Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-07-09
AWFUL DISASTER.
French Liner Sunk by Iron
Ship.
DEATH LIST NUMBERS 549.
Sailors Murder Passengers to Save
Their own Lives-But One Woman
Escaped - Devotion OF french
Priests-Survivins Boat and Pass
engers Brought to Halifax.

engers Brought to Halifax.
Halifax, July Five hundred and
forty nine men, women and children
according to the awful stories or the
survivors, many of them deliberately
murdered, is the heartbreaking record
OF the most terrible marine disaster OF
modern times.
The victims were the passengers and
part of the crew of the French line
steamer La Bourgogne, bound from New
York, July ., for Havre. with ~ souls
on board, which VAS in collision and
sunk durlng a dense fog, Monday morn
ing at > O'Clock, 90 miles south Of Sable
island with the British sailing skip
Croniart yshire.
The Us survivors. most of whom We're
members OF the crew, the remainder be-
ing second and third class passengers.
We're brought to this port by the
Crumarty shire in tow of the Allan line
steamship Grecian. Only one woman,
Mrs. A. ID. L.acasse Of Plainlied, N. j.,
out of l25 ON board, was saved.
The disaster occurred at 5 o'clock in
the morning, about 60 miles south Of
Sable island, which lies nearly 100 miles
off this port. The Bourgogne had left
New York for HaVre ON the previous
Saturday. while the Cromartyshire was
on her way over from Glasgow with
crew OF II men. Although the trans
atlantic steamers all have definite
III. I!nIllpnpnp I'll
counts 40 miles or more to the north of
the steamer lanes.
The fog, as is usual at this time of the
year. was very dense, and the big ship
was sailing along with reduced can
was and blowing her foghorn. Sudden
~ out of the fog rushed a steamer. and
in a moment there was a fearful crash,
the iron Prov of the ship plunging into
the port side of the steamer just under
the bridge. The blow was Il terrific one
and tore a great hole in the steamer.
while the entire bow of the ship was
demolished. The steamer plunged on
into the fog again. her whistle crying
for help and her rockets signalling her
dire distress.
The Cromartyshire was rounded to-
ll'l captain
was considerably relieved i'm finding that
She was in no danger of sinking. Off to
the eastward could be heard the hoarst
call OF the steamer, and as the fog be-
gan TO lii all the boats on the ship were
launched. Half an hour after the col.
lision occurred the misty curtain Went
up, giving Il clear view for miles. anC
then it was that thos" ON c'roinurty-
shire saw the ,ar:u! struggle tor liz.
On board the i!olirgDgne the coiisio.
had come so suddenly and AT such
time in the mornng,t that few beside he,
crew were on deck. bnt thu Sho; rouse,
nearly everyone. and within Il few rT7iT7
utes the decks We're crow drd witt
struggling. terrified passengers. A
first 1t seemed as if there WAS some at
tempt at discipline. A few If the boat
were swung off and some of the passen
gers allowed to get into them; but as tn
steamer began tn settle and list to port
the officers lost control of the crew, an,
what was probably a panic ensueu
Passengers and crew fought for tn
! boats and liferafts. and it was a ligh
! to death in itself, while death in tn
waters stared everyone in the face TIL
strong battered down the weak. III
women and children being pushed f.,
away from any hope of rescue. Fist.
oars and even knives were used by som
of the demons to keep their places. Tn
officers seemed to have been pow cries
before their own men, and only f0u
/ We're saved.
The fight for life did not last long fl
in little more than half an hour tn
Bourgogne gave long lurch to POI
and went down. AS the ship sank b,
meath the surface the vortex of tn
waters sucked down everything on tn
surface within "a certain radius.
couple of minutes later, when the sue
tion ceased those still alive saw abul
200 bodies come up out of the water wit
u rush as if the sea We're giving up I'll
dead after having swallowed the shi
but the struggle for life still continue
after the ship went down. Hundred
still hoated about. grasping at raft
boats. and wreckage in frantic 81
deavors to keep above water. Eve
then many of those in the boats, if II
stories are to he believed. showed the
brutality by beating off many of tho!
who attempted to climb aboard.
BY this time the small boats of Il
Cromartyshire had come up, and II
work of rescue begun. The crew of II
ship worked heroically and saved ever!
one who had managed to keep aboN
water: but even then, scores fell aWt
from boats, RATS and Wreckage e.
| bnuStpu and were lrOVnpu WAS q
over in an hour although for some tin
after great pieces of wreckage can
shooting up from the bottom, markir
the spot where the great liner had Sol
down.
But little attempt was made to \
cover the bodies of any of the ill-fat
pasSengers or crew, and tn" batter
hulk at the bottom of the ocean "
probably be forever their tomb. Alo
in the afternoon the steamer Greci
was sighted coming from the westwai
and few hours after the Cromart
shire was taken in tow and arrived he
yesterday.
The log of the Cromart yshire, sign
by Captain Henderson. is as follows
On July 4. al a. M, dense fog. po
ton of ship GO miles south of sal
Island. ship in wind on the port Ia
heading about W. y. w. though und
reduced canvas, going about four
knots every hour. our fog horn "
being kept going regularly every m
} ute. AT that time heard steamers VIII
tie on our weather side or port bea
which seemed to be nearing very ia
Death Roll Numbers Fight.
Beverly. Mass. July 6.-After mo-
: L, IL f.,i1