The record-union., 1898-07-10


eral Bruewaert, representing the French
history of the wreck Of La Bourgogne
as he got it from the crew Of the ship
in their dispositions. Mr.. Bruewaert
tells story as follows:
When the collision occurred Captain
Deloncle, who was on the bridge. i'm
mediately ordered the twelve lifeboats
to be manned by the crews assigned to
them. The crews responded quickly to
the order, and remained at their posts.
After this the Captain signaled from
the bridge to the officers below decks
to ascertain the extent of the injuries
below. He received no response to the
signal. About eight minutes after the
Captain had signaled down below and
received no answer Fourth Engineer
Laise rushed up to the Captain and told
him the side of the ship was cut open,
and water was pouring into the machin-
cry compartment. Captain Deloncle
ordered the boats to be lowered.
The ship was stopped about this time.
Passengers from all parts of the ship
came rushing upon the deck, and ran
about in panic. They got in the way
of the sailors and pushed them away
from the boats as they were loosening
them. Before the boats could be got
from the davits and ready to launch the
ship suddenly listed to starboard,
throwing some of the passengers over
board. The slant of the deck was so
steep that passengers could not stand
on it. The passengers of the first class
had rushed out of their rooms to the
port side of the ship, and against the
protests of the sailors, clambered into
the six boats there. A list to starboard
made the big boat swing on the inward,
and turned the davits back against the
sides of the cabins.
The sailors implored the passengers
to leave the boats, and in cases tried
to shove them out so that the boats
could be lifted over the side of the
ship. A crowd appeared ready to take
their places. The sailors heaved away
at them, but could not bulge them.
They gave up at last, and were en-
gagged in cutting the boats free when
the big vessel pitched stern downward
and sunk, carrying the port boats
with it.
were smashed by the Cromartyshire
Ill LIE BOAT NO. was
filled with women and other passengers,
and had been launched successfully.
when the big funnel FELL crushing the
boat and killing most of those in it.
Twenty Austrian sailors from the
steerage seized boat No. IL There was
room for fifty in the boat, but the pas
sengers and crew were fought off by the
men in it. Passengers in the water
tried to get aboard, but were pushed off.
Boat No 9, filled with passengers, got
of successfully 1t had some fifty
three aboard, including it's crew.
The only boat on the port side, where
the first class passengers had rushed
after trying the starboard side, was
No s. The sailors around it succeed
ed in getting it launched, leaped into it
as the ship went down, and picked up
passengers from the water to fill it.
Passengers We're also rescued from
the water by the only raft saved
Boats from the Cromartyshire came
up as the ship sank. Two good boats
and the part of the smashed boat to
which some were clinging were taken
to the sailing ship. The boats manned
by the crew Of La Bourgogne and the
English ship circled round about where
the big ship had sunk, picking up sur
vivors.
The Consul says that he made the in
vestigation carefully, and that the sto-
ries of the men agree, and were told
frankly. The sailors said the life pre-
servers were furnished by the crew to
the passengers, but they were in a
completed state of panic, and threw
them away in many instances.
nj
ly as to the fighting among the crew or
passengers. All the stories of the
wrecked men agree that neither men
from La Bourgogne's crew nor passen-
gers did any fighting, excepting the
Austrians and the Italians. Most of
this was done by the Austrians in the
single boat.