Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-07-10
FRENCH CONSUL.S STORY OF THE
LOSS OF THE BOURGOGNE.
PASSENGERS WERE AT FAULT
PANIC STRICKEN AND REFUSED TO
OBEY ORDERS.
Refused to Leave Boats So That They
Could Be Observation-Disclosures
Steerage Passengers Seized
Boat and Fought on
All Others.

NEW YORK, July 9.-Consul General
Bruwaert. representing the French gov
ernment in this city, to-day told the his
tory of the wreck of La BOurgogne as he
got it from the crew of the ship in their
dispositions. MIR. Bruwaert tells story
as follows:
When the collision occurred. Captain
Deloncie was on the bridge. Seeing that
the ship had been hurt by the collision,
the captain ordered the ship steered for
Sable island. At this time he did rot
know the extent of the injury to the ship,
but he 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 10 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 machinery department.
Captain DeIoncle ordered the boats 70 be
lowered.
THE ship was stopped about this time.
Passengers from all classes of the shin
came rushing upon the deck and ran about
in a panic. They got in the way of the
sailors and pushed them away from the
boats they were loosening them. Be
fore the boats could be got from the iavits
and ready TO launch, the ship suddenly
| listed 10 starboard, throwing some of the
passengers overheard. The slant Of the
deck was so steep that passengers could
not stand upon It.
The passengers OF the first class cabin
had rushed out of their rooms to the
port side of the ship and. against the pro-
tests of the sailors, clambered into the
six boats there. list to starboard made
the big boats swing on the inward and
turEed the davits back against the sides of
the cabins.
THE sailors impIored the passengers to
leave the boats, and in some cases tried to
force them out SO that the boats might
be lifted UP and slid over the side of the
ship. The passengers could not be induced
to leave the boats, crowd of steerage
passengers having appeared ready to take
their places. The sailors heaved away at
them, but could not bulge them. They
gave up at last and were engaged in cut
ting the boats free when the big vessel
pitched stern downward and sank. carry
ing the port boats with it.
ION the starboard side, three boats were
smashed by the Cromartyshire in the col
lsion.
BOAT No. was filed 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 steer
age seized boat No. Ii. There was room for
fifty in the boat but passengers and crew
were fought off by the men in 1t. Pass
engers in the water tried to get aboard,
but were pushed off.
Boat No. .. filled with passengers, got
off successfully. 1t had some fifty-three
aboard, including its crew.
1.-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 succeeded In getting it
launched, leaped into it the ship went
| down and picked up passengers enough
from the water to fill it.
Passengers were also rescued from the
| water by the only raft saved.
Boats from the Cromartyshire came up
as the ship sank. Two goods 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
the Bourgogne and the English ship circled
round about where the big ship had sunk,
picking up survivors,.
The French consul said that the sailors
swore that the compartment doors were
closed.
The consul says that he made the in
vestigation carefully, and the stories of
the men agree and were told frankly. The
sailors said that life preservers We're fur
nished by the crew to the passengers. but
they were in complete state of panic.
and threw them away in many instances.
Consul Bruwaert inquired particularly as
! to the fighting. among the crew or pas,
sengers. All the stories of the wrecked
men agreed that neither men from La
Bourgogne's crew nor passengers did any
fighting, excepting the Austrians and the
Italians. Most of this done by the
Austrians in the single boat.
Among the callers at the steamship COM
pany's Office to-day was Brother Romaine.
| a survivor. He said that his own experience
would not bear out the criticisms of La
Bourgogne' crew. He said that the Of
fcers of the ship were in their places doing
everything they could to restrain the panic
among the passengers. A sailor came to
him and asked him if he could swim. He
told him that he could. The ships man
| pointed out something floating in the water
and told him the best thing he could do
would be to swim for it.
The ship was just about to sink and the
sailor took Brother Romaine in his arms
and threw him as far away from the ship
he could. He managed to swim away
fast enough to avoid being caught in the
whirlpool caused by the ship. and was res
cued on a raft