Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-07-07
persons were picked up and taken on board

| tunity of interviewing those who were res
| cued. expresses her belief. from what she
| heard that there had been no effort to
save the women.
On the morning of the collision Captain
| Henderson was on the poop with his third
mate, A. c. Stewart. Sailor Haley was on
the lockout and First officer Killman was
| also on the forecastle deck. The Cromarty-
| shire was making about five knots an hour.
with several sails set and taking in all the
| time. Not a sound was heard until the
| lockout. Haley, saw a large steamer half
| a ships length ahead on the port bow.
In an instant the Cromartyshire's boom
| struck La Bourgogne's bridge and the
| sailer crashed into the liner, stovins big
| hole near the engine room. La Bourgogne
| scIaped the whole length of the Cromarty-
shire's port side and then she veered off.
La Bourgogne blew long. mournful whis-
ties for assistance. Third Mate Stewart
| of the Cromartyshire says that the French
| men evidently thought they were another
1 ship and that they. the Bourgogne. had
| sunk the colliding vessel.
The boats were sent out and nearly 800
| people were saved. At the time of the COL
| lision Mr.. Stewart says La Bourgogne must
have been going at the rate of eighteen or
nineteen knots an hour, through a dense
| fog shutting out everything more than
twenty yards away.
| About three hours after the Cromarty-
shire picked up the survivors the Allan
liner Grecian was sighted and took the
Crnmartyshire in tow. About o'clock that
| evening. three miles away. Third Mate
| Stewart heard guns and saw three rockets
| go up and blue light, the signal of dis
tress. burning.
| The Grecian signaled to the Cromarty-
shire that she was going to assist the YES
sci signaling. Then in a few minutes
however. the light disappeared and no more
guns or rockets were discharged, the ves-
sci certainly having sunk.
Some, of the scenes enacted on board la
Rourgogne just after the collision were ter
rible to. witness. Men fought for positions
| in the boats like raving maniacs; women
| were forced back from the boats and
trampled by men. who made self-preserva-
ton 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 boat was a party of forty women.
but SO great was the panic that not hand
| was raised to assist in its launching. The
like rats when the ship. with an awful
kissing sound, went down.
So desperate was the situation that an
| Italian passenger drew his knife and made
direct at one, who like himself was en-
deavoring TO reach the boats. Immediately
his action was initiated in every direction
Knives were fourshed and used with ef-
feet. Women and children were driven
back to inevitable death at the point OF
weapons, the owners of which were eX.
perts in their use. According to stories OF
survivors, women were stabbed like sc
many sheep.
The scene on the water was even worse
Many of the unfortunates who were strug
Cling in the water attempted to drag them
selves into the boats or on RATS. These
were pushed back into watery grave
1
all of the dead met death by drowning
Christopher Brunon saw a sailor belong
ing to the Bourgogne strike a passenger
| over the head with bar and kill him. Th'
body dropped into the water. The passen
ger grabbed the boat in which the sailol
was and attempted to get on board.
The correspondent interviewed nearly al
the passengers who could speak English
One passenger said the officers and crew o
La Bourgogne neglected the passengers en-
| tirely The second officer was the only maj
of the crew who did anything to help th'
terrified and helpless passengers. He GU
loose all the boats he could, and. in fact
all the boats that were launched wer
launched by the brave second officer III
was last seen standing on the deck with nj
hand on the rigging going resignedly t.
certain death.
Christopher Brunon. a passenger. wa
thrown into the water and swan for tw
hours before he found a boat. He chung t
i | this as his last hope. After some time an
other man got hold of the same boat an
together they managed to right It, unde
the seats they found the dead bodies Q
four men and three women who had evi
, IDENTIFY been drowned by the capsizing G
the boat Brunon said the crew were crue
in their conduct toward the passengers
, He was unable to get into the steamer
boats when he came on deck being shove
{ away by the sailors. He saw many of hi
friends being prevented from getting int
the boats by the sailors. He lost every
thing but what he stood in.
Mehelini Secondi, an Italian steerag
, Messenger. is among the saved. When h
e got on deck he found raft with five me
= on it, The raft however, was tied an
4 chained fast to the deck. and no sailor
e were near to let it loose. None OF til
five men had knives. The ship sank rapit
" and they were all precipitated into III
2 water He was in the water twenty mir
S utes and alone the other five sinking befor
@ his ewes. He came across a boat whic
: he tried to get into. He eventually SUE
e ceeded. but not before a desperate fgf
o with her crew. He was battered with oal
t and showed with boat hooks.
: He managed to seize an oar. howeve
e and pulled himself to the boat and climbe
in.
r. August Pourgi was eager to give yot
|. correspondent an account of his eXperienc
V He was in the water about half an ho'
:. and attempted to get into a boat. He W;
n seized when he managed TO get half i