The record-union., 1898-07-07

lWISchdSS, anu ali except our StdTUOdio
anchor. which was hanging over the
starboard bow. and in danger of punch
ing holes in the bow.
Il heard steamer blowing her
whistle on coming back, and we an
swefed with our fog horn. The steamer
then threw up a rocket and fired a
shot. We also threw up some rockets
and fired several shots, but we neither
saw nor heard anything.
Shortly after, about $50, the fog
lifted somewhat, and we saw two boats
pulling toward US with the French flag
flying We signaled them to come
alongside, and found that the steamer
was La Bourgogne, from New York
| for Havre, and that she had gone
down. We laid to all day and received
on board about 200 survivors from
| amongst the passengers and crew, re-
! ported to be in all about 600. Several
| of the passengers were on life rafts
without oars and I called for yolun-
| teers from among my crew and the
! surviving French seameG to bring
| those RATS alongside the ship. Some
| of the passengers and seamen from
! the sunken steamer assisted us, and we
| jettisoned some thirty-six tons of cargo
from our forehold, in order to tighten
|
| the ship.
| AT about 3 p. m. another steamer
hove in sight bound westward. We
put up our signals N. c., CWant assist
ance). Shortly after a steamer bore
I down toward US. She proved TO be
| the Grecian, bound from Glasgow TO
New York. The Captain agreed to take
| the passengers on board. and also
agreed to tow my ship to Halifax
| Owing to the condition of my ship |
accepted the offer, and proceeded at
once to transship the passengers ana
get ready our tow line. AT p. M
| we had made a connection and pro-
| ceeded in tow of the Grecian toward
Halifax having put sail over the
| broken bow to take part of the strain
off collision bulkhead. There was at
| that time fourteen feet of water in the
| fore peak"
| STORY TOLD BY THE CAPTAINS
! WIFE.
! Mrs Henderson, wife of the Captain,
was on board the Cromartyshire with
her two children. She tells a thrilling
story of the terrible experience. The
weather was foggy, and she had risen
| from her bunk at an early hour, as
was her custom when the weather was
| bad Shortly before the vessels came
| together she heard whistle on the
port side The Cromartyshire was
sounding her fog horn at intervals OF
one minute.
I Mrs Henderson called the attention
] OF her husband to the soundings OF the
| whistle, and minute later the mate,
| who was on watch, also detected the
sound. 1t came nearer and nearer,
and Mrs. Henderson stood near the
| cabin in order to rescue her children
! should a disaster occur Suddenly the
| huge hulk of an ocean liner loomed up
| in the midst. going about seventeen
knots an hour Almost Immediately
there was a fearful crash, and Mrs
Henderson rushed below and found her
| children awakened by the shock. She
dressed the little ones quickly as
possible and removed them to the
deck, expecting to see her own ship go
down any minute.
! Captain Henderson, as soon as the
! collision occurred, ordered the boats
to be lowered, and the damage to be
ascertained. AS it was found that the
| Crcmartyshire was in immediate dan
ger, the Britisher put about. The
vessel with which they had collided was
at that time unknown. A few minutes
| later her whistle was heard, and sew
| eraI rockets We're sent up. Captain
Henderson replied in like manner,
| thinking the steamer was offering as
| sistance. but in a few minutes all was
quiet, and those on board began to re-
alize the awful results of the collision.
| At $50 the fog lifted, and the two
boats We're seen approaching with only
men on board. Later the weather
| cleared still more. and men were TO be
se-en in every direction clinging TO
wreckage and floating On life RATS. Ii
was a terrible scene. No pen can pic
ture the appalling sight revealed to the
onlookers when the curtain of mist
arose. The work of rescue was COM
menced without a moments delay, and
about 200 persons were picked up and
| taken on board the ship.
! Mrs. Henderson, who had ample op-
| portunity of interviewing those who
were rescued, expressed her belief from
what she heard that there had been
no effort to save the women. There
were many foreigners on board, who
| fought for places in the boats.
| 1t was fully ten minutes to a quarter
of an hour before La Bourgogne went
| down. and during that time there
! was ample oportunity to rescue at
| least some of the women and children.
AS it was, only one woman, Mrs. La
! Casse, was saved. She has been on
| board ever since She is the wife of
! A. D. La Casse, teacher of language of
Plainfeld, n. j.
| OTHER ACCOUNTS.
| The crew of the Cromartyshire COM
ment freely upon the fact that only one
| woman was saved out of 800. All the
| first-class passengers were lost, those
| saved being steerage and sailors. La
| Casse and his wife were in the water
| eight hours, clinging to a raft, before
| they were picked up by boat from the
| Cromartyshire. They lost everything
| but what they stand in, including
money and valuables. One passenger
| was going home to France with his two
| children, his wife having died month
previously. He was saved. but his two
| ba bies went down with the ship.
| Mrs la Casse says the officers brave
| ly stayed by their posts, going down
| with the ship. The only officer saved
was the purser. He went down, but
being a strong swimmer, managed to
save himself. When the ship struck
they were off Cape Sable.
| The passengers, with the sole excep-
tion of Professor La Casse, We're be-
low deck Without warning came the
! terrible shock. La Case rushed to his