Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1898-07-14


morning of July s.the result Of a col
lision between La Bourgogne and the
British ship Cromartyshire, and the
| French liner lies at the bottom Of the sea,
a great hole in her side. The ships met
! in dense fog sixty miles south Of Sable
| Island It was 5 o'clock in the morning
| and the feeble rays of the newly risen sun
were unable to even partially penetrate
| the thick white mist that covered the
| ocean like garment. The Cromartyshire
| was lowed into Halifax by the Allan line
steamer Grecian. A ragged wound in her
bow and the absence of two of her masts
| showed the violence Of the impact with
| the sunken vessel.
There were on board La Bourgogne 191
| first cabin passengers, 125 second cabin
| and 205 third class passengers Tor steer
age), making a total of Gil passengers,
| in addition to which there were 20 in the
crew, making a grand total of S31 souls
on board. The only woman saved out Of
300 women on board was Mrs. La Case,
wife of a professor of languages of Plain
field, n. J. Among those saved were the
purser, three engineers and thirty of the
crew which manned the luckless liner.
| All the other officers of the ship were
| drowned. The Cromartyshire's crew got
| terrible fright, but none was lost. Great
| service was done by those aboard in say
| ing the remnant Of the passengers and
crew of La Bourgogne.
La Bourgogne is one of the best known
| of all the French liners. She belonged to
the Compagnie Generate Transatlantique
and has carried thousands Of persons to
Europe and back without a serious mis-
hap. She left New York Saturday, July
| 3, bound for Havre.
| Shortly before the vessels came together
Mrs. Henderson, wife of the Cromarty-
shire's captain, detected a steamers whis-
tie blowing on the port side. The Crom-
artyshire was sounding her foghorn at in
| teryals of one minute. Mrs. Henderson
called the attention of her husband to the
sounding of the whistle and minute
| later the mate, who was on watch, also
| detected the sound. 1t came nearer and
nearer. Suddenly the huge hull of an
ocean steamer loomed up in the mist, 60
| ing about seventeen knots an hour, and
| almost Immediately there was a fearful
| crash.
| Capt. Henderson, as soon as the collision
| occurred, ordered the boats to be lowered
| and the damage to be ascertained. AS it
| was found that the CroEartyshire was in
no immediate danger the Britisher put
| about. The vessel with which they had
| collided was at that time unknown.
| few minutes later her whistle was heard
| and several rockets were sent up. Capt.
Henderson replied in like manner think
| ing the steamer was offering assistance,
but in a few minutes all was quiet and
l - 10 +l,,o -f111
results of the collision.
| At $50 the fog lifted and two boats
were seen approaching with only men on
| board. Later the weather cleared still
| more and men were to be seen in every
| direction clinging to wreckage and float
| ing On life RATS. 1t was terrible scene.
| No pen can picture the appalling sight re-
| vealed to the onlookers when the curtain
of mist arose. The work Of rescue was
! commenced without q moments delay and
over 200 persons were picked up and taken
| aboard the shir.
When the ships struck they were off
Cape Sable. The passengers, with the
sole exception of Prof. La Case, were
below decks. Without warning came the
| terrbs, shock. The struggles, swishing
| water and terrible screams of the drown.
| ing made the situation an aWe-insplrlng
| one, never to be forgotten. One man on
the La Bourgogne, when she sunk, went
out Of his mind and jumped to watery
grave. Capt. Nunan, in command of the
| Allan line steamer Grccian, TO whose
courage the Cromartyshire owed it's con-
duct to place of safety, declares that
La Bourgogne was less than five minutes
from the time of the collision in going to
the bottom.
at was tic most appalling and most
sudden catastrophe it was ever my mis-
fortune to Witness" said Capt. Hcnder-
son, of the Cromartyshire. There YVES
a crash. the sound of which was indescrib-
able. composed rs it was of the rcndirg
apart of the stout oaken ribs of the
French ship and the swapping asunder of
her iron bolts. Many leaped overheard
immediately after the meeting of the YES
sells, but our men were not among the
number of those who lost their heads. La
Bourgogne turned slowly around two or
three times. then seemed to go under with
the ranidity of a stone dropping into n
pool of water We were in some danger
from the whirlpool which followed the
disappearance of the transatlantic steam
err but managed to get out Of reach of the
vortex in time. It however. engulfed
scores of shrieking human beings, whom
we could hardly see for the density of the
fog. but whose cries of terror we could
| MAINLY hear"