Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-07-09

We blew our horn and were answered |
by steamers whistle, when all OF sud
den she doomed through the fog on our
port bow and crashed into US, going at
a terrific speed. Our foretopmast and
main topgallant mast came down,
bringing yards and everything attached.
1 Immediately ordered. the boats out
and went to examine the damage.
found that our bows were completely
cut off and the plates twisted into every
conceivable shape. The other ship dis
appeared through the fog, However,
eur ship was floating on her collision
bulkhead, SO there seemed no immedi-
ate danger of her sinking. We set TO
work Immediately to clear the wreck
age and also to ship our starboard an
Choir. which was hanging over the star
board bow and in danger of punching
holes in the bow. We heard a steamer
blowing her whistle on coming back
and we answered with our fog norm.
The steamer then threw up rocket
and fired shot. We also threw up
some rockets and fired several shots,
but we neither saw nor heard anything
more Of the steamer.
Shortly after, or about $50 a. m, the
fog lifted somewhat and we saw two
boats pulling toward US with the t'rench
fla. diving. We signalled them to come
ALONGSIDE. and found that the steamer
was III LA Bourgogne. from New York
:ar uuvre, and that she had gone down.
We laid to all day and received on board
about 2G0 survivors from amongst the
passengers and crew, reported to be in
I - t,.t ,.l. = N kBA.ksS
were on life RATS without oars, and
called for volunteers from among my
crew and the surviving French seamen
to bring those RATS alongside OF the
ship. Some of the passengers ana sea-
men from the sunken steamer assisted
US. and we jettsuned some 30 tons Of
cargo from our forehold in order to
| tighten the ship.
At about 3 p. IN. another steamer hove
in sight bound westward. We put UP
our signal IN. c. Want assistance.
| shortly after a steamer bore down to-
wards us. She proved to be the Gre
| clan, bound from Glasgow to New York.
| The captain of the Grecian agreed to
take the passengers on board, and also
agreed to tow my ship to Halifax. Ow-
Ing to the condition Of my ship ac-
cepted the offer, and we proceeded at
once to tranship the passengers and
get ready our tow line.
At d. M. we had made a connection
and proceeded in tow of the Grecian to-
wards Halifax, having put sail over
the broken bow to take part of the
strain off the collision bulkhead. There
was at that time IA feet of water in the
| forepeak
When Mehelini Secondo got on deck
he found raft with five men on 1t. The
raft. however, was tied and chained fast
to the deck, and no sailors were near to
let it loose. None of the five men had
knives. The ship sank rapidly, and
they We're all precipitated into the water
He was in the water 20 minutes and
alone, the other five sinking before his
eyes. He came across boat which he
tried to get into. He eventually sue
ceeded, but not before a desperate figh
with her crew. He was battered will
oars and showed away with boathooks
He managed to seize an oar, however
and pulled himself to the boat an,
climbed in.
August Polirgi was In the water abou
half an hour. and attempted TO get int
Il. boat. He was seized when he man
aged to get half in and thrown back int
the water. Again he tried to enter tn
boat, but the inhuman savages VIII
manned 1t We're determined to keep hin
out. He managed at last to get in AM
to stay in. Clinging to the life line o
ii boat not far away he saw his mother
and he was forced to watch a man shoV
her into the ocean from which she neve
appeared. He says the man was saved
and he is almost sure he can recogniz
him. though he does not know he man
Eame.
Fred Miller was the most jOvial an
contented of all the unfortunate pas
sengers. He lost all his money an
clothes with the exception of a pair ,
! trousers and a shirt, but he laughed
= and now and again cursed the fiendis
French sailors with passionate earnest
ness. He went to bed the night befor
the collision and slept well. He neve
heard a sound, but woke in the mornin
the same as he would any other morn
ing. He went on deck and saw til
splinterS. He asked the officer on til
l watch what was up. The officer reptile
that it was all right; that the sh
would not go down. Niffier howeve
. got into a lifeboat with others and RI
manned there until he reached the waite
when he thought it was time to leav
= None of the sailors ever attempted
II let the boat loose. He swan for a Ion
= H. t,lr4 Il II
;, an Englishman attempt to get into II
" boat, but the men in the boat. who wei
% sailors of the Bourgogne, hit him Ov'
D. the head with the butt end Of the GA
He fell back and sank out of sight.
" Patrick MckeOwn of WilmingtO
" Del, was on his way to Paris to tul
u out leather for a firm there. He W;
more fortunate than most of his fello
passengers, and got on a raft when II
l'ourgogne was sinking. lie was II
only passenger who could have wake
through the streets of Halifax witho
attracting attention. One of the wor
sights, he said, he ever saw was Il
> murder of an American with whom
y, had become acquainted on board Il
- steamer This man. whose name
cannot recall, was from Philadelphi
~ where he has a wife and family. II
- Philadelphia was trying to get on
raft not far distant from the one Nj
Keown was on. 4 French sailor grabb
half an oar and beat him three tim
over the forehead. The murdered IN;
-, was on his way tn Paris to see "a sist'
80 From Paris he intended to 60 to Irelal
80 to see his father and mother.
" Strangely enough, a Mr.. Lacasse
re the only man of the saloon and cal
passengers who survives, while his W
is the only woman of 200 not only of /
ed first saloon cabin but Of the whole ST
who escaped. Mrs. Lacasse W
ii aroused from her berth by her husbar
lie who was on deck at the time of
tx collision. She threw about her the fl
er article of clothing she could secure a
4, l;.,t; t.,