The morning call., 1895-02-12
La GASCOGNE In PORT.
Every Passenger in the Best
Of Health.
BROKE ONE OF HER PISTONS
Cause Of the Long Delay to the French
Liner.
TOSSED ABOUT BY TERRIFIC GALES.
She Weathered Them NObIy and Came
Safely at Last to Her HarbOr
Of Destination.
BROKE one OF HER PTSTONS
TOSSED ABOUT BY TERRIFIC GALES.

QUARANTINE. Feb. 11.-When the Asso-
ciated Press dispatch at 1886 P. NJ. first an
nounced that La Gascogne was sighted off
Fire Island, flags previously agreed upon
as signals were hoisted on the Office of the
French line, upon the World building and
oyer the offices of all the Associated Press
newspapers, joyfully announcing to New
York and through the wires to the United
States and Canada that the long overdue
steamer was safe.
Then followed a mad rush for Bowling
Green. and by G:30 o'clock the offices OF the
French line were packed with excited
people having relatives or friends aboard
the disabled steamship, so anxiously ex-
pected for eight days past and almost
given up for lost.
But the stern-faced, black-bearded agent
had not a moment to lose. Two tugs
chartered beforehand were promptly or
dered to get ready to force their way
through the ice and down the bay. The
first tug, the Louis Paulver, carried NJ.
Forget and three influential members of
the French colony down to Sandy Hook.
The second boat, the Edwin NJ. Millard,
which left New York at P. NJ, was placed
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 icefoes of the lower bay.
The trip down to Quarantine in the
moonlight, crashing through the ice, buf-
feting into the Arctic wind blowing, was a
delightfully."- bracing experience in spite of
the cold. One and all seemed to feel the ex-
citement of the moment, the Joy felt on the
receipt of the news telling of the rescue, ap-
parently from terrible calamity, of about
$50 souls and a splendid ocean steamship
valued at. about 81, 600, ,o00 and having on
board a cargo valued at about 100000,
Therefore what mattered it if the interior
OF the little tugs pilot-house was like an
icechest, and that ones breath froze all
over ones face.
At the ice-bound quarantine that part of
Staten Island was hemmed by an appar-
entity impenetrable ice field, but all was
light and jollity.
The new and handsome buildings de.
voted to the use of the Office of the Health
Officer of the port of New York was blazing
with electric lights and alive with news
paper men, who carried their enthusiasm
to the extent of gathering on the pierhead
to the number of, say 100, and singing
more or less melodiously, Nearer, My
God, to Thee"
1t was quite touching, so much so that
two heavyweight boat captains and four
deckhands were converted on the spot and
Joined in the singing with fervor. Pickets
were posted on every hill and asclose
watch was kept on the telegraph Office and
telephOne-room, for with all the enthusi-
asm the gentlemen of the press were on
the watch for the slightest crumb of news.
One light down the bay was watched
with anxious interest. Every rumor was
carefully sifted and chronicled; 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, was slowly, painfully, threading
her way to port, and under her own steam
at that.
That was the milk in the cocoanut. But
one rumor had it that she was being towed
in by two ocean steamers; another had heI
in tow OF one steamer only; and a third
would insist that it was not certainly La
Gascogne.
Little by little the good news beamed
out brightly from the mists of the un.
certainty and nearer and nearer came the
gallant steamship with its happy human
freight.
The first and only break in the monotony
of the.night's cold watch on the snowclac
shores of Staten Island, on that ice-covered
pier by those foe-laden waters, was the
sighting coming round Fort Wadsworth ot
the Bolivia, Captain Baxter, from Mediter
ranean ports.
1t was believed she had passed near L.
Gascogne, in fact some of the rumor-mon
gers had it that she had been towing the
disabled French steamer, hence there wa:
wild desire upon the part of every ybody tc
board her and get the latest news.
1t was not an easy job. The ice off shore
was almost solid, but tug crushed it,
way slowly alongside the steamer and Cap
tain Baxter was interviewed as he was pre-
pairing to let go his anchor.
CAPTAIN Baxter and his chief officer tool
turns at watching La Gascogne closely
through powerful marine glass and they
came to the conclusion that her machinery
was disabled.
Pilot Nicholas Reache also took squin
at the slowly moving craft, and the opinion
was expressed that she was down by stern
and it was judged that either propeller
shaft or rudder, or both, were disabled.