Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-07-14
HUNDREDS GO DOWN.
French Line Steamer La Bourgogne
Collides with British Ship.
Dkaasfer Occurs go Miles on Sable
IsIands-Of ia Passengers and
Crew But 1855 Are Rescued
Terrible scenes Witnessed.


halifax, ". S., July LA Bourgogne,
with $40 persons, lies in LOCO feet of water
60 miles south of Inflated Sable island.
The Atlantic steamship, of the Campagnie
Generate Transatlantique. was sunk at five
o'clock on the morning of July in collision
with the British ship Cromartyshire. A
dense fog prevailed. OF the ia passen-
gers and members of the crew on board La
Bourgogne 165 were saved by the Cromarty-
shire. which, though badly injured and
having IA feet Of water in the foresp eak,
lay to-
Only one woman was saved from La
Bourgogne, Mrs A. d. La Case, of Plain
field, N. j. In the first mad rush of passen-
gers and crew after the collision the wom-
en- and children were forsaken. Courage
was thrown to the winds. Storage pas
sengers and the crew fought their way past
the women and children and laid hold Of
whatever would sustain them in the sea
until aid came.
Fought for Their Lives.
Some of the scenes enacted on board La
BOurgOgne Just after the collision were
terrible to witness. Men fought for posi-
lions in the boats like raving maniacs:
women were forced back from the boats
and trampled by men who made self-pres-
ervation their first object. On board were
"A large number of the lower class of Ital-
fans and other foreigners, who, in their
frenzy. stopped at nothing that promised
safety for themselves. In one boat was a
party of 40 women but so great was the
panic that not hand was raised to assist
In its launching. The occupants, so nearly
saved, were drowned like rats when the
ship, with an awful kissing sound, went
down
KNIVES Used In Frenzy.
So desperate was the situation that an
italian passenger drew his knife and made
direct at one who, like himself, was en-
>deayoring to reach the boats. Immediately
his action was initiated in every direction.
KNIVES were fiourished and used with eff
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 so
many sheep.
One Heroic officer.
One passenger said the officers and crew
of La Bourgogne neglected the passen-
gers entirely. The second officer was the
only man of the crew who did anything to
help the terrified and helpless passengers
He cut loose all the boats he could, and, in
fact, all the boats that were launched were
launched by the brave second officer He
was last seen standing on the deck with
his hand on the rigging, going resignedly to
certain death.
Story of the Wreck.
The disaster occurred at five O'Clock in
the morning of Monday, July 4, about 60
miles south of Sable island which lies
nearly a hundred miles off this port. The
Bourgogne had left New York bound for
Havre on the previous Saturday, while the
Cromartyshire was on her way over from
Glasgow with a crew of 81 men. The fog
was very dense and the Cromartyshire
was sailing along with reduced canvas and
blowing the foghorn. Suddenly out of the
1og rushed a great steamer, and in a mo-
msnt there was a fearful crash, the iron
prov of the ship plunging into the port side
OF the steamer just under the bridge.
The shock was terrific, and tore a tre-
mentious hole in the steamer while the en-
tire bow of the ship was demolished. The
steamer plunged on into the fog again, her
whistle crying for help and her rockets
signaling her distress. The Cromartyshire
was rounded to, and her master, Capt.
Henderson was considerably relieved in
landing that she was in no danger of sink
ing. OF to the eastward could be heard the
Zh0arse call of the steamer, and as the
fog began to life all the boats on the ships
were launched.
Half an hour after the collision the misty
curtain went up, giving clear view for
miles and then it was that those on the
.Cromartyshire realized the awful Strug-
gle for life. On board the Bourgogne the
collision had come SO suddenly and at such
a. time in the morning that few besides
reused nearly everyone and within few
minutes the decks were crowded. At first
II seemed as If there was some attempt at
discipline. A few of the boats were swung
off and some of the passengers allowed to
get into them. But as the steamer began
60 settle and list to port the officers lost
control of the crew and a panic enSued.
Passengers and crew fought for the boats
and life RATS. Then followed the scenes
described above.
the fight for life on the decks of the
steamer did not last long, for in a little
more than half an hour she gave a long
,Iareh to port and went down. AS the ship
sank beneath the surface the vortex of the
water sucked down everything on the sur
face within certain radius. When the sue
ton ceased, those still alive saw about 200
bodies come out Of the water with a rush,
as if the sea were giving up the dead after
having swallowed the ship. But the strug-
gle for life still continued after the ship
went down. Hundreds still floated about
4raspng for RATS, boats and wreckage in
frantic endeavor to keep above water.
Even then, many of those in the boats, II
the stories told are to be believed, showed
their brutality by beating off those who at
tempted to climb aboard.
By this time the small boats of the Gro
martyshire had come up and the work OF
rescue began. The crew of the ship worked
heroically and saved everyone who had
managed to keep above water, but even
then scores fell away from boats, RATS
and wreckage, exhausted, and were
Srowued. 1t was all over in an hour, al
though for some time after great pieces OF
wreckage came shooting up from the bot
tom, marking the spot where the great
Miner had gone down. But little attempt
was made to recover the bodies of any OF
the Inflated passengers or crew, and the
battered hulk at the bottom of the ocean
will probably be their tomb. In the after
noon the steamer Grecian was sighted com.
dng from the westward, and few hours
=afterward the Cromartyshire was taken in
tow and arrived here this morning.
Comedian Dead.
T,l VDh T I'll