Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-07-06
TERRIBLE DISASTER
Passenger Steamer La Bourgoygne
Collided with the Ship Cromar-
tyshire Near Sable Island.
SIX HUNDRED PERSONS LOST
Only One Woman Saved-Foreign Men
Fought for Places in Ships Boats
Prominent Americans Drowned
SO Passengers Escaped.

| July 4. db D Il. ILL.,. W miles SOubIl Vi sod Dlt
island, the Cromartyshire collided witt
the French liner La Bourgoygne. the
latter sank and 600 passengers and the
crew were drowned. Two hundred, in.
Guiding one woman, were saved. La
Bourgovgne was from New York fol
Havre.
OF the 200 saved, SO were passengers
and the others were members of the
crew. All the officers of La Bourgoygne
were drowned except the purser and
three engineers.
Details of the Wreck.
The log of the Cromartyshire, signed
by Captain Henderson, is as follows:
July 4, 5 a. M, dense fog; position Of
ship, 60 miles south of Sable island:
ship going about four or five knots an
hour. Our fog horn was kept going
regularly every minute. At that time
we heard steamers whistle on our
weather side or port beam, which
seemed to be nearing us very fast. We
blew the fog horn and were answered
by the steamers whistle, when sudden
ly she loomed up through the fog on our
port bow and crushed into us, going at
a terrific speed. Immediately ordered
the boats out and went to examine the
damage. l found our boats completely
cut off and the plates twisted. The
other ship disappeared through the fog.
However, our ship was floating on the
collision bulkhead, so there seemed no
immediate danger of sinking. We set
to work Immediately to clear the wreck
age and ship our starboard anchor,
| which was hanging over the starboard
bow and in danger of punching holes in
| the bow. | heard the steamer blowing
her whistle on coming back and we
answered with the fog horn. The
steamer then threw up a rocket and
| fired shot. We also threw up some
rockets and fired several shots, but we
neither saw nor heard anything. About
$3.50 the fog drifted somewhat and we
saw two boats pulling towards us with
the French flag flying. We signalled
| them to come along side and found the
steamer.was the La BonrgOygne from
New York for Havre and had gone
down. We laid to all day and received
on board about 200 survivors from
among the passengers and crew, re-
ported to be in all about 600. Several
passengers were on life rafts without
oars.
called for volunteers from among my
crew and the surviving French seamen
to bring these RATS alongside the ship |
Some of the passengers and seamen
from the SunkeD steamer assisted us and
we iettiSoned some 36 tons of cargo from
our fore-hold in order to tighten the ship
About 3 p. m. another steamer hove in !
sight, bound westward. We put up our
signals, WANT assistance" Shortly |
after the steamer bore down toward us. |
She proved to be the Grecian bound |
from Glasgow to New York. AT p. m.
we had made connection and proceeded
in tow of the Grecian toward Halifax
There was at that time IA feet of water
in fOrepeak.
Mrs. Henderson, wife of the captain,
was on board the Cromartyshire with |
her two children. She had ample oppor-
tunity to interview those rescued and |
expressed the belief that there had been
no effort to save the women. There
We're many foreigners on board, who
fought for places in the boats. Nearly
all the tirst-class passengers were lost
those saved being from the steerage and
sailors. Professor La Casse and his
wife We're in the water eight hours,
clinging to Il raft, before they were
picked up by boat from the Cromarty-
Shire.
OF those saved, LOG were walters. Of
ficers and members of the crew and
other employees on the steamer. Only |
SO passengers escaped.
A full list of those lost has been re-
ceived at the New MExIcAN Office, but
is not published as it is believed the |
names are unknown in this part Of the
country.
When the ships struck, the passengers,
with the sole exception of Professor La |
Casse, were below the deck. Without
warning came the terrible shock. Pro-
fessor La Casse rushed to his stateroom
on the saloon deck and got his wife out
OF bed and partly dressed. They hast
ened on deck only to be precipitated |
into the water They found partly
submerged raft upon which Professor
La Casse lifted his unconscious wife
and clung to it himself. Some of the
boats, Professor La Casse says, capsized
and all on board were drowned.
Only Woman Saved.
Mrs. L. A. Casse, wife of L. A. Casse,
language teacher Of Plainville N. j.,
was the only woman saved from La
Bourgogne. She was rescued by her
husband.
Number of Passengers Aboard.
New York, July Enquiries at the
French line Offices concerning the
number of people on La Bourgoygne
showed there were IS first cabin passen-
gers, the remainder of the list furnished
It was explained, was made up Of second
cabin passengers and was not quite
complete. No record is obtainable of
the remainder Of the second cabin
people nor of the third class. This
makes the total number of persons on
board, according to best information
obtainable, 72s as follows; SO first
cabin, 1876, second cabin, 295 third and
22O crew
Mrs. j. E. Dillon and Mrs. Dillon
Oliver, who were on board La
Bourgoygne, were wife and daughter re-
spectively of Judge j. E. Dillon, counsel
of the West Shore railway, Manhattan
Elevated and Gould system.
Prominent Lawyer Lost.
Washington, July 8.--Mr. and Mrs.
Anthony Pollock, Of this city, were on
La Bourgoygne. Mr.. Pollock is the
senior member of the law firm of Pol
lock & Maure, and Is a man of large
means.
Entire Family Wiped Out.
: Kansas City, June 8. On La
Bourgoygne was the entire family OF
John Perry, Of the firm of Keith &
Perry. of this city, one of the biggest