The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1898-07-13
HUNDREDS GO DOWN.
French Line Steamer La Bourgogne
Collides with a British Ship.
Disaster Occurs 60 Miles on Sable
Islands-Of ia Passengers and
Crew But 165 Are Rescued
Terrible Scenes Witnessed.

Halifax, N. S., July LA Bourgogne
with 549 persons lies in 1000 feet of water
60 miles south of Inflated Sable island
The Atlantic steamship, of the Campagnie
Generale Transatlantique, was sunk at five
O'Clock on the morning of July in collision
with the British ship Cromartyshire A
dense fog prevailed. OF the ia passen-
gers and members of the crew on board La
bourgogne 165 were saved by the Cromarty-
shlre, which, though badly injured and
having IA feet of water in the foresp eak.
! lay to.
only one woman was saved from La
6ourgogne, Mrs. A. D. La Case, of Plain
eiu' ~ .. In the first mad rush of passen-
gers ana crew after the collision the Wom-
en- and children were forsaken. Courage
was thrown to the winds Steerage pes
sengers and the crew fought their way pa st
the women and children and laid hold of
Whatever would sustain them in the sea
until aid came.
Fought for Their Lives.
Some of the scenes enacted on board Ia
| Bourgogne just after the collision were
| terrible to witness. Men fought for posi-
| t1ons in the boats like raving maniacs:
women were forced back from the boats
and trampled by men who made self-pres-
| erVat1on their first object. On board were
a large number of the lower class Of Ital-
ians and other foreigners, who, in their
frenzy, stopped at nothing that promised
| sa1ety for themselves In one boat was a.
| party OF 40 women, but so great was the
panic that not a hand was raised to assist
| In It's launching. The occupants, so nearly
saved, were drowned like rats when the
snip, with an awful kissing sound went
down.
Knives Used in Frenzy.
so desperate was the situation that an
Italian passenger drew his knife and made
uirecl at one who, like himself, was en-
deavor1ng to reach the boats. Immediately
his action was initiated in every direction.
KNIVES were fourished and used with eff
feet. Women and children were driven
back to inevitable death at the point Of
weapons, the owners of which were ex-
perts in their use. According to stories Of
survivors, women were stabbed like so
many sheep.
One Heroic officer.
One passenger said the officers and crew
of La Bourgogne neglected the passen-
gers entirely. The second officer was the
only man of the crew who did anything to
help the terrified and helpless passengers
He cut loose all the boats he could, and in
fact, all the boats that were launched were
launched by the brave second officer. He
was last seen standing on the deck with
his hand on the rigging, going resignedly to
certain death.
story of the Wreck.
The disaster occurred at five o'clock in
the morning of Monday, July 4, about 60
miles south of Sable island, which lies
nearly a hundred miles off this port The
Bourgogne had left New York bound for
Havre on the previous Saturday, while the
Cromartyshire was on her way over from
Glasgow with crew of q men. The fog
was very dense and the Cromartyshire
was sailing along with reduced canvas and
blowing the foghorn. Suddenly out of the
fog rushed great steamer, and in a mo-
ment there was fearful crash, the iron
prov of the ship plunging into the port side
of the steamer just under the bridge.
The shock was terrific, and tore a ire
mendous hole In the steamer, while the en-
tire bow of the ship was demolished. The
steamer plunged on into the fog again, her
whistle crying for help and her rockets
signaling her distress. The Cromartyshire
was rounded to, and her master, Capt. |
Henderson was considerably relieved in
finding that she was in no danger of sink
ing. Off to the eastward could be heard the |
hoarse call of the steamer, and as the |
fog began to life all the boats on the ships |
were la unched.
Half an hour after the collision the misty |
curtain went up, giving a clear view for
miles, and then it was that those on the
realized the awful strug-
gle for life. On board the Bourgogne the
collision had come so suddenly and at such
a time in the morning that few besides
the crew were on deck. But the shock
reused nearly everyone, and within a few
minutes the decks were crowded AT first
It seemed as if there was some attempt at
discipline. A few of the boats were swung
off and some of the passengers allowed to
get into them. But as the steamer began
to settle and list to port the officers lost
control of the crew and a panic ensued.
Passengers and crew fought for the boats
and life RATS. Then followed the scenes
described above.
The fight for life on the decks of the
steamer did not last long for in a little
more than half an hour she gave long
urch to port and went down. AS the ship
sank beneath the surface the vortex of the
waite. sucked down everything on the sur
ace within certain radius When the sue
ion ceased, those still alive saw about 200
bodies come out of the water with rush
Is if the sea were giving up the dead after
having swallowed the ship. But the strug-
gle for life still continued after the ship
went down. Hundreds still f1oated about
,rasping for RATS. boats and wreckage in
rantic endeavor to keep above water |
even then, many of those in the boats if i
he stories told are to be believed, showed
heir brutality by beating off those who at
empted to climb aboard.
BY this time the small boats of the Gro
had come up and the work of | {
escue began. The crew of the ship worked
leroically and saved everyone who had
to keep above water. but even
hen scores fell away from boats. RATS
md wreckage, exhausted and were
rowned 1t was all over in an hour al
hough for some time after great pieces of
vreckage came shooting up from the bot
om marking the spot where the great
iner had gone down. But little attempt
vas made to recover the bodies of any of
he Inflated passengers or crew, and the |
hulk at the bottom of the ocean 6
will probably be their tomb In the after
oon the steamer Grecian was sighted com. I
ng from the westward, and few hours '
fterward the Cromartyshire was taken in 9
ow and arrived here this morning.