The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-02-28
Found Off the Newfoundland
Banks With Her En-
qineS Disabled.
ANCHOR HAWsER PARTED
Luckily Wind and Current Carried
the Vessel a way From Dan
gerOus Shores.
Special pIspatcn to The Call

HALIFAX, Feb. 27.-The 800 and odd
passengers on board the French liner
La Champagne will rest more soundly
tonight than they have for ten days
Since Thursday two weeks ago, half Of
which time they =have drifted on the
atlantic, three days and nights have
been filled with anxiety for their per-
sonal safety, but tonight they sleep
III peace and comfort, safe in the Ear-
Dor of Halifax, their fears and cares
on account of danger dissipated by the
happy knowledge that they are no
longer at the mercy of the stormy
ocean. After drifting for five days on
the Newfoundland banks, with engines
disabled and the screw shafts shar-
tered, the. great Boston bound freight
er. Roman, from; Liverpool, came along. !
picked La 1Champag ne up and brought
her .iato. Halifax without further mis-
{ hap OF. consequence.
f Great was the joy on board the big |
French steamship when the cloudy
Sunday morning broke with the shores
of Nova Scotia in sight, and the word
was PASSED that Halifax would lee
reached before dark. Port was reached /
. Just in good time. Three or four hours
more would have found the two steam
ships still: at sea, caught in a. dark: and
stormy night, with thick snow falling,
and they might have been compelled to
turn about and put off shore TO keep
clear. of. the. coast until day broke.
. . The. correspondent of the. Associated
Press boarded the Champagne just
as the anchor. was dropped. The sa-
loon presented. an animated scene, as
the passengers were eager 70 learn
What anxious friends Ia New York
had thou5ht2-of the detention Of the
stearns rip, ~! nile the visitor wished &c
learn the story .Cf the pasSeng 4rs rX- /
I..rt. lie IS a<!rift liz mfdoce4n. Now The
they We safe ~. port, they discl;tinred
am. fear. but sGlne of them could net
-ccrcvai that they had gone through
trXf- .~.'.i,,.al.
La Champagne sailed from Havre on /
February u. with fine, clear weather, /
which continued for two days. Then /
"A wind freshened and a gale sprang
up, blowing with moderate force. All
went well until the 18th. The passen- [
gers had settled down and were passing
the time pleasantly. Then the ship was
steaming fast against the head seas, |
when suddenly. after o'clock, ire
Tnendous crashing sound was heard In /
the engine rooms. In an instant |
panic seized the passengers and great !
excitement prevailed in the saloons and /
among the occupants of the steerage. I
The ships passage was stayed and |
heavy pounding shook the whole. craft. |
Captain Poirot quickly Gained the |
passengers and soon it was discovered |
that the. tail screw shaft Rad beei,
broken. The steamship was running 4
at high speed and the engines flew /
around like lightning, when the resist
ance of the screw was removed, and /
Il,
damage was. done in the engine-room. /
The wild racing of the big engines |
made a great noise and the terrified |
passengers thought the ship would be
smashed to pieces
Finally the engines stopped their
pounding. after the piston and connect
ing rods snapped. Captain Poirot an
nounced that the injury could be re-
paired and the ship would proceed at l |
o'clock next day. She was put about,
but after further examination it was
found that the damage was irrepar-
able: Nothing remained to be done but
anchor. r..
La Champagne was then IN latitude
1928, longitude 4123. in the track Of
outward bound steamers. The passen-
gers and crew. We're. hopeful of being
sighted by some passing. steamer, but
a thick fog sprung up, blighting their
hopes The ship was shrouded in fog
and nothing could be seen on either
side. The steamship kept up a con-
tinual fire of guns and discharge of
rockets, but no. answer came to their
signals, and on Friday the captain dis
patched a boat containing eight men
and a third officer either to make land,
or to sight a passing steamer. That
night a fierce gale arose and heavy
seas dashed against the big steamship .
on the banks The anchor chains
strained and swung the ship, which
tossed about like a feather.
After midnight the gale increased in
fury. and at 4 o'clock Saturday morn
ing the anchor hawser parted with a
snap and the ship drifted southwark.
The situation was critical in the ex-
IRENE. Passengers were terrified at the
thought Of their helpless condition
adirft on dismasted steamer in mid
ocean, The current drove them south
ward at the rate of fifty miles daily,
Neering again to the southwest All
the while the steamship kept showing =
her signals of distress, but in vain.
La champagne drifted IN this: con-
uluon from Saturday morning, Febru-s ,
airy ~ until Wednesday, February %. i
Az through the long day the ship
eTesaqlIN orl1ted and into the night, I'M
t,.i+b III passengers who had bravely
WltHs,ooq the experience. had almost
aeandoned hope. Most of them had re-
urea e. their .'stateroomss whom naor
midnight the welcome cry.Saii 49,
was heard It.re-echoed from the fai Ioo,,
out to cabin and steerage and er rgUn
soul on that big ship re1oiced IT,
steamships We're sighted ten miles
away, away, me dir directly before La Cham
Pssie arr1; rne 9'her on the port boy
and her rockets fiared up and eb ber ro IN
Gre burned luridly. The steamsSin i9 ~ e
4ont gave answering signals and Pm IN ,
down rapidly upon La Champarne ie
She proved to be the Warren liner
roman, pound, from Liverpool to Bos. {
Champagne and att once Captain POI
rot went aboard and made arranee-s
ments with Captain Roberts to TOW,
him to the nearest port HALIFAX NJ