The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-17
LIFE SAVED by A JACKN1FE.
Remarkable Escape Made BY a Pas
senger on the VILE de Havre.


From the New York Press.
By the sinking of La Bourgogne and the
awful loss of life is recalled the accident
to the Vile de Havre of the same line in
1872, when the latter named ship was
struck at night and went down at once,
carrying almost all on board. Pitifully few
were those who were saved from the
Havre, but among them was the prominent
New York lawyer Witthaus, and the way
in which he escaped is so extraordinary
that 1t sounds like well-concocted tale,
instead of the plain fact that Mr.. Witt
haus vouches it to be.
The afternoon preceding the accident to
the Havre, Mr. Witthaus, with another
man. was on deck, and Mr.. Witthaus was
leaning against the taffran under the
Flagstaff in the stern. AS the two men
stood there talking the friend put his hand
on the large life buoy that was hanging
over the side and called Mr.. Witthaus'
attention to it.
Look" ne said, these life buoys are
simply screaming farceS This one here
is so stiff and hard with coats of paint
that you couldn't get 1t free except by
cutting it with a knife"
q Mr.. Witthaus attempted to move 1t, but
found it glued hard and fast The friend
took out his knife and began idly sticking
1t into the soft pine of the flagstaff, and
amused himself so the rest of the time
that they talked before they were inter
rupted by the dinned gong. Then they both
went below.
Early next morning while the passen-
gers were stiI asleep the collision occur
ed, and In the mad panic that at once fol-
lowed Mr. Witthaus did what he could to
get the women and children into the life
haas From, thf first he rpo1 himself
as doomed, for there were not nearly
boats enough for all the passengers, and
il was evident that the ship would float
only a few minutes. Several women whom
he knew on board he found places for at
once. only to see the boat overturn as
il was launched, and all go down, one of
them with her two little children in her
arms.
Mortified and sickened by the sight, he
went back TO the stern of the ship, which
was higher out of the water than the bow,
to wait until he, too, went down, and stood
leaning again on the taffrail. AS he did
SO in a flash he recollected the CONVERSE
ton of the afternoon before, and looked
over the rail. There still hung the life
buoy. stiff and immovable, and the in
stinct of preservation sprang to life
once more. A knife to free the buoy
and he might be saved but he had none
with him, and 20 find one was impossi-
bic with the ship liable to go down at
any second.
At the same moment his eye caught
the flagstaff, and there, where his friend
had evidently forgotten il the afternoon
before struck the knife. With the haste
of life and death Mr. Witthaus pulled it
out and began to saw away at the buoy
and he freed IL and threw himself off the
deck into the sea, just in time TO get be-
yond the vortex that came as the great
snip went down, sucking hundreds of vic
times with It, Mr.. Wituhaus hoated
about for some time and was az last
picked up by a small boat that was
waiting about for chance survivors, and
was brought back TO New York to tell
Of one of the most awful catastrophes that
ever happened at sea.