The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-07


Philadelphia, where he has a wife and
family. The Philadelphia was trying 10 get
on a raft not far distant from the one Nc
Keown was on. A French sailor grabbed
half an oar and beat him over the forehead.
Charles Duttweiler. a German managed
by an interpreter to tell his story. It is this:
ship and stayed in it until he saw it was
certain death to remain longer. He jumped.
but was carried down in the whirlpool made
by the sinking steamer He was In the
water half an hour when a boat came with
in reach and he attempted to enter it, but
the wretches in it showed him off with boat
he received. He saw women showed away
from boats with oars and boat hooks when
clinging to the life lines of the RATS and
lifeboats. He also says the crew assaulted
many passengers with any implement that
came handy and If no instrument was to be
had punched the men and women helpless
in the water with their fists.
One Of the most important witnesses will
be John Burgi. who got into a boat with his
mother before the ship sunk. The sailors in
the boat held him and threw his poor old
mother into the water The sailors threw
him out. beat him with oars and showed
him under the boat He was in the water
nine hours before he was saved by a boat
from the Cromartyshire
Gustav Crimaux. French passenger. cor
roborated the other passengers in their
statements about the crew. They did not at
tempt to cut airy boats loose except those
which they needed themselves. He saw
women showed away from boats with oars
and not only being showed away. but pushed
deep into the water.
The officers of the Grecian say the passen-
gers and sailors presented a sorry spectacle
when they were taken on board from the
Cromartyshire. They had not eaten for near
" twenty-four hours. Some are still dazed
and do not know where they were or what
they were doing. Tho third officer of the
cromartyshire said one haIf-drowned
wretch whom he pulled over the side some
hours after the collision seized his life belt
and asked the steward fer his knife He
cut piece off the life belt and started to
eat 1t. saying it was all he wanted.
NO DISCIPLINE ABOARD.
OTTO Zalger, of New York, who was go
ing to Paris, said: 1--WE struck at a. m.
and were afioat one hour before the ship
sank. We were going at full speed The
crew acted cowardly and some of the Off
GERS seemed to nave lost their heads.
could only see one officer where / was. on
the port side. There was no discipline
aboard and the boats could not be released.
The sailors did not try to pull them down,
but the passengers did. / tried to get a
boat down, and one of the ships walters
pushed me away and told me to go to
hell
The captain did not appear to be aware
of the danger at the beginning He blew
the whistle just before the accident, and
he tried another signal, but the water filled
the engine room. Half an hour later he
fired distress signals. but it was too late.
Then he put up the danger signals. 1 was
told he was in the cabin when the accident
happened, but he was on the bridge when
the ship went down. loosened one of the
lifeboats, of which three were left on the
steamer, but they were soon crowded with
women, who behaved very quietly and
bravely Then climbed on the superstruc-
ture and went all over the ship, in COM
pany with two engineers. We found the
RATS on the other side threw them over
board and jumped on them
Our raft was damaged by big hole in
1t, so we had to abandon it, but were picked
up by the boats of the Cromartyshire We
were the first saved, and we saw other
boats following us far away. The captain
Of the Cromartyshire called for volunteers,
but none of the Frenchmen would volunteer
TO go out at first and the crew of the sail
ing ship had to go out. Afterward the
French sailors went out and picked up
some of the RATS first. One raft had
cord around it, to which five women were
holding. The sailors cut the rope and the
women were drowned"