New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-07
ABOARD THE CROMARTISHIRE.
CAPTAIN HENDERsoN's LoG-MRs. HEN
DERSON'S STORY OF TIE COLLISION.

I
On July A. at a m. dense fog position Of
ship. eixty miles south Of Sable Island. snip r.
wind en- the port tack. heading about w y W.
though under reduced canvas. gong about fou.
or five knots per hour. Our fognorn was oeins
kept going regularly ever" minute AZ tpat
time heard q steamers whistle on our weather
side or port beam. which seemed 10 be nearing
very fast We blew hcrn and were answered
by steamers whistle when all NJ n sudden she
doomed through the fox on our port bow ana
crashed into us. going at a terrific speed. our
foretopmast and main topgaliant mast came
down. bringing with them y8rdG ana every
thing attached.
| immedia tely ordered the beats ovt and went
10 examine tho damage found that our bows
wer" completely cu' or and tho plates t"ls,ed
into every conceivable shape Tho ether ship
disappeared through 'hs FOG however. our
ship vas floating on her collision hnikhead 50
there seemed no immediate danger Of her sink
ing We set 10 work Immediately 70 clear the
vreckace and also ~ slip our s'arboard anchor,
which was hanging over he sfarhoard 30" and
In danger of punching no!es IN the eo"
We heard . staalro- blowing her whistle on
coming back AMI wc answered With our fog
! Torn The steamer tlcr threw up rocket
ana hred shot W 1l5o thew UP son'e rock
It's an fired se"erai shots but we neither
| 50" nor heard 'nytAirg more IT me steamer,
! Shortlv after or about - 3 m. the f0g lifted
somewhat ana We saw two BOATS pulling tov-
/ ara ~ with the French faS hvinc. We siE'
nailed them 70 come ALONGSIDE. and tound the'
| the steamer was Ia Boursogre f!o1 New
| York foi Havre, and that sh, had gone d3N n.
We lay 70 III 1ay nd yeceired on ncArd ABOUT
! two hundred survivors, from among the pas
| seneers and crew reported 20 be IN all ABOUT
six hundred Several OF ihr p1SSense:s Were
on Ilfe RATS without o1rs and called for vo!un-
/ iters from among M crew and The surviving
/ French scanien TO bring those rats aiongside
/ Of the ship Some Of .hA passengers md seamen
! fiom the sunken steamer assisted rs, ara We
ietiisoned some thirt" cons 90 carG0 from our
! forehold IN order to tighten The snip .,u.,
bound westward We put up our signal IL
! C."-wants assistance Shortly after steamer
! lore down toward is she Ito!sf 20 % NJ ,hf
Grscian. bound from Glasgow - 49, 80 P IN
| TIE captain If the Greclan agreed :" take 'he
| rassfnecrs on board. and also agreed 70 VOW
/ ms ship % Halifax. owing to the conolt.on .,
my ship accepted the Offer and we procseoe .i
! Teadv our tnv.line At p. m ne had made
connection and proceeded in tow of me Hreo!ah
! ,roEen how 10 take part Of the strain IF the
coIision bulkhead There AZ that tim"
fourteen feet Of wator IN the ,orepeah
MRS HENpERsoNs STORY
Mrs HENDERSON. wife II the captain, was On
hoard tho cromsrtvshire with her two children
| She tells = thrilling tale Of IN" terrible tx
| periance Tho collision occurred At o m on
| the An irs' The weather was tossY' anu
she had risen from her hunk at any early noun
ar was h.r custom when he weather was 'h'ch'
SHORTY before the vessels came together she
! detected a steamers whistle blowing on we
mort eide ~ the veasel The Cromart shire was
| .oundirr hor FOG horn A. intervals NJ ~"
| minute
Ma Henderson called III. attention II her
husband to the sounding Of the whistle. and
! minute later the mate who vas on the watch
/ a,so Ao,Ao,ed the sound T. came nearer and
nearer. and Mrs Henderson stood near me
| cabin N order ~ rescu, her children should
/ disaster occur
Suddenly N. huge hulk ~ an ocean grey
hound loome1 ZIP IN the mist. going about sew
! enteen knots an hour Almost immediatey
there was a fearful crash and Mrs Henderson
rushed below and found her children awakened
ny the shock She dressed the little ones as
quickly as possible and removed them to the
deck expecting 70 see her own ship 20 down
am minute Captain Henderson, as soon as the
/ collision occurred, had ordered the hoats 70 De
| lowered and the damage 10 Re escertained AS
u was found that the Croraryshire was N no I'M
mediate danger the Rritisher was put about The
vessel with which they mad come into collision
was al that time unknown A few minutes later
her whistle was heard and several rockets We're
sent up Captain Henderson replied In Ike
manner. thinking the steamer was offering as
sistance. nut IN 2 fsw minutes all was quiet.
| and those on board began to realize the s"fu'
! results ~ tho collision.
a
were seen approaching with only men on board
! Later the weather cleared. and still more men
| were 10 be seen In every direction, clinglng 10
! Nreckage and floating on life rats. II was A
! terrible scene. No pen can picture the appalling
/ sight revealed to tho onlookers when the cur
/ tain Of mist arose. The work ~ rescue was he-
| gun without 4 moments DELAY. and over two
hundred persons were picked M and taken on
| board the ship.
Mrs. Henderson. who had ample opportunity
| Of Interviewing those who were rescued. ex-
pressed her belief from what che heard that
there had been effort to save the women.
THE FIRST ALARM.
on tho morning Of the collision Captain Hen
dcrson was the poop with his third mate,
4 G. Stewart Haley. sailor. was on the look
out and tho first officer. Killman. was also on
the forecastle deck The Cromartyshre was
making about five knots an hour with several
calls set and taking IN all the time. Not a
sound was heard until tho lookout Haley saw
large steamer half ships length ahead on
the port bow. In an instant the cromarty-
shire's jbboom crashing into La Bour-
gogne's bridge and the sailing vessel crashed
into the liner. staving big hole near tho on
CINE room. La Bourgognc scraped the whole
length Of the Cromartyshires port side. and
then she veered of. La Bourgogne blew long
mournful whistles for assistance. The third
mate Stewart. Of the Cromartyshire says that
the Frenchman evidently thought they an
other ship. and that they the Bourgogne. had
sunk the coll!ding vessel.
At the time OF the collision. Mr. Stewart says
the Bourgogne must have been going at the
rate OF eighteen or nineteen knots an houi
through n dense fog. shutting out everything
| not less THAI twenty yards away. About three
hours after the Cromartyshre picked UP the
survivors the Allan liner Greeian was sighted
and took the Cromartyshre In tow.
About s o'clock that evening three miles away
Third Mate Stewart heard the guns and saw
three roc hets go up and a blue light, the sigma
OF distress burning. The Grecian sgnalled tC
the Cromartyshire that she was going tn assist
the vessel signalling. In few minutes how