The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1898-07-11

LaBourgoyne Brutes
to Clear Themselves
All Blame.

/ @AAA A6AAhANs
New York, July s-Consul General Bru-
waert. representing the French govern
meut In this city. today told the history
Of the wreck Of La Bourgogne as be go.
B; from the crew OF the ship h their a.s-
positions lie tells a story as follows.
when the collision occurred. Capt Del
oneae. who was on the bridge, immediate.
y ordered the 70 life boats to be named
by the crew assigned to them. The crew
responded quickly to the order and re-
malncd at their posts After this. the
captain signalled from the bridge to the
officers below decks to ascertain the ex-
tent Of the Injuries below lie received
no response TO the signal About eight
minutes after the captain had signolled
down below and received no answer.
fourth engineer Iarse rushed up to the
captain and told him the side Of the ship
was cut open and water was pouring into
the compartment capt DeioncIe order
ed the boats to be lowered.
a RUSH or PASSENGERS.
The ship was stopped about this time
Passengers from all classes Of the ship
came rushing upon the deck and ran
about in a panic. They got in the way
of the sailors and pushed them away from
the boats as they were loosing them Be
fore the boats could be got from the dav-
tits and ready to launch the ship suddenly
listed TO the starboard, throwing some
OF the passengers overheard The slant
OF the deck was so steep that passengers
could not stand upon IT,
THE VESSEL SINKS.
The passengers clambored into the six
boats a list to starboard made the hig
boats swing Inward and turned the davlts
back against the sides OF the cabins The
sailors lmplored the passengers to leave
the boats and IN some cases tried to
force them out, so that the DiJfsa might
/ be lifted mp and slid over the side Of the
ship The passengers could not be induc-
ed to leave the bouts, a crowd OF steerage
passengers. having appeared ready 90
/ take thir places. The sailors heaved away
az them but could not bulge them They
gave up at last and were engaged in cut
ding the boats free when the big vessel
pitchd stern downward and sank carrying
| the port boats with It.
on the starboard side. three boats were
smashed by the Cmartyshire in the colli-
sion. Boat No. was nlled with women
and other passengers and had been sue
ccssfully with the big funnel foil, crushing
the boat and killing most OF those in It.
BLAMEs THE AUsTRIANs.
Twenty Austrian sailors from the steer
age seized boat No II. There was room
for nfty in the boat. but passengers and
crew were fought Off by the men in e.?
Passengers In the water tried to get
aboard but were pushed on. Boat No. ..
filled with passengers, got OF successful
ly. II had some 90 aboard, intending IT'S
crew. The only boat on the port side.
where the first class passengers had rush
cd after trying the starhoard side. was
No s. The sailors around It succeeded In
getting It launched leaped onto It as the
ship went down and picked up passengers
enough from the water TO an Il.
Passengers were also rescued from the
water by the only raft saved.
as the ship sank. Two good boats and tho
part Of the smashed boat TO which some
were clinglng were taken to the sailing
ship. The boats manned by the crew OF
the Bourgogne and the English ship cir
cled round about where the big ship had
sunk picking up survivors.
Tho consul says that ne made the inves-
ugatlon carefully and that The stories OF
the men agree ana were told frankly. Tho
sailors said that the life preservers were
furnished by the crew to the passengers
but they were In complete state OF panic
and threw them away in many Instances.
CLAIMS OF THE FRENCH. -
The consul inquired particularly as to
the nghung among the crew and pass
engers. An the stories agreed that nell
ther the crew nor passengers did any hghl
Ing, excepting the Austrians and Italians
Most Of this was done by the Austriaas
Among the callers at the steamships
companys office today was Brother Rom
aine. a surveyor. lie said that his owr
experience would not bear out the crlt.
cisms Of LaBourgognc crew. lie said
that the officers OF the ship were in their
places. doing everything they could to
, restrain the panic among the passen-
gers. a sollor came 10 him ana asked
him II he could swim. lie told him thai
he could. The ship was Just about 70
sink and the sailors took Brother Rom
; alne "a his arms and threw him as fai
away from the ship as he could. lie man
aged TO swim away fast enough to avolc
being caught IN the whirlpool caused by
the ship and vas rescued by a raft.
RATHER RDMANTIC.
NOT AN osAoE THOUGH cARRWI