The times., 1898-07-07
The IHhuman and COwardly Con
duet of Many Sailors.
DESERTION OF THE HELPLESS
Women and Children Crying Pite-
ousIy for Aid, CIinEinE to Rats,
Struck Down by the Crew and
Left TO Die-An Absence of Discip-
line Charged - But One Woman
observation-disclosures on Bonrd.

Halifax. N S. July 6.-The steamship
La Bourgogne. of the Compagnie Gener-
ale Transatlantique which left New York
on Saturday last bound for Havre, was
sunk at 5 O'Clock on Monday morning
after collision with the British ship Gro
martyshire in a dense fog about sixty
miles south Of the Sable Islands The
ship had 80 persons aboard. The number
OF first and second cabin passengers was
200. and Of steerage passengers 2g7. "A total
OF 5I7
The number of officers was II. of the
crew - Eleven second cabin and 81
steerage passengers and loi OF the crew.
total OF lG6. we're saved. All the officers.
al ite first cabin. passengers and all the
women but one was lost.
The Cromarty shire brought the news of
tae disaster TO this port this morning.
she carried the passengers and members
Of the crew who were rescued from the
steamship and was towed into port by
the Allan Liner Grecian.
The cromartyshire's bow was stove in
when she arrived in port and she was
partly dismantled.
hut One Woman saved.
The only woman saved was Mrs A la
Casse. Of PIainheld, y. J. The greater
part Of the rescued persons brought here
by the Cromartyshire were sailors and
steerage passengers. one man who sur
viyed said that fully ten minutes passed
| before La Boursogne sank after the col
lision and there was ample time to save
some of the women and children who
were on board. Mrs. La Casse said that
/ the many foreigners fought madly for
places in the boats and wildly pushed
( aside the women and children
According to the story told by Capt.
! Henderson. of the Cromartyshire his yes-
/ sci fuIl-rigged sailing ship, was pro-
| ceeding under reduced canvas. and max
ing about five knots an hour A seamer's
whistle was heard at O'Clock and sud
denly La Bourgogne loomed up in the
| fog on the port bow. Nothing could be
done to avoid collision. and the yes
sells crashed together. The Cromarty-
shire struck the French liner amidships.
tearing a great rent in her side La
| BourgoEne careened, and in a few mo-
ments Went down sideways
Great Confusion Prevailed.
The passengers rushed panic stricken to
the decks OF the liner when the crash
was heard and felt throughout the ship.
! The greatest confusion prevailed and life
boats launched We're quickly filled by the
crew and steerage passengers. One boat
was launched without oars. It was crush
ed against the steamers sides and the
women and children in it were drowned.
Mrs. La Casse. her husband and eight
cen others escaped on an improvised
! raft.
When the steamer began to sink hun
! dreds Of persons on deck jumped over
board and swan and hoated about look
ing for chances to save themselves. Many
chung to the raft on which Mrs La
Casse was saved, but it was already
overloaded and it was impossible for them
10 get aboard They chung desperately
to the edges of the raft until compelled
| by sheer exhaustion to loose their hold
and drown.
The steamship created a whirling vor-
tex as she sunk and many with life
preservers on were sucked down into the
whirlpool and drowned. When the sue
ton ceased about two hundred bodies
came to the surface
Went Down With His Ship.
Mr.. La Casse said that when he left the
steamer the captain was standing on the
forward bridge. lie refused to leave and
went down with lis ship.
Mrs. LaCasse. the one woman saved
thus describes her experience:
4 heard the fog horn of the approach
ing ship as it was sounded in response to
the whistle of the La Bourgogne 1 re-
allied that in an instant there would be
a collision. 1 saw the big hull of the ship
loom in the fog and almost Immediately
there was terrific crash. The steam
ship careened over on her side and the
waves washed in and swept some of the
passengers against the iron stanchions of
the ship. They were chiefly steerage
passengers.
The last that remember of the dis
aster itself was that I took hold of a
raft on the deck and was washed over
board by a big wave. 1 held on to the
raft. however. and then lost my Senses -
A. LaCasse, her husband who is an in
structor of languages, saw his wife, ap-
parently dead, on the raft, being tossed
in the trough of the sea. He Ieaped over
board and caught her just as she was slip
ping into the water and both floated