New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-08
DEFENDS FRENCH SAILORS.
MR. FAGUET DECLARES THE CREW OF
LA BOURGOGNE WORKED MODIFY.
HE is RETcENr. HOWEVER on OTHER I'M
PoRTANT PoINTs-TTIE STEAMER FAR

PoRTANT PoINTs-TTIE STEAMER FAR
NORTH OF THE REGULAR COURSE
Confidence that the officers and crew Of La
Bourgogne did their duty seems 10 prevail AZ
the office Of the French Line in this city The
acting general agent. Paul Faguet. is emphatic
IN MS declaration as to tins point and says ne
has received positive information that they al
worked noby. on other matters he IL not as
well Informed. and Is awaiting to hear personal
reports from the men He is not sure whether
or not the watertight compartments were prop
erly handled and closed. lie does not know
whether or not the steamer was accustomed 10
take course across the Atlantic which would
bring 1t across the path Of westward bound yes
sells but he Is sure that La Boufgogne on
her regular course
In an interview yesterday he said Il am
pleased with the way the officers and crew
acted. and l believe they did all they could to
save the passengers when the steamer Went
down. The best OF discipline prevails our
boats, and once each week the crew is drilled at
the boats They are called to their stations ami
the boats are lowered. At the same time they
are instructed in closing the water-tight com
p8rtments"
Mr.. Taguet then read two kilograms from the
agents Of the line at Halifax. or. rather he read
from copies Of kilograms which had been re-
ceived in French. ard then translated These
kilograms stated that the passengers had lost
their lives because the wreckage Oh the star
board side opposite the saloon gangway caused
the passengers to go to the lifehoats the por,
side. and the vessel had so listed 10 starboard
that the boats could not be lowered.
NOT LA BOURGOGNE'S SAILORS
The kilograms also stated that the sailors who
had killed the women were not the sailors of La
Bourgogne. but men who after a voyage here.
had taken passage back to Europe on that boat
When asked II IT not extraordinary FOR a
large number of sailors 70 pay their passage
across instead Of working their way Mr.
Faguet said he did not understand 1t at all
lie defends vigorously the crew Of La Bour-
goGne and says they were not towards and did
not treat the passengers In a cruel manner
I'VE do not believe the charges 10 he true
he said The information that we get says that
our men were all at their posts, and that the
conditions under which they worked prevented
them saving many lives. even themselves II
has been said" Mr.. Faguet continued. that we
had Italians in our crew. and that they foush'
with their knives. That is not true. Ten years
ago when La Champagne was in COLLISION WIN
a vessel off Havre. there was scene OF
that kind among a lot or NeapoHthH Sd"'i9'
since then the company has never hired an
Italian. except those from the northern part OF
me country and they are all good men. Inc
dispatches lead US to believe that the taIlahs
in the steerage swarmec about the boats ana
fought one another to get into them. keeping
the women and children out, as well as pushihg
out those Of our sailors who were already IN
them.
After La Bourgogne was hit she Hs'eu -
heavily 10 starboard that X was only with IN"
greatest difficulty that any one but sailor
could 20 about the decks The six lfeboats ana
two life RATS on the port side ~ the snip were
So high UP that they could not be launched II IS
thought that many persons not knowing TINS
got into these boats and waited for help. Before
4: could come to them the ship went down
sTARBoARD BOATS LAUNCHED.
"Our dispatches show that the boats on the
starboard side were launched one was smashed
by the funnel. and the sailors and Second cap
tain Dupont and all the passengers who were In
her were drowned"
Mr. Faguet gave the official revised list Of
passengers and crew as follows: