The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-07

women MAS capsiZed and all went down
. the whirlpool. There was not one
ta;tn in this boat and it was left fast
|" the davits. Some OF the women were
trying to cut the ropes when the steam
er careened and caDsized the boat
Mrs La Case says that a moment
itter the steamer was engulfed, men,
women and children rose on every side
Of the whirlpool. and the sight of the
faces and the arms and the sound OF
shrieks was so terrible that she will
remember them to her dying day.
BOATS NOT LAUNCHED.
Matte O. surich, a Norwegian, said
ii did hot appear to be anybody's duty
TO look after the launching of the
boats. Those on the port side were
not touched by the crew. People
climbed into them, waiting for the
boats 10 be launched, out in a short
time the steamer listed SO rapidly it
WAS in1n cssible to do so.
Surich declares that two of the life
RATS upon which people were saved
We're cut adrift by him. He was I'M
able to move them, but they tumbled
overheard when the steamer careened
and proved useful. The steamer slow
~ settled down by the stern and star
board side and the water advancing
gradually drove the people forward.
Finally men, women and children We're
walking about on the port bow. The
stern was deep in the water and the
bow in the air. The ship gave n great
plunge and hundreds Of people Eere in
the water, grabbing at broken oars,
bits of canvas, etc, and struggling.
Surich went over the starboard side
and caught a raft, on which he climbed.
He thinks that had the boats been
launched as soon as the steamer struck.
several hundred who persisted would
Of EH NOR
beats. Il small one, was launched. That
was the boat the second purser escaped
in. SUrich saw one boat leave the
Bourgogne with only a few people
on it.
LOST HIS SWEETHEART.
Fred Nyf1er, a Swede lost his sweet
heart through the boats not being cut
away. The girl had on u life belt, but
the suction of the sinking ship was too
powerful. He and the young woman
got into q boat with many others, wait
ing for the sailors to launch it. The
boat was finally capsized and the girl
was lost. Nyffier climbed on a life raft
which upset and five were drowned, for
there were many crowded on il. The
others climbed upon the raft. Among
the survivors are nine Assyrians and
Armenians. There were 70 Assyrians
in the party which left New York. All
B0l Gl6ilL EGA4Sllcu- OA4C VI AlAG Cl6All
lost his wife and two brothers and
other relatives. Another lost two
daughters. Only one of IS Armenians
survive. The Assyrians were bound to
their homes near Damascus and every
one had from S1G0 to 5000 saved up;
they lost it all, barely escaping in their
pants and shirts. On board the steamer
Grecian, which towed the Cromarty
shire with the survivors to Halifax, the
Assyrians wept Ike children and could
not be cOmforted.
The only surviving Armenian tells a
sorrowful tale of the drowning of an
Armenian priest and his family, who
had got into boat with some 80 other
people. When the end came and the
boat was abandoned to its fate by the
crew, who made no effort to launch ii,
the priest stood up, and with uplifted
hands, prayed aloud.
Several French priests stood on the
deck during the sinking of the steamer
without making an effort to save them
selves, and gave absolution to large
crowd Of passengers.
FEARFUL SCENES.
Some of the scenes enacted on La /
Bourgogne just after the collision were |
terrible to witness Men fought for po- |
sitions in the boats like raving mani |
acs. Women were forced back from |
the poats and trampled on by men who |
made self preservation their first OBJ |
ject. Among them were a large num- |
Der of the lower class of Italians and !
foreigners, who in their frenzy stopped /
at nothing that promised safety to |
themselves. In a boat was a party of J
40 women, but so great was the panic |
that not a 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.
So desperate was the situation that
an Italian passenger drew his knife and
made direct at one who, like himself,
was endeaVoring to reach the boats.
Immediately his action was initiated in
every direction. Knives were flourished
and used with effect. Women and chill
dren were driven back to inevitable
death at the point of weapons, the own
ers Of which were experts in their use.
WOMEN STABBED LIKE SHEEP.
According to stories of the survivors
were stabbed like so many
sheep
The scene on the water was even
worse. Many of the unfortunateS who
were struggling in the water attempted
to drag themselves in the boats or on
RATS. These were pushed back into
q watery grave. Here, too, knives
were used freely. Not all Of the dead
met death by drowning. Christopher
a sailor belonging to the
struck a passenger over the
head with a bar and killed him. The
body dropped into the water. The pas
senger grabbed the boat in which the
sailor was and attempted to get on
board.
There were IA persons on board, and
L63 were saved.
With the exception Of two passen- ;
gers, Professor La Case and his wife, ;
all the passengers of La Bourgogne
are aboard the steamer Grecian at the
-unard ward. The crew are also on
BOARD that boat. The Grecian is ex- ,
Dected TO sail for New York this even
ng.
All the crew are collected by them
selves in the forward part Of the deck I
md are anything but pleasant looking. i
The officer of the gangway looked at
hem with a ScOwl and said If he had l
lad his way they would all have
hanged to the yardaTm long ago. {
PASSENGERS NEGLECTED. I
The correspondent interviewed near
V all the passengers who could speak Y
English. One passenger said the Of q
icers and crew Of La Bourgogne neg f
ected the passengers entirely. The V
econd officer was the only man of 4
he crew who did anything to help the
certified and helpless passengers. He s
ut loose all the boats he could, and.
n fact, all the GOATS that were q
aunched We're launched by the brave $
econd officer. He was last seen 7
tanding on the deck with his hand S
N the rigging, going resignedly to
ertain death. Y
Christopher Brunini, a passenger. y
vas thrown into the wafer and swan