, but lost none of her crew. At Clinton she picked up the bodies of three men, who were unknown. They were buried on the prairie at Clinton, and a cross was erected to tell the mournful tale of the three fishers. All along the coast those nameless graves are being made. It is impossible to keep the bodies for identification or bring them into port. They must be gotten into the ground at once. The Natalie was at English Lookout. On her way she picked up two men of the schooner Bertie at Grand pass and brought them to the city. The Bertie, as already reported, was lost and all on board were supposed to have been drowned until these two men were found floating. The Raphael Romano was also reported lost, with Captain Felix Spano and three men, outside of Cat Island. The wreck was carried by the water "as far as Mobile," so the sailors report. The F. W. Elmer cannot be found, although it has been searched for, and it is believed that the crew and Captain Tony Taresco are lost. Among the boats now tied up at the Old basin is the Salvador Russo and a Picayune reporter had a talk with the captain, whose name has been given to the boat. Captain Russo is about 35 years old, short and ruddy, with a pleasant face, and is very agreeable and intelligent man. He said that the Salvador Russo was a Pearl River at the time of the storm. Sunday and Monday the boat remained at Pearl River and left there Tuesday morning for Grand Pass. They saw the schooner Bertie upside down on the shore and thought that all the men were drowned, but it was learned that two were alive and two dead. The dead were buried. At Creole Gap, Captain Russo found three boats upside down, with their masts gone, and helped the crews to right the and put up masts. He also furnished them with provisions, etc. The lugger Rosalie was seen turned over at Tom Point, and it was learned that the crew, consisting of four men, was lost. The lugger Daniel was upside down at bayou Grapo, but all three occupants were saved. The schooner St. Barthelemy was upside down at Three-Mile bayou, but Captain Dominick Amato was saved, although three men were lost. The Angelina, as already stated, was lost. She capsized in Drum bay. Captain Tedesco was saved, but three sailors went down in the rushing waters and are added to the list of those who never came back. Captain Russo said that as far as he could learn all the sailors of the Rosa L. and the Gino, which were overturned in Bayou Moselle, were saved. The schooner Josepha cut away her masts at the same point and saved her crew. The lugger Romano was found outside of Sand Island and two men saved. Three had perished. She is now in Mobile, where she was towed by a steamboat. The schooner Rome, with captain and crew of four men, was reported lost. The schooner Mary was towed by the Salvador Russo from Louisiana marsh to Bay St. Louis and all of the crew was saved. Her masts had been cut away but she had some provisions and received more from the Russo. The Russo picked up nine bodies along the Louisiana marsh, which were putrifying in the sun. They were of unknown men, and would have been unrecognizable anyway. They were buried on the shore and nine more were added to the number of unknown graves. Captain Russo will go to Grand Pass Wednesday for oysters. He says that the beds on that side are not ruined, as reported, although they may have suffered some damage. The B. L. Lovrano brought in a load of oysters and also reports that there are still large quantities of the bivalves available. Louisville and Nashville Will Require a Week More in Which to Repair Storm Damage Yesterday, for the first time, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad secured a more direct telegraph line that they have possessed since the great flood. The company's wire now extends to Scranton, at which point Mr. Marshall has his abode, and from where he is directing the repair work. From what was learned over the wires the road will be all repaired from the other end , as far as Biloxi. At this point it will require at least a week's work to get the road even in a passable condition. Between that point and Ocean Springs the greatest trouble is at the Pascagoula river bridge. Mr. Jacobs says that there are a large lot of men at work at all the points where damage was sustained. Robbing Oyster Beds Five Chinamen were brought to Gretna yesterday afternoon from Cheniere Camanada, where they were accused of robbing oyster beds. They will have a hearing this morning. Captain Fleisch said that the men were out in a boat trying to corner the oyster market and the owners of the beds objected. A Response to a Sermon At the 11 a.m. service in the Dryades Street M. E. church yesterday the Rev. Alfred E. Clay, pastor, made an eloquent and touching appeal to his congregation for the relief of the sufferers by the recent storm. Dr. Clay pictured in graphic language the scenes of death and desolation that accompanied the fearful hurricane, and poke of the destitution and misery that were the lot of the unfortunate people who were spared by the tornado. While living tears of commiseration for the dead, it is essential that the living should be remembered. And the remembrance must take practicle shape. The survivors are in great need of provisions, clothing and supplies. They cannot wait. Time is precious. Already several relief parties have been sent out, and they have found and comforted, fed and clothed a large number of the afflicted people. Hundreds yet await succor, and it behooves every Christian man, woman and child to contribute according to his means something to add to the donations now being collected. Dr, Clay announced that he will receive all subscriptions and forward them to the citizen's relief committee. The sum of $31.15 was collected on the spot. Slavonian Samaritans John Perovich, with his wife and three children came up last night by the Grand Isle Railroad from bayou Chute, and are sadly in need, his wife being very ill from exposure. He has lost everything. Through the kindness of Mr. Salatich he and his family were given assistance. Mr. Salatich has assisted several sufferers liberally, and has about thirteen single beds all filled. Joseph Jarisich of stall No. 1 in the French market, has also done all in his power for the relief of the sufferers and destitute. Both of these gentlemen are prominent Slavonians. A Concert for Relief At the request of a number of gentlemen, Prof. Wm. H. Pilcher will organize concert for the benefit of the overflow sufferers. It will take place at Washington Artillery Hall on the 17th and local talent will take part in an interesting program. Mr. Joseph Oteri, on of the promoters, has guarantee the sale of 500 tickets at 50 cents each, and with many such patrons the affair will be a great success.