Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-02-12
RUDDER ON STRIKE
That Was the Matter with the
Liner La Gascogne.
SAFE IN THE HARBoR OF NEW YORK.
After . Passage Across Old Ocean Fraught
with Peril to Her Hundreds of Passengers
Comes Into Port in Company with an
Anchor Liner--.Joyful News to the Anxi-
Gus Hundreds with Friends on Board
Scene in the Company's ONCE.

Anchor Liner--JOyfui news TO the Anxi.
Gus Hundreds with Friends on Board
Scene in the Company's ONCE.
NEW YORK., Feb. 12.-With three tugs
hanging on behind, doing the duty Of
rudder, La Cascogne, the French liner
whose missing condition has made SO
many hearts heavy for week, swung
into quarters outside the bar at Sandy
Hook last night at 1l:2l with all
on board well, and the words THANK
GodI' weco on the lips of hundreds who
had relatives on board and in the hearts
of thousands of others who had no inter-
est in the ships fate save that which
sprung from human sympathy. 1t was
4:15 p. N. when La Gascogne was first
sighted off Fire Island and 6:30 before the
lookout was sure it was her.
Could Not Make Out Her Signals.
She was proceeding very slowly and
accompanied by two other steamers, one
apparently an Anchor liner. She dis
played signals, but in the failing light
they could not be made out from the sta
ton on Fire Island. Her French flag
was made out soon after the vessel came
into view, and as no other vessel of that
line was due there was little doubt of her
identity, and it probably would never
have been questioned but that her long
delay had led shipping men TO believe that
If she was still aflOat she would first be
heard of from some other port. The hope
was strengthened when it was seen that
the vessel hal two masts and two rel
tunnels black-topped
Good News spreads Rapidly.
hn ~ rb,- -.<Fs y har mn
Ing, and did not reach her dock untilneariy
noon today. But she was safe. 1t did not
take long for the news from the watcher
at Fire Islani to spread over the city, and
soon the offices were crowded with people
waiting for Il verifcatiOn of the report.
The next dispatch came from Fire Island,
to the effect that the operator there was
almost sure that the boat was the missing
steamer. The next dispatch brought the
glai tidings that In Gascogne was safe,
and told that the reason of her delay, as
explained by three red lights she was
showing, was steering gcer out OF order" I"
Greatest Excitement Tor Two Years
Not since the Umbria was reported two
years ago after a perilous voyage across
the Atlantic with broken shaft has
there been such excitement in this city as
last evening. In every hotel, in every
sole topic of conversation was the arrival
of the ship. the hope of whose rescue
from the terrific storms which have caused
such terrible disasters in the maritime
world had almost deserted the hearts OF
the most sanguine.
Laughed and wcpt with Joy.
The news spread quickly through the
city. Hundreds of persons bcsicgcd the
pier Of the company rs though they ex-
pcctci that La Gascogne would in an
hour or two be moored at her dock This
crowd was reinforced every moment.
Friends OF French passengers fired query
after query at Mr.. West, the superin-
tenicnt OF the line. The only iniorma-
tion vouchsafcd them was that the ship
was safe. They shook hands with each
other and laughed and wept with joy.
Over n thousand people decided on stay
ing on the dock until Ia Gascogne ar
rived and it was only when n conspicuous
announcement was posted on the outsides
OF the company's pier that she would not
leave quarantine until morning that the
anxious watchers slowly went to their
homes.
The rejoicing was naturally greatest in
the French quarter The heroism of
In Gascogne's captain was lauGei, the
suiferings of her passengers, the probabil-
1tics OF numerous accidents were all emu
mcratcd over and over again, but the one
great feeling was that of joy at what was
considered by all nothing less than a mir
acie. At the Hotel Martin, the we'll
known FRENCH resort, the guests in the
dining rooms and the corridors spoke OF
nothing else. Some of tine Gascogne's
passengers were known to many of them
Two of them, VI. Xavier and W Ribon.
We're guests of the hotel two years ago
and are we'll remembered by its frequent
erS.