The Portland daily press., 1898-07-07


collision bulkhead, so there seemed no
immediate danger of sinking.
| We set to work Immediately to clear tho
wreckage and also to shir our starboard
anchor, which was hanging over the
starboard boom and in danger OF punch
| Ing holes in the bow.
We heard u steamer bloWings her whlstle
on coming back, and we answered with
our fog horn.
The steamer then threw up rocket
and fired u shot.
We also threw up some rockets and fired
several shots, but we neither saw nor
heard anything more of the steamer.
Shortly after, or about 5. 80 q. H., the
fog lifted somewhat, and we saw two
boats pulling towards us with the French
flag flying.
We signalled them to come alongside
and found that the steamer was La
| Bourgogne from New York for Hayre,
and that she had gone down.
We laid too all day and received on
board about 200 survivors from amongst
the passengers and crew, reported in all
about 600
Several of the passengers were on life
RATS without oars and called for volun-
teers from samong my crew and the sur
viviug French seamen TO bring those RATS
| alongside OF, the ship
| Some of the passengers and seamen
| from the sunken steamer assisted US and
we jettisoned some 80 tons of cargo
from our forehold in order to tighten the
ship.
At about D. m., another steamer hove
in sight, bound westward. We put up
our signal On. CO. "Want Assistance. -
Shortly after steamer bore down toward
us. She proved to be the Grecian, bound
from Glasgow to New York.
The captain of the Grecian agreed to
take our passengers on board and also
agreed to take my ship to Halifax.
Owing to the condition OF my ship l
accepted the offer and we proceeded at
once to tranship the passengers and get
ready our tow line.
At 6 p. M, we had made a connection
and proceeded in tow of the Greoian to-
wards Halifax, having put sail over the
broken bow to take part of the strain
off the collision bulkhead.
There was at that time IA feet of water
in the forehead.
Mrs. Henderson, wife of the captain,
was on hoard the Cromartyshire with her
two children. She tells thrilling tale
of the collision.
4th instant. The weather was foggy and
she had risen from her bunk at an early
nour as was her custom, when the wealth
er was thick.
Shortly before the vessels came together
she detected a steamers whistle blowing
on the port side of the vessel.
The SCromarty was sounding her
fog horn at intervals of one minute.
Mrs. Henderson c,lled the attention of
her husband to the sounding of ths
whistle and q minute later the mate, who
was on the watch, also detected the
sound s6e*-s
1t came nearer and nearer and Mrs.
Henderson stood near the cabin in order
| to rescue her children should a QiSast
occur a9ass@2s
| Suddenly the huge hulk of an ocean
| greyhound doomed up in the mist going
| about II knots an hour
Almost Immediately there WAS fear
full crash and Mrs Henderson rushed be-
low and dressed her little ones as quickly
as possible and removed them to the deck
expecting to see her own ship go down
any minute.
| Capt Henderson had, as soon as the
collision occurred, ordered the boats to be
lowered and the damage to he ascertained
AS 1T was found the Cromartyshire was
| in no immediate danger, the Britisher
was put about The vessel with which
they had collided was at the time un-
| known.
| A few minutes later her whistle was
heard and several rockets were sent up.
Capt. Henderson replied in like manner
thinking the steamer was offering assis-
| lance, but in few minutes all was quiet
and those on board began to realize the
awful results of the collision.
At $50 the fog lifted and two boats
We're seen approaching with only men on
board. Later the weather cleared still
more and men were seen in every direc-
ton, clinging to the wreckage and float
| ing on lie RATS.
| 1t was a terrible scene. No pen can
picture the appalling sight revealed to the
onlookers when tie curtain of mist
| arose.
pIo ,ro~I- ,F ,o.a,,. -, o,.,....s. - =
without moments delay and over 200
persons were picked up and taken on
| board the ship.
Mrs. Henderson, who had ample oppor-
tunity 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 ten minutes to quarter of an
hour before the La Boprgogne went down
and during that time there was ample
opportunity to rescue at least some of
the women and children.
| AS it was only one woman was saved,
| Mrs. Lacasse was saved. She is the wife
ofssA. ID. Lacasse @ teacher of languages
at Plainville, n. j.
| Nearly all the first cabin passengers
were lost, those saved being from the
| Storage and sailors.
AuIs ildCaoSo HIS Wll6 were III Tue
| water eight hours clinging to O raft, be-
| fore they We're picked up by boat. 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 babies went down
with the Inflated ship.
Mr.. Lacasse says thesofficers hravely
stayed by their posts going down with
the ship The only officer saved was the
purser. He went down with the ship,
but being o strong swimmer, managed TO
| save himself.
When the ships struck they were off
] Cape Sable.
The passengers with the sole exception
| OF Prof. Lacasse were below decks. With
out warning came the terrible shock.
lIacasse rushed in haste to his state room
on the saloon deck, got his wife out Of
bed and partly dressed. They fastened
ON deck, only to be precipitated into the
water on reaching it. They were not
long in the water, however, when they
found partly submerged raft upon which
Lacasse lifted his unconscious wife, and
then chung to it himself. Some Of the
boats, Lacasse says, capsized and all on
| h0nrd xua drnxJpad