The Forrest City times., 1898-07-08
SIX HUNDRED DROWNED.
Appalling Maritime Disaster OF
Sable Island to the East
Of Halifax, N. S.
THE FRENCH LINER La BOURGO6NE SUNK.
She Was In Collision, Monday Morning.
With the British steamer Cromarthy-
shire-Out of Nearly Eight Hundred
Souls on Board Less than Two Hundred
Known to Have Been Saved.

known to Have Been Saved.
HALIFAX. y. s., July 6.-The British
Iron ship Cromartyshire was lowed in
here by the Allan liner Grecian, with
her bow torn away by collision,
so miles south of Sable island, with
the French steamer La Bourgogne.
which latter vessel went down ten
minutes later. OF the 500 pas
sengers and crew on board La Bour-
gogne, only 200 were saved. One
woman was saved by her husband
The captain and other deck Off
GERS went down with the ship The
Cromartyshire laid to and picked up
the 200 passengers and seamen who
were rescued, transporting them To
the Grecian, which came along shortly
afterwards
The log of the Cromartyshire, signed
by Capt. Henderson, is as follows:
The Captains Log.
ION July 4, at a. m, dense fog, DO
sition of ship 60 miles south OF Sable
island. ship by wind on the port tack
heading about w. n. W., though I'M
der reduced canvas, going about four or
five knots per hour. Our fog
horn was being kept going regularly
every minute. At that time we heard
a steamers whistle on our weather
side, or port beam, which seemed to be
nearing very fast. We blew the horn
and were answered by the steamers
whistle, when all of a sudden she
loomed through the fog on our port
bow and crashed into us, going at a
terrific speed. Our foretop mast and
main top-gallant mast came down,
bringing with it yards and everything
attached. Immediately ordered the
boats out and went to examine the
damage. l found that our boats were
completely cut of and the plates
twisted. The other ship
Disappeared Through the Fog.
However, our ship was floating on
her collision bulkhead, so there seemed
no immediate danger of her sinking.
We set to work Immediately to clear
the wreckage and also ship our anchor,
which was hanging over the starboard
bow and in danger of punching holes
IN the bow. We heard a steamer blow
ing her whistle on coming back, and
we answered with our fog-horn. The
steamer then threw up a rocket and
fred shot. We also threw up some
rockets and fired several shots, but we
neither saw nor heard anything more
of the steamer.
when the Fog Lifted.
Shortly after, or about $50, the fog
xyh af nd 49,
pulling toward us with the French
dag flying. We signaled them to come
alongside, and found that the steamer
was the La Bourgogne, from New York
to Havre, and that she had gone down.
We laid too all day and received on
board about 200 survivors from
amongst the passengers and crew, re-
ported to be in all about 500. Several
OF the passengers were on life RATS
without oars, and / called for
volunteers from among my crew and
the
Surviving French Seamen
TO bring those RATS alongside the ship.
Some of the passengers and seamen
from the sunken steamer assisted us,
and we jettisoned somz SO tons of cargo
from our forehold in order to tighten
the ship At about 5 p. IN. another
steamer hove in sight bound westward.
We put up our signals IN. c." want
assistance). Shortly after steamer
bore down toward us. She proved to
be the Grecian, bound from Glasgow to
New York. The captain agreed to
Take the Passengers ON Board,
and also agreed to tow my ship to Hal
flax. Owing to the condition of my
ship, l accepted the offer and proceed
ed at once to transship the passengers
and get ready our tow-line. At ..
m. we had made a connections, and
proceeded in tow of the Grecian toward
Halifax, having put sail over the
broken bow to take part of the strain
off the collision bulkhead. There was
at that time IA feet of water in the
forehead.
Comments of the Cromartyshire's Crew.
The crew of the Cromartyshire com
ment freely upon the fact that only
one woman was saved out of 800. Near
~ all the first-class passengers were
lost, those saved being steerage and
sailors. Prof. La Casse and his wife
were in the water eight hours, cling
ing to raft, before they were picked
up by boat from the Cromartyshire.
They lost everything but what they
stand in, including money and valua-
bles
According to the latest figures there
were los persons saved, of whom log
were officers, sailors, iremen, walters
and other ships people, while 50 pas
sengers escaped.
The Lost Steamshi
New YORK, July LA Bourgogne
was built in 1856 at La Seyne. She was
four-masted ship-rigged screw steam
er of 1895 tons gross register and OF
& 600 horse powar She vas 4QS \ foe,