The evening times., 1898-07-07

In these days of science and better dis
cipline, the list of disasters to ocean
vessels Is much smaller than in the ear
lier days of steam navigation. Still.
there are many tragedies Of the sea. In
the latest-the loss of the Bourgogne-
there was only one woman saved. When
the North German Lloyd steamship Elbe
was lost three years ago only one wom-
an was saved. The passengers and crew
numbered nearly 400, and Of these only
twenty-five survived the wreck.
The Elbe left Bremen for New York
on January g. 1895. At o'clock next
sea was on. The morning was unusually
dark, and Capt. Won Goessel sent up rock
cts. The ship was about fifty miles off
Lowestoft, on the west of Suffolk.
small British tramp steamer, the Crathie.
was coming in the opposite direction at
full speed. Before the Elbe could change
her course she was struck abaft the en-
gine room. The smaller steamer
wrenched herself away. and made of
without noting the damage she had
done. Water poured like a cataract into
the engine room of the Eibe. fires were
extinguished, and the ship began TO set
tie The bitterness of the night and the
rough sea had prevented early rising,
and scores were caught in their hunks.
The steerage was in a panic.
Boats were ordered out, and the first
one was smashed by the heavy seas. One
boat, with twenty-five of the crew and
passengers got away and was picked up
by a fishing smack in the evening.
One of the passengers said the men and
many of the crew We're frantic, and tried
to tear off his life preservers.
The Hamburg-American Packet Com
pany's steamship Pomerania. from New
York for Hamburg, was sunk in the Eng
lish Channel, off Dover, at midnight of
November 25, 1878. by a blow from a Brit
ish bark The sailors would not obey the
orders of the captain. cut away the boats
with their knives and would not help the
passengers. Every member of the crew
got safely away. but the forty-seVen pas
sengers were drowned. Capt. Schwensen
would not go into a boat and sank with
his ship. but having life belt came 10
the surface and was picked up by
steamer.
There was great loss of life in connec-
ton with the wreck of the White Star
steamship Atlantic on Mars Head, Cape
Prospect near Halifax, on April 2. 1873
Five hundred and forty-siX persons per-
ished. The steamer carried nine hundred
passengers, and fifty of these were in the
cabin. She left Liverpool for New York
with an insufficient supply of coal. Heavy
storms were encountered and the fuel
was nearly exhausted. The captain
thought he was making for Sambro
Light, but two hours later the Atlantic
struck upon the rocks. An attempt was
made TO lower the boats, but before the
davits were manned the big vessel ca
reened leeward and sank. All of the
women were drowned.
The steamship Hungarian, owned by
the Montreal Steamship Company, was
wrecked on February ~. 1850. on cane
Ledge. near Halifax. and 2t5 persons. In
Guiding all the officers perished. ter
rifle storm overwhelmed
A thrilling story is the sinking of the
Arctic. which was in collision with the
vesta in midocean in September. 1884.
The Arctic was the crack ship of the Col
lirs line, and many well-known New
Workers were lost on her. The Nesta
was a French screw steamer; the Arctic
was worked by paddles. The Arctic car
ried more than 4i0 passengers, but 3Saa
were lost. Not a single woman was saw
ed. As the ship was sinking seventy
persons were transferred to raft. One
by one exhausted by exposure and hun
ger the unfortunaies dropped off. The
WpH!SU were ilit nISl ~ pei ISL Il liidIis
only one man. named McCabe, remained,
and he was picked up by one Of the Arc
tics boats which had been successfully
launched with some of the crew and
passengers.
The Eagle line steamship Schiller was
wrecked off the Scilly Islands in May,
1875. How strangely the story repeats it
self! Only one woman was saved among
the fourteen passengers and thirty of the
crew. In this disaster 5li lives We're lost.
The crew acted like a lot of cowardly
murderers. The Schiller was bound for
Hamburg from this city. She was half a
mile out of her course. and during the
fog struck a reef. She pounded hard and
then settled. The waves broke over her.
and everybody made a rush for the
boats. Brave Capt. Thomas fred his re-
volver at the crew 10 frighten them out
of the boats. but his efforts were useless
Women and children and many men took
refuge in the deck house. A tremendous
wave swept their shelter and all within
into the merciless sea. The falling of
the funnel killed Capt. Thomas. Two of
the boats. with their cowardly crew.
were swallowed up by the sea.
The steamship Central America left As
pinwall for New York on September 3.
1857. carrying more than 100 pastengers
and s.. 600 of treasure. A fierce gale
struck her on cape HatteraS on Septem-
ber II, and 2i5 were lost. But for the as
sistance of several vessels not soul
would have been saved.
In September. 1851. occurred terrible
disaster. famous in the annals of the
sea. The Austria, an iron screw steam
er of the Hamburg Line, sailing from
Hamburg for New York. with 53S souls
on board, caught fire on the eleventh
day out. A hot chain in bucket of fu-
migating tar was the cause. Four hun
dred and seventy lives were lost. While
the flames were fiercely wrapping the
ship men and women fought desperately
for the boats. Scores were roasted
alive. Only one boat could be foated-
the others We're swamped because of the
reckless conduct of those who lowered
them and wanted to get in.
The Cimbria, from Hamburg for New
York. was sunk by the Sultan in 1888. and
i56 lives were lost.
The City of Glasgow foundered in the
Atlantic in 1854. and 4s0 lives were lost.
Almost where the Bourgogne was
struck-off Cape Sable-the Geiser COL
lided with the Thingvalla in 1855, and los