Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 July 1898 — SHIP SINKS AT SEA [ARTICLE]

SHIP SINKS AT SEA

Awful Horror Caused by Collision in a Dense Fog. OVER 600 DROWNED. Disaster Occurred Off Sable Island cm the Morning of July 4. i tenmahip La Bourgogne of the French Transatlantic Line Goes to the Bottom of the Atlantic-Out of Over Persons Aboard Only About 200 Were - lived, and but One Woman from the 300 on the 111-fated Vessel Was Rescued.

Six hundred persons lost their lives the morning of July 4 as the result of a collision between La Bourgogne and .tije British ship Cromartyshire, and the French liner lies at the bottom of the sea, a great hole in her side. The ships met in a dense fog sixty miles south of Sable Island. It was 5 o’clock in the morning and the feeble rays of the newly risen sun were unable to even partially penetrate the thick white mist that covered the ocean like a garment. The Cromartyshire was towed into Halifax by the Allan line steamer Grecian. A nigged wound in her bow and the absence of two of her masts showed the violence of the impact with the sunken vessel. There were on board La Bourgogne 191 first cabin passengers, 125 second cabin and 295 third class passengers (or steerage), making a total of 611 passengers, in addition to which there were 220 in the crew, making a grand total of 831 souls on board. The only woman saved out of 300 women on board was Mrs. La Ck Sß? * wife of a professor of languages of Plainfield, N. J. Among those saved were tl** purser, three engineers and thirty of the crew which manned the luckless liner. All the other officers of the ship were drowned. The Cromartyshire’s crew got a terrible fright, but none was lost. Great service was done by those aboard .in saving the remnant of the passengers and crew of La Bourgogne. La Bourgogne is one of the best known of all the French liners. She belonged to the Compaguie Generale Transatlantique and has carried thousands of persons to Europe and baek without n serious mishap. She left New York Saturday, July 3, bound for Havre. Shortly bffore thc vessels came together Mrs. Henderson, wife of <the Cromartyshire’s captain, detected a Reamer’s whistle blowing on the port side. The Cromartyshire was sounding her foghorn at intervals of one minute. Mrs. Henderson called the attention of her husband to the sounding of the whistle and a minute later the mate, who was on watch, also detected the sound. It came nearer and nearer. Suddenly the huge hull of an ocean steamer loomed up in the mist, going about seventeen knots an hour, and almost immediately there was a fearful crash.

Capt. Henderson.as soon as the collision occurred, ordered the lajats to be lowered and the damage to be ascertained. As it was found that the Cromartyshire was in no immediate danger the Britisher put about. The vessel with which they had collided was at that time unknown. A few minutes later her whistle was heard and several rockets were sent up. Capt. Henderson replied in like manner, thinking the steamer was offering assistance, but iu a few minutes all was quiet and those on board began to realize the awful results of the collision.

At 5:30 the fog lifted and two boats were seen approaching with only men on board. Later the weather cleared still more and men were to be seen in every direction clinging to wreckage and floating on life rafts. It was a terrible scene. No pen ean picture the appalling sight revealed to the onlookers when the curtain of mist* arose. The work of- rescue was commenced without a moment’s delay and over 200 persons were picked up and taken aboard the ship. When the ships struck they were off Cape Sable. The passengers, with the sole exception of I’rof. La ,Casse. were below decks. Without warning came the terrible shock. The struggles, swishing water and terrible screams of the drowning made the situation an awe-inspiring one. never to be forgotten. One man on the La Bourgogne, when she suuk, went out of his mind and jumped to a watery graye. Capt. Nunnn, in command of the Allan line steamer Grecian, to whose courage the Cromartyshire owed its conduct to a place of safety, declares that La Bourgogne pas less than five minutes from the time of the collision in going to the bottom. ' C:..;;.

‘•lt was the most appalling and most sudden catastrophe it was ever my misfortune to witness," said Capt. Henderson, of the Cromartyshire. "There wan a crash, the sound of which was indescribable, composed as it was of the reading apart of the stout oaken ribs of the French ship and the snapping asunder of her iron bolts. Many leaped overboard immediately after the meeting of the vessels. but our men were riot among the number of those who lost their heads. La Bourgogne turned slowly around two or three times, then seemed to go under With the rapidity of a stone dropping into a IKiol of water. • We Were in some danger from the whirlpool which followed the disappearance of the transatlantic steamer. but managed to get out of reach of the vortex in time. It. however, engulfed scores of shrieking human beings, whom we could hardly see for the density of the fog, but whose cries of terror we could plainly hear.”