The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-09
vASTCOST OFSH|PWRECKS
Accident to the Steamer Paris
Will Eat Up Fortune.
MILLIONS PAID YEARLY
Enormous Loss Sustained in Atlantic
Gales Last Fall-Apparently Hope
less Wrecks Not Infrequsnt-
ly Rescued.

The unfortunate accident to the Paris
in running on the Manace rocks has
caused underwriters considerable con-
Germ, for they, being responsible for
the full value of the cargo and YES
sci, will have a pretty sum to pay if
the handsome steamship goes to pieces.
One not familiar with the marine in
surance business has little idea what it
costs annually to pay for the wrecks
that strew the coasts in every part of
the world. The modern ocean steamers
are such costly affairs that a wreck or
breakdown at sea generally means the
loss of small fortune. Thus, when
the Paris broke down off the Irish
coast in 1890 she had to be lowed into
port at a cost of $4,000 in salvage
money. Her sister ship, the New York,
got in trouble years ago when she made
her maiden voyage. She ran on the
shoals off Sandy Hook and her owners
had to pay 100000 to float her again.
More recent than that was the ground
ing of the St. Paul, another ship Of
the American line, off Long Branch, the
memory of which is fresh in the minds
of most people. She ran her nose on
| the sand bar in a fog and both the
Chapman and Merritt wrecking COM
panies worked for several days to
| float her, and the salvage money
amounted to more than 100000.
1t should not be inferred from this
that the American line is unfortunate
in its ships, but rather lucky, for not
once has human life been lost at sea
through accident or carelessness of the
navigators of their handsome ships.
Every great transatlantic line has its
record of disasters, in which hundreds
thousands nf
The French line, for instance, has had
Its share of troubles. beginning with
the loss of the Vile du Havre, in 1873,
when she was run down by the iron
| snip Loeb Carne, and eliminating in
the wreck of the Inflated La Bonr-
gogne with its frightful los Of life
| The loss of the Vile du Havre with
nearly 300 people, cost the underwrit-
ers nearly 100000, and this was fol-
lowed by the st. Nazarre, which struck
| a submerged wreck and carried to the
bottom of the sea over 81 900. 900 worth
OF property. The bravery of Captain
| Jagueneau, who stuck by his post to
the last and refused to abandon his
ship to save his life, is we'll known in
| marine history. Before she was
wrecked in midocean the steamer La
Bourgogne had more than one acct
dent. She ran down the British ship
| Torridon 20 miles off Lands End in
tune of nearly $4,000.
Again in 1896 La Bourgogne ran into
the Ailsa and sent her to the bottom
within ten minutes. All the passengers
and crew of the Ailsa We're saved, but
the loss of the steamship and cargo
footed up nearly 81, 0OO, 000 % La Bour-
gogne had more than her share Of ac-
cidents, and her next one was in the
autumn of 1896, when she ran ashore at
the mouth of New York harbor and
1t cost $4,000 to pull her off La Nor
mandie of the French line caught on
fire at sea few years ago, and for
several days her crew fought to keep
the fire in one part of the vessel When
she finally came into port a good por-
ton OF her cargo and the interior of the
snip were burned away. For his skill
in fighting the flames so successfully
Captain Deloncle was given the cross of
the legion of honor, and the passen-
gers voted him a set of resolutions. La
Champagne collided with the Red Cross
line Brazilian mail steamship Lisbo-
nense off Sandy Hook in fog on De-
cember I, 1890, and stove her bow in
. so that she had to return for repairs.
1t cost 81, 900 to fit her out for sea again.
She ran ashore off Fort Hamilton in
1884 in fog and narrowly escaped be-
ing sunk by an unknown bark off Cape
Race little later. La Gascogne broke
! a piston rod at sea in 1895 and limped
! into port seven days late. when every
body thought she was lost. La Tou-
: raine was caught in an ice foe north.
. east of Nova Scotia in 1894 and sus-
tanned several thousand dollars worth
| of damage.
: The German and English liners have
had their accidents, too, that have cost
either the companies or the underwrit.
l ers large sums of money. When the
oregon went down off Fire island she
, carried to the bottom nearly $4,000, oOt
e worth of property represented by hel
cargo and hull. She was a total loss
e and her hull was abandoned in com
!. paratively shallow water, but the tides
and waves were so heavy and erratit
$ that the wrecking companies could dt
nothing to recover her.
9 one OF the Red D line steamer!
i struck on the Brigantine shoals of
: New Jersey in 1889 and the wreckins
company that pulled her off received
S $4,000 for its services. When the Cit,
r of Richmond was lowed into Halifa,
;, harbor in 1882 the courts decided tina
her owners would have to pay s95, O0
in salvage money and in the same win
ter the City of Boston broke her shat
1t sea and her owners had to pay il
salvage $46,50O to the ship that towe,
: her to port. 1t costs considera hi
money just to pay for accidents to larg
steamers and the owners have to la,
a aside a handsome sum every year TO
r these emergencies. The simple fir
d which started in the hold of the Mort
d German Lloyd steamship BaTbarosst
n and her unfortunate series of accident
S which followed last week will proba bl
e cost her owners upward Of $40 GOO, tn
= greatest part of which will go to tn
o French line for the damage done to on
:. of its steamers. Many of the accident
/, to ocean steamers have come about i
the simplest and least expected way
and the chapter of strange accident
at sea would fill volumes OF interestin
reading. The Wells City was sunk /
i New York harbor years ago by collid
I ing with another vessel. and then whe
: the wTeckers had her half raised a Goa
barge came along and sank acros he
d decks. This was removed and tn
steamer was raised with the creates
l. difficulty and the operation, when com
pleted, cost nearly 100000. She is noJ
y doing good service in trading betWee
PriStpl and New York