Birmingham state herald., 1896-03-01
FULL ON THE PORT BOW The Steamer La Bourgogne
 Struck the Steamer AiISa. SHE SUNK IN AFEW MINUTES Passengers and Crew Took to the Rigging and Were Saved.
 THE CREW PROVED A LOT OF C0WARDS The French Steamer, After Inficting the
 Fatal Blow, Passed on Without Of T fering to Render Assistance, Although Not Injured.
THE CREW PROVED A LOT OF TOWARDS

Ailsa had sailed from New York en route to Kingston, Jamaica. Owing to the dense fog the Ailsa came to anchor just at the south mouth of the Narrows. The strong tide that was running at the time swung the vessels head so that at the time of the collision she was pointing to- ward New York. According to the state ments of several of the crew the vessel had been at anchor but few minutes when a huge steamer hove in sight and although, according to the Ailsa's crew, a continuous ringing of her bell had been kept up since she came to anchor, the vessel came on and struck the A1lsa full on the port bow, tearing out large DOT ton of her side. Immediately after strlk- ing the Ailsa the colliding vessel, which was learned to be the steamer La Bour- gogne, backed out and, after disengaging herself, proceeded on her way without making the slightest offer to render as- sistance to the Ailsa.
 Capt J. w. Morris of the AilSa was on the bridge at the time the collision oc- cured, and he immediately gave orders to weigh anchor. This was instantly done and the vessel was headed for the Fort Hamilton shore. Before she had gone far. however, she filled and sank. The captain, passengers and part of the crew took to the rigging, from which they
 
 happened to be in the vicinity at the time. The Harold, to make the rescue, steamed between the masts and directly over the deck of the sunken steamer. The Harold also picked up later a part of the crew from a small boat belonging to the AilSa. l
 According to the crew, only few min uteS elapsed from the time the vessel was struck until she went down. As far as can be learned the La Bourgogne suffered little or no injury from the impact The crew and passengers of the stinken steamer were brought to the city by the tug and landed at the ship news office of the United Press. U L
 In interviews with the passengers of the ill-fated vessel it was learned that the crew of the Ailsa behaved in a most brutal and cowardly manner. It is as- serted that when the La Bourgogne struck the Ailsa the crew. instead of trying to assist seemed to be inspired with only the desire to save themselves. v Anl d4
 The women of the passengers were verging on mysteries when seen at the pier Some of thenl looked as though they had been subjected to some hard usage The officers of the ill-fated Yes- sel deny that the crew abused the pas sengers, or were guilty of any cowardice. Captain Morris of the Alsa refused to make any statement with regard to how the accident happened
 J. Weatherspoon, the chief engineer, spoke freely about the accident. He de- clared that the La Bourgogne was to blame, and said that the Allsa's bell was rung continuously while she lay at an chor He was rather indignant at the manner in which the French steamer be- haved He denied in toto the passengers statements that the crew had seized the only available boat and abandoned the passengers to their fate. He asserts that the passengers refused to go into the nd ging He says upon the refusal of the passengers to enter the boat the captain ordered the crew to pull Tor the snore. He says the vessel filled and went down so rapidly that neither the passengers nor crew were able to save any of their ef- fects.
 The Ailsa now lies sunk to her lower wards. and lies on hard bottom off Port Hamilton. The crew numbered thirty seven. including Captain Morris It was composed of Spaniards, Cubans and Ital- Hans.
 The Ailsa is a British screw steamer. 29O feet in length, beam 34.2 feet, depth 2S.9. tonnage 1881. She was built at Gias- gow, and was owned by the Atlas Steam ship company. She had a general cargo.
 It has been learned that the La Bour- gogne proceeded but a short distance af- ter the collision and came to anchor It is not positively known whether she sus- tained any injury.
 She had forty-six cabin passengers on board.
 The~following is the list of the passen- gers fourten in number:,
 George H. Pierce and wife of Kingston, Jamaica; John P. Cantrell and wife of Newark N. J.; MT. Tietjons of New York; H. Ingalls,; Wesley Day Of New ark; c. B. Miller and wife of Brooklyn; A. L. V Carachrist of Richmond, Va; MT. Hoff; P. J. Cummings; George M. Douglass of Newark; Watson Ryan of Newark.
 Everybody on the Ailsa. passengers and crew, were saved, though Mrs Pierce was slightly bruised. el
 The crew consisted of thirty-seven per sons, commanded by Captain J. w. Mor- riS. g.
 MT. Cummings, with three others, of the passengers, was in the smoking room when the crash came. Rushing to the how he instantly saw how serious the danger was, and shouted: Bring up the women first" This was done. and they were sent into the rigging, where many of them at the sinking of the vessel were up to theip knees in water. ltSls saiu that one of the crew brandished arevol- yer in his endeavors to get into the life boat. ,f,,
 MT. Cummings jumped into the water, and was ultimately picked up by the Ailsa's boat. which contained seven or the crew. 2
  cue was at first afraid to approach the wreck, but at length rescued all hands. Not a ladder or life preserver or other appliance was used, The tug literally came aboard the Ailsa, and the unfortu- mates were picked off of the rigging.
 Mrs. Miller, one of the passengers, fell overheard in the excitement. and was gallantly rescued by her husband.
 MT George H. Pierce, one of the pas sengers on the Ailsa, Is the postmaster general of Jamaica, West Indies. In an Interview tonight he said: We were all in the cabin when the crash came. All were thrown from their chairs. At first it was thought that the vessel was not badly injured, but she soon began to set tie by the head, and we knew that she must go down. Captain Morris and the other officers behaved splendidlY, but the conduct of some of the firemen and the crew is worthy of nothing short of hang ing. They were the most cowardly lot of dogs that ever saw in my life. When