The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-07-07
AWFUL SCENES

Witnessed JHst Amer the CoIIlsIon-Mon
Fight btire Nauiaca and Drive Womon
and ChlldFsn Into ne Sea Women
Stabbed Like Sheep.
Some Of the scenes ensued on board La
8Ourgogne Just after the collision were
terrible to witness. Men fought for
positions in the boats like ravlng mani
aeg, women were forced back from the
boats and trampled by men who made
self-preserVatlon their first object, On
board were a large number Of the lower
class Of Italians and other foreigners,
Who In their frenzy stopped at nothing
that promised safety for themselves, In
q boat was party Of forty women, but
20 great was the panic that not hand
was raised TO assist in its launching.
The occupants. go near saved, were
drowned like rats when the ship with an
AWFUL blessing went down.
So desperate was The situation that
an Itahan passenger drew his knife and
made direct for one who like himself
was endeayoring to reach the boats.
Immediately his action was initiated In
every direction. Knives were hourished
ana used with effect. Women and
Children were driven back to inevitable
death at the point OF weapons, the own
ers Of which were experts In their use.
According 70 stories Of survivors women
were stabbed like 80 many sheep.
The scene on the water was even
"a H.S,A
we're struggling In the water attempted
to drag themselves Into the boats or on
faft& These were pushed back Into a
watery grave. Here, too, knives were
used freely. Not all Of the dead met
death by drowning. Christopher Bru-
mons cav a sailor belonging to the Bour-
Gpgne, strike a passenger over the head
with an oar and killing him. The body
Cropped into the water. The passengers
grabbed the boat in which the sailor
was and attempted to get on board
There were ia passengers on board
and 1853 were saved. With the exception
Of two passengers. Prof. LaCasse and his
WiI8, all the passengers Of the Bour-
gogne are aboard the steamer Greclan at
Ehe Cunard wharf. The crew ore also
onab0ard that steamer. The GTecian Is
expected to sail for New York this even
ing All the crew are collected by them
selves In the forward part Of the deck
and are anything but pleasant looking.
The oficer OF the gangway looked at
them with scuw1 and sald II he had his
way they would all have been hanged to
the yard arm long ago.
The correspondent interviewed nearly
all the passengers who could speak Eng
NSh. One passenger said the officers and
crew of the La Bourgogne neglected the
passengers entirely.
The second officer was the only man
Of the crew who did anything to help the
terrified and helpless passengers. He
cut loose all the boats he could and In
fact, all the boats that were launched
were launched by the brave 6econd off,
Ger. He was last seen standing on the
deck with his hand on the rigging going
reslgnedly to certain death.
Christopher Burnini, passenger, was
thrown into the water and swan for
two hours before ne found a boat. He
chung to this as his last hope. After
some time another man got hold Of the
same boat and together they managed
to right It. Under the seats they found
the dead bodies OF four men and three
women who had evidently been drown
ed by the capsIzing OF the boat. Bruninl
said the crew were cruel in their con-
duct toward the passengers. He was I'M
able to get In the steamers boats when
he came on deck. being showed away by
the sailors. He saw many Of his friends
being prevented from getting into the
boats by the sailors. He lost every
ting but what he stood in.
Mehelini Secondo, an Italian storage
passenger, is among the saved. When
ne got on deck he found raft with FIVE
men on It. The raft, however, was tied
and chained fast to the deck and no SAIL
ors were near to let It loose. None OF
the 1--WE men had knives. The ship sank
rapidly and they were all preclpltated
into the water. He was in the water
twenty minutes and alone, the other five
sinking before his eyes He came across
q boat which he tried to get into. He
eventually succeeded, but not before
desperate fight with the crew. He was
battered with oars and showed away
with boat hooks. He managed to seize
an oar, however, and pulled himself TO
the boat and climbed In.
August POurEi was eager to give your
correspondent an account OF his expert
ence. He was In the water about half an
hour and attempted to get into boat.
BE was seized when he managed to get
half way in and thrown back into the
water. Again he tried to enter the boat
but the savages who manned It were de-
termined to keep him out. He managed
d last to get In and to stay in. Cllnging
to the life line Of boat not far away he
saw his mother, and as II his trials
were not enough, he was forced TO watch
a. man shove her into the ocean with an
oar, She never rose. He said the man
was saved and was almost sure he could
recognize him.
Fred Miller Swiss, was the most
1oviaI and cOntented Of all the untortu-
nate passengers, He lost all his money
md clothes with the exception OF pair
OF pants and shirt, but he laughed and
now and again cursed the French sailors
with passionate earnestness.
Miner got into a life boat with ZONE
others and remained there until he
reached the water. when he thought It
wns time to leave. None OF the sailors
even attempted to let the boat loose. He
swan for q long time before he was
picked up. He saw an Engllshman at
tempt to get Into boat, but the men in
the boat, who were sailors Of the Bour-
gugne, hit him over the head with the
butt end OF an oar. He fell back and
sank.
Charles LIebra, a F'renchman, ex-
pressed himself as thoroughly ashamed
Of his countrymen's conduct. This man
Is one OF the most unfortunate He
had his two motherless boys, hve and
seven years old, with him. He put them
IN a boat, but was prevented from en-
tering himself. He could not get In any
boat and went down with the ship. hut
he came TO the surface and at once look
Ia