Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-07-06
Terrible Marine Disaster.

Transatlantic Company's steamer La
Bourgogne, which left New York on
Saturday last for Havre, sunk sitter q
collision with the British ship Gro
martyshire in dense fog, sixty miles
south of Sable Island. The collision
occurred at o'clock on the morning of
July t. Only 200 passengers were
saved out of 500 souls aboard La Bour-
goene. The steamer Grecian, from
Glasgow, arrived here to-day towing
the Cromartyshire. She reports that
the La Bourgogne sank almost i'm
mediately. OF the 200 persons
saved 10 were passengers and
the other thirty were members of
the crew Only one woman was
saved. All the officers of La Bour-
gogne were drowned with the excep-
ton of the purser and three engineers
The crash came almost without warn
ing. Most of the passengers were in
their staterooms. So quickly did the
vessel founder that a number of these
did not even have time to reach the
deck, and died in their ststerooms. The
woman saved was Mrs. A. LaCasae. She
was picked up by her husband and
placed on life craft. Another woman
was with her, but was washed oil the
raft by the seas and drowned. Capt. De
L'Oncle stood on the bridge of his ship
as she went down. He refused to leave
the vessel and persisted.
Among the names in the cabin list
of the i'll fated steamer are those Mr..
aud Mrs. Anthony Pollok, among the
best-known residents of Washington.
Their handsome residence is at the
southwest corner Of 18th and | streets.
La BOurgogne was built in 1856 at La
Seyne, France. She was four-masted
screw steamer of 1896 tons and of
5000 horse power. She was 494 feet
long and had 522 feet beam. She was
built of steel and iron, and had twelve
water-tight compartments.
Sable Island of the Nova Scotian
coast, where the wreck occur
red is veritable graveyard, many
wrecks and collisions have occurred
near its fogbouDd shores and mariners
always breathe easier when they get by
its dreaded shores.
Some of the men saved from La Bour.
gogne say the Cromartyshire struck La
Bourgogne amdships, making terri
bic rent in her side. The steamer ca
reened over and went down sideways.
There was scarcely an instant left to
escape from the fearful vortex which
sucked down the trembling souls who
managed TO gain the deck. Nearly ell
the passengers were in their night
robes. With wild despairing shrieks
and screams they clutched vainly at the
life belts to save themselves from the
awful deep. The people swan
and noated about the surface waiting
for chances to save themselves.
AS the ship sank beneath the sea a
vortex was created which sucked down
everything on the surface within q GER
tain radius. When the suction had
stopped many bodies came to the sur
face with rush, and the work OF res.
cue was commenced without mo.
ment's delay. Mrs. Henderson, wife of
the captain of the Cromartyshire, ex-
presses the belief that no concerted ef-
fort was made TO save the women.
There were many foreigners on board
who fought for places in the boat.
According to Mrs. Henderson, it was
f!lly ten minutes before the ill.fated
vessel went down after being struck,
and there was ample time to rescue at
least some women and children. The
crew of the Cromartyshire express the !
b"lief that there must have been foul |
play, seeing that only one woman was
saved. Nearly all the first class pas
sengers were lost, those saved being
mostly from the steerage and sailors.
The scenes enacted on board the La Bour-
gOgne Just after the collision were terrible to
W tness. Men Tough. for positions in the
oats like raving manacs women wero forced
back from the boats and trampled on by
those vs. o invoked the first law of nature and
nada SIS f-1res rvati9n their ilsi object In
one boat was a party of 40 women, but SO
great was the panic that net hand was
raised to assist in her launching. The occu-
pants, so near safety, were drowned Ike rats
when the shin. with an awful Kissing sound,
We t dow with me hundreds of lives. 20
desperate was the situation that an Italian /!
PfS''Htc4 ulth IA hH!tc anu luaue thrust !
at Que who, ike himself, was endeavoring to |
reach the boats. Women AID children were |
driven back 10 an inevitable death at the |
points of weapons ana women were stabbed
like so many sheep The seer o: the waters
was even worse, many of them who were
strugg ing in the water attempting to bring
them: ewes into the boats and on RATS. These
were rudcly pushed back to their watery
grave 1t was a time in which compassion 1
was not TO be found Knives and otAer
weapons did deadly work There was nothing
but d gigantic peril and it was 2 case CT the
survival OF the filtest
C....s.. Cb;ne Irt,orI,. noe,ro,od