Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-07-10
PERILS OF THE DEEP.
SINKING OF Ia BOURGoGNE HAS
NUMEROUS PARALLELS.
OLD OCEAESA PpALING DEATH RECORD
Vessels That Have Gone Down to
the Bottom of the Sea With Fright
full Loss OF Life; Others That Were
Never Heard of After Sailing.

NEW YORK, July 9.-While the awful
horror Of the catastrophe, in which over
five hundred passengers Of the big French
liner La Bourgogne met death I'm the
depths Of the sea, is still In peoples
minds there is a general recalling OF
similar disasters, and the stoutest-heart-
ed are asking whether it is not time TO
call a halt on the terrific speed with
which our fast ocean boats cross the At
lantic. The record of disasters similar TO
that Of La Bourgogne is a terribly i'm
pressive one. There is no need to go
further back than the early forties to
begin the sad list.
In 1911 there occurred a catastrophe
that came within a little Of being fully
as awful as that of the big French liner
On March 18th Of that year the steam
ship President received her deathblow in
a collision, and when the roll was called
it was found that 800 passengers had per-
ished.
There is this small comfort for the
relatives and friends Of those who went
down with la Bourgogne, that they at
least know the fate Of their loved ones.
This consolation was denied TO those
who had friends aboard the steamship
Pacific Of the old Collins Line. which
sailed from Liverpool on January p, 1896,
with 1S6 passengers on board, bound for
New York, for she was swallowed up
by the ocean as mysteriously as though
she had dissolved into thin air on her
voyage over. What happened TO her after
she left Liverpool has never been deter
mined. She was heard of no more, and
not a stick Of timber wa ever picked up
to afford the mourners the slightest clue
TO her fate.
disaster that was almost as dreadful
as La Bourgogne's occurred on March 5,
1854. when the steamship City OF Glas-
cow, which sailed from Liverpool bound
for Philadelphia, foundered in mid
ocean, with $50 souls on board.
SABLE ISLAND.
Sable Island, that graveyard Of ships OF
all kinds and sizes, claimed the big
steamer City of Boston on January p.
1870. Not a soul Of the l0l passengers and
sixty officers and sailors escaped 10 tell
the story of the wreck OFF Sable Island. |
How she came to sink with such terrible |
that there was no time for
those aboard 20 save themselves has been /
subject for mystified conjecture ever /
since. Only the demon who is supposed !
by the superstitious to lure men TO their |
doom off Sable Island can tell the story |
for no message Of any kind ever came TO |
light 10 show what the cause OF the dis
aster had been.
Similar mysteries OF the ocean are |
many. Had la Bourgogne sailed from
New York and been heard of no more
forever il would have been only another
added TO a long list of such distressing
losses. There sailed from Philadelphia
on December l. 1889. l2O persons on the
Haitien warship Philadelphia. She left
amid the cheers Of the Americans ana
he firing Of cannon, a handsome ship
manned by as gallant crew as ever trod
deck. Whether she is sailing In phan-
ON form still, like Vanderdeckens Fly
ny Dutchman, or lies sunk on some hid
len rock that is unknown 20 naviga tors.
cmains to be learned. No news OF the
Atlanta ever came 10 hand after she was
ost 10 sight OF the American people who
heered her on her departure.
The fate OF the White Star freightship
saronlc is shrouded in similar mystery.