Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-05-28
STRUCK A ROCK.
Close Call Of 500 People ON BOars
an Ocean Greyhound.
The La Gascogne Strikes One
of the Scilly Islands.

Which suddenly Lifts and Allows the
Vessel to Proceed with No Further
Damage Than Hole in Her Hull--In-
tsrview with Her Captain.
PARIS, May 2S.--At II o'clock Monday
morning the steamer La Gascogne land
ed her passengers at Havre. The trip
from New York had been slow one,
but there were serious reasons for the
delay. In fact, it is almost miracle
that the steamer ever reached Havre at
all; almost miracle that she is not ly-
ing now at the bottom of the ocean off
Scilly islands. This is how it hap
pened:
On Saturday morning the Gasgogne
was steaming ahead at half speed, envel-
oped in dense fog. The hour was $50
a. III. A few minutes before soundings
had been made and fifty fathoms of
water been registered. The last bear
ings had been taken Friday noon, but
since this Capt. Santelli had been unable
to establish reckonings on account of the
i'm ,,onetrable fog. The captain knew,
however, that in the natural course the
steamer must pass close to Scilly islands,
and as an extra precaution he headed the
vessel two points more away from the
possible danger. Such was the situation
when eight bells sounded
The Gascogne was moving on slowly,
in calm sea, with four men at the bow,
a man in the cross-trees, and Capt. San
telli and the third officer on the bridge.
Most of the passengers were still below,
when by some miracle the bank of dense
fog suddenly lifted, as the curtain rises
from the stage, and revealed dead ahead,
so close that one could have tossed a
biscuit on it, black, ugly rock, rising
a few feet above the water, showing a
surface as large, perhaps, as billiard
table. The four men ut the bow saw
the danger first, and waved their arms
frantically with a backward motion.
The captain saw the signal and under
stood it like a flash. The moment for
action had come. and he acted. He
sprung past the subordinate officer,
seized the wooden handle of the electric
dial, and four times III rapid succession
described the half circle with the lever
that told the engineer to reverse the en-
gines as he valued his life. Then, with
another bound, the captain reached the
wheel, and with all his might threw the
helm hard port.
He had done all human might could
do. With tight shut lips and whitened
cheeks he clutched the spokes and wait
ed. The great ship trembled from end
to end as the engines reversed, and al
most at the same moment slight shock
was felt on the port side, just about the
line of the bridge. Then a retrograde
movement began, and the Gascogne slid
gently off the rock, and backed away
into safety. Then the same impenetra-
BILE fog settled down again, and the
rocks vanished. That was where the
miracle same in, for had the fog lifted
few minutes later, or had not lifted at
all, nothing could have saved the ship
from destruction.
Investigation proved that the vessels
iron side had been torn open by the
shock, and that the sea was pouring
through the rent, which lay below the
water line. The cargo was promptly
shifted, SC as to raise the wounded part
as far out of the water as possible. Tip
ping to one side this way the Gascogne
came into harbor,
A Talk with the Captain.
AS soon as possible after the accident
your correspondent. who CHANGED to be
among the passengers, interviewed Capt,
SantelH.
What was the rock we struck, sir?"
at was small member of the Scilly
islands rugged shoulders. 1t was a mar
row escape, but how to account for hav-
ing been so far to the north of it is GER
tainly very strange" answered the cap
tain, especially as had headed the ves-
gel out to sea for extra safety. lean
only account for the extraordinary de-
Walton by assuming that we were borne
to the north by some unknown currents.
have made over two hundred voyages,
however, but have never heard of such
currents. The extent of the vessels devia-
tion from normal course is shown by
the fact that the rock struck, which is
known as Bishops island. lies at the OPP
posite side Of the group to that on which
the Gascogne should have passed. On
the self same rock the Schiller sank
some years ago. when some hundreds of
lives were lost.
But for the miraculous lifting of the
fog where would the Gascogne be to-
day, with her gallant captain and crew
and her 444 passengers? The danger
Hdu COtile anu BOHe 81 VulChly tuat bHclS
was no panic on board.
One of the few passengers on deck
when the accident occurred, Mr.. George
Parker, of New York, expressed himself
as follows: u saw the rock ahead al
most as soon as the captain saw other
much larger rocks on the other side
further back. Santelli's calculation was
made in an instant, but it was correct,
and we were saved from an awful catas-
trophe. Had the worst come to the
worst | suppose we could have landed in
the boats as the sea was quite calm,
but had the weather been stormy all
hands would have been lost"
A testimonial was drawn up and
signed by the passengers thanking Capt.
Santelh for his skillful and energetic
conduct.