The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-10
Members of the Crew Deny SORES
OF Brutality.
PASSENGERS in A PANIC.
WOULD NOT LET SAILORS
LAUNCH THE BOATS.
All the Fighting That Was Done
Was Between the Passengers
Themselves-one Passenger De-
tends the Grew and Says The Sail
ors Saved Him BY Throwing Him
Overheard.

New York, July 9.-Consul Bruwaert,
representing the French government in
this city, today told the history of the
wreck of La Bourgogne as he got it
from the crew of the ship in their depo-
sitions. Mr.. Bruwaert tells a story as
follows:
When the collision occurred, Captain
Deloncle, who was on the bridge, i'm
mediately ordered the II life boats to
be manned by the crews assigned to
them. The crews responded quickly to
the order and remained at their posts.
After this, the captain signaled from
the bridge to the officers below decks
to ascertain the extent of the injuries
below. He received no response to the
salute. About eight minutes after the
captain signaled down below and re-
ceived no answer, Fourth Engineer
Laise rushed up to the captain and
told him the side of the ship was cut
open and water pouring into the ma
chinery compartment. Captain Deloncle
ordered the boats to be lowered.
The ship was stopped about this time.
Passengers from all parts of the ship
came rushing upon the deck and ran
about in panic. They got in the way
of the sailors and pushed them away
from the boats as they were loosening
them. Before the boats could be got
from the davitS and ready to launch,
the ship suddenly listed to starboard,
throwing some of the passengers over
board. The slant of the deck was so
steep that passengers could not stand
on II. The passengers of the first class
had rushed out of their state rooms to
the port side of the ship and, y gainst
the protests of the sailors, clambered
into the six boats there. A list to star
board made the big boats swing inward
and turned the davits back against the
sides of the cabins.
The sailors implored the passengers
to leave the boats and in cases tried
to shove them out, so that the boats
could be lifted over the side of the ship.
A crowd appeared ready to take their
places. The sailors heaved away at
them, but could not bulge them. They
gave up at last and were engaged in
cutting the boats free when the big
vessel pitched stern downward and
sank, carrying the port boats with it.
On the starboard side three boats
were smashed by the Cromartyshire in
the collision.
Boat No. I was filled with women and
other passengers and had been launch
ed successfully when the big funnel fell,
crushing the boat and killing most Of
those in it.
Twenty Austrian sailors from the
Storage seized boat No. II. There was
room for 80 in the boat, but passeng-
ers and crew were fought off by the
men in it. Passengers in the water
tried to get aboard, but were pushed
off,
Boat No. g. filed with passengers,
got off successfully. 1t had some SO
aboard, including its crew. The only
boat on the port side where the first
class passengers had rushed after try
ing the starboard side, was No. S. The
sailors around it succeeded in getting
it launched, leaped into it as the ship
went down, and picked up passengers
enough from the water to fill it.
Passengers were also rescued from
the water by the only raft saved.
Boats from the Cromartyshire came
UP as the ship sank. Two good boats
and the part of the smashed boat to
which some were clinging were taken |
10 the sailing ship. The boats manned /
by the crew of the Bourgogne and the |
English ship circled round about !
where the big ship had sunk, picking !
up survivors.
The consul says that he made the in |
vestigation carefully. and that the |
stories of the men agree, and were told /
frankly. The sailors said that the life |
preservers were furnished by the crew |
" Nt-C p0SoCliSClSs Jul lIlSy NSlG III a /
complete state of panic, and threw |
them away in many instances. Consul |
Bruwaert inquired particularly as to /
the fighting among the crew or passen-
gers. All the stories of the men agreed |
that neither men from La Bourgogne's |
crew nor passengers did any fighting, |
the Austrians and the Ital-
ans. Most OF this was done by the /
Austrians in the single boat.
Among the callers at the steamship |
office today was Brother Ro-
maine, a survivor. He said that his
1wn experience would not bear out the
criticisms of the Bourgogne's crew. He
said that the officers of the ship were
n their places doing everything they
could to restrain the panic among the
a sailor came to him and
asked him if he could swim. He told
aim that he could. The ships man
pointed out something floating in the
water. told him the best thing he could
&c would be to swim for it. The ship
vas just about to sink. and the sailor
ook Brother Romaine in his arms and
brew him as far away from the ship
IS he could. He managed to swim
way fast enough 40 avoid being
,aught in the whirlpool caused by the
hip. and was rescued by a raft.