The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-12
At QUARANTINE.
An Army of Reporters Waiting for
Nnxx.s-Tl.n 1<i he.

An Army of Reporters Waiting Tor
News-Thc Trip Down the Hay.
QUARANTINE, S. l., Feb. 1.-When an
Associated Press dispatch, at 3:45 p. M,
first announced that La Gascogne was
sighted off Fire island flags previously
agreed upon as signals were hoisted on the
flagstaff of the Office of the French line,
ana over newspaper offices. joyfully an
nouncing to New York, and, through the
wires of the press association, to the United
States and Canada that the long overdue
steamer was safe. Then followed mad
rush for Bowling Green, and by 4'3G the
offices of the French line were packed with
excited people having relatives or friends
on board the disabled steamship, so anxious
ly expected for eight days past and
almost given up for lost. NJ. Forget, the
agent of the line, was hugged, and punched.
and slapped; yes and actually kissed by
those whose joyful feelings overcame them.
Mr.. Richie, an old gentleman who had
three daughters aboard the Gascogne, and
who lost child only month ago. wept as
if his heart would break, and many others
had handkerchiefs to their eyes. But the
stern-faced, black-bearded agent had not a
moment to lose. The tugs chartered before
hand were promptly ordered to get ready
to force their way through the ice and down
the bay The first tug, the Louis Pulver.
carried NJ. Forget and three influential
members of the French colony down to
Sandy Hook. The second boat, the Edwin
NJ. AIillard, which left New York at p.
m, was placed at the disposal of the press
by the French line and carried down to
Quarantine about fifty newspaper men to
add to the fifty already there. backing up
fifty others who were on board tugs cruising
about among the ice foes of the lower bay.
The trip down to quarantine in the moon
light, crashing through the ice, buffeting
Into the Arctic wind blowing was a bracing
experience in spite of the cold. One and all
seemed to feel the excitement of the mo-
ment, the joy felt on the receipt of the
news telling of the rescue, apparently from
a terrible calamity, of about A3 souls and
a splendid ocean steamship valued at about
$1,C00,000 and having on board a cargo valued
, at about 100000. Therefore what mattered
It. If the interior of the little tugs pilot
mouse was like an ice chest and that ones
breath froze all over his face?
At quarantine all was light and jolity.
The new and handsome buildings devoted
news office and the office of the health OFF,
Ger of the port of New York was blazing
with electric lights and alive with news
hill and close watch was kept on the
telegraph office and telephone room. One
anxious interest Every rumor care
fully sifted and chroDicled; every echo of
a report was investigated and little more
could be gathered than the dull fact that
away off Fire island a steamer, apparently
disabled vas slowly, painfully threading
her way to port and under her own steam
at that. That was the milk in the cocoa
nut. But one ru.nor had it that she was
being towed in by two ocean steamers; am
other had her in tow OF one steamer only
and third would insist that it was not
certainly La Gascogne. Little by little the
good news beamed out brightly from the
mists of uncertainty, and nearer and nearer
came the gallant steamship with its happy
human freight.
The first and only real break in the mo-
nOtony of the nights cold watch on the
snowclad shores of Staten island on that
ice-covered pier. by those foe-laden waters
was the sighting, coming around Fort
Wadsworth of the Bolivia, Captain Baxter,
from Mediterranean points. 1t was believed
that she had passed near La Gascogne. In
fact, some of the rumor mongers had it that
that she had been towing the disabled
French steamer. Hence there was a wild
desire on the part of everybody to board
her and get the latest news. 1t not
an easy job; the ice off shore was almost
solid, but a tug crushed it's way slowly
alongside the steamer, and Captain Baxter
interviewed as he preparing to let
go his anchor. Captain Baxter and his chief
officer took turns at watching La GaScogne
closely through powerful marine glass
and they came to the conclusion that her
machinery disabled. Pilot Nicholas
Reach also took a ''squints' at the slowly
moving craft, and expressed the opinion
that she was down by the stern, and it was
judged that either her propeller shaft or
her rudder, or BOTH We're disabled. AT her
forenast head the steamer displayed three
red balls, indicating that she was either
disabled CT unmaslageable.