New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-04-17
ANOTHER FRENCH SHIPWRECK.

1t is an old soldiers superstition that the
safest place in battle is the spot where the
last ball struck, and yOu will sometimes hear
people saw after line has lost a vessel, that
it has "paid its tax" and is therefore more
than ordinarily secure. But we doubt If any
one would feel that the successive disasters of
the Lafayette, the Vile du Havre, and the
Europe had inspired the travelling public with
any especial confidence In the Transatlantic
Line, and the loss of the fine steamer L'AmGr-
ique three days ago, will cause something like
dismay among all who are interested in the
corporation which has been smitten by these
repeated and serious catastrophes In the last
case the vessel had made prosperous voyage
and was nearing her destination. The ocean
was safely traversed, the landing had been made
at Brest and the steamer was on her way, through
familiar waters, to Havre, when she struck
upon one of the Channel islands and went
down. We may expect the usual confusion of
contradictions in regard to the responsibility
for this disaster. But however the facts may
turn out to be, the instinct of the world
refuses to hold line blameless when its
agents have such a persistent succession OF
misfortunes. The fact that no lives have been
lost in the last two accidents, with the
exception of an officer of the Am6rique,
is not enough to mitigate to any ex-
tent the unfavorable judgment which
will be passed upon the management of the
line. For in the case Of the Europe, the safety
of her human freight will be generally at
tributed to the exertons of the officers and
crew of the Greece, and in that of the Ameri-
que the inference will naturally be that if the
conditions under which she was lost were such
az to permit the saving of everybody on board,
the disaster could only have come about
through some infrmity of the ship, or some
fault of her officers, either OF which suppose
tons would be equally injurious and discredit-
ing to the line.
1t is hardly too much to say that the loss of
| the Europe was not as damaging as the con-
duct of her officers and their friends since
they came ashore. There was every DISPOSE
ton to Judge the action of Capt. Lemarie with
the utmost kindness and consideration. He
had met with great misfortune. He had
taken the responsibility gravest which
can ever fall to the lot of mariner-of aban-
doning his vessel to save the lives of those
committed to his charge. In giving him full
credit for this, the press and the people of this
city were inclined to take a charitable
and sympathetic view of the mo-
tives which induced him to become
the guest of the Greece, and to give into the
hands of his rescuers the feeble chance which
they thought existed of saving his vessel and
cargo. This was rendered easier by the re-
suit of the attempted salvage. The second
abandonment of the Europe by Officer Buck
and his associates might have been taken as
a justification of the first by Capt. Lemarie.
But he has not chosen to let the matter stand
| in that light. He took occasion, as
| soon as he landed, to indulge Ill
severe animadversions upon the conduct
of Capt. Thomas, which have gradually grown
to loud and indecent calumnies The state
ment of Mr.. Mackenzie, which was published
yesterday, is probably the most extraordinary
document ever printed, coming from a man
whose life has been saved from shipwreck, and
devoted TO blackening the character of the
gentleman who had saved it. We can imagine
that Capt. Thomas on reading it might be in
| clined W vow with Paul Pry "that no would