The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-02-12

4 Mad Rush.

Quarantine, Feb. 1.-When the As
ISOLATED Press dispatch at $50 p. M
first announced that La Gascogne was
sighted off Fire island, flags previously
agreed upon as signals We're hoisted on
the Office of the French line, upon the
World building and over the Offices of
all the Associated Press newspapers.
iOyfully announcing TO New York, and,
through the wires of the Associated
Press. to the United States and Can
ada, that the long overdue steamer was
safe. Then followed a mad rush for
Bowling Green, and by $50 the offices
of the French line were packed with
excited people having relatives or
friends on board the disabled steam
snip, so anxiously expected for eight
days past, and almost given up for
lost.
Kissed the ssept.
a. Forget the agent of the line, was
Rugged, punched and slapped-yes, and
actually kissed, by those whose joyful
feelings overcame them. One man, Mr..
Richie, broke down completely and
sobbed as if his heart would break
Mr. Richie has three daughters on
board La Gascogne two Of them of
very tender years. He lost dearly
beloved child only a month ago. Many
others held handkerchtefs TO their
eyes. But the stern-faced, black
bearded agent had not a mo-
ment to lose. TWO tugs. char
| dered to get ready to force their way
through the ice down the bay
The first tug boat, the Louis Pauiver,
carried n. Forget and three infuan-
tiGl members OF the French colony
down to Sandy Hook The second
boat, the Edwin N. Millard which left
New York at s y. 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 We're on board tugs cruising
about among the ice foes of the lower
bay.
Down to Quarantine.
| The trip down to quarantine in the
moonlight, crashing through the ice,
buffetting into the Arctic wind blow
ing, was a delightful braCing cXneri-
ence in spite Of the cold. One and all
seemed to feel the excitement of the
moment, the JOY felt Oh the receipt
of the news telling of the rescue, APP
parently from terrible calamity, OF
about $50 souls and a splendid ocean
steamship, valued at about 81 COD,
and having on board a cargo valued
at about $500, 600. Therefore, what mat
tered it il the interior of the little
/ tugs pilot house was like an ice chest
and that ones breath froze all over his
| face?
An ice-bound quarantine was that
part of Staten Island hemmed by an
apparently impenetrable ice field, but
all was light and jolity.
|
The new and handsome buildings
devoted to the use of the Associated
Press ship new office and the Office OF
the health officer of the port of New
York were blazing with electric lights
and alive with newspaper men who
carried their enthusiasm to the ex-
tent of gathering on the pier head tc
the number of, say a hundred, an6
singing, more or less melodiously
Nearer, NY God, to Thee" It was
quite touching, so much so that tWC
huge boat captains and four deck
hands were converted on The spot an6
Joined in the singing with ferVOr
Pickets. were posted on every hill anC
a close watch was kept on the tele
graph office and telephone room, fol-
with all the enthusiasm the gentlemen
of the press were on the watch for thu
slightest crumb of news. One hgh
down the bay was watched with anX
Iious interest. Every rumor was care
fully 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 {
steamer, apparently disabled, wa
slowly, painfully threading her wa.
to port under her own steam at that
That was the milk in the coacoanut
But one rumor had it that she wa
being towed in by two ocean steamers
another had her in tow of one steame
only, and a third would insist that
was not certainly La Gascogne. Littl
by little the good news beamed on
brightly from the nists of the uncer
tainty and nearer and nearer came tn
gallant steamship with its happye hu
man freight.
Passengers Story.
The first and only real break in tn
monotony of the nights cold watcl
on the snow-clad shores of Staten Is
land. on that ice-covered pier by thos
foe-laden waters. was the sighting
coming around Fort Wadsworth, o
the Bolivia, Captain Baxter, from Med
Iiterranean ports. 1t was believed sh
J had passed near La Gascogne. In fac
some of the rum0r mongers had
that she had been towing the dlSaDle
French steamer Hence there was
wild desire upon the part o9 every
body to board her and get the lates
| news. 1t was not an easy job. The ic
off shore was almost solid, but a tn
crushed it's way slowly alongside tn
steamer.
! At the request of a World reporter
: Mr.. Mix, representative of tn
Thomson-Houston Electrical company
one of the cabin passengers, hastil
wrote out the following Statement
which he threw aboard the World tug
"AH went we'll until Jan. 30, thre
r lays after sailing from Havre, whe
the ship was stopped, and the passe1
gers, on inquiry as to the cause, wei