The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-10
A SCENE OF PERIL
THE STRANDED STEAMER RUsSIF
STILL UNAIDED.
OVER 100 SOULS ON BOARD
FACING DEATH IN SIGHT OF LAND
FOR OVER FIFTY HOURS.

All Efforts to Render Assistance Stin
UnavaiIing Another Terrible
Night in Store for Them-Crew ana
Passengers CIunE to UnSubmerged
Portions of the Vessel While the
Waves heat over Them-HarrOXv-
ing scenes at the NlarseiIIes Office.
Marseilles, Jan. 9.-Dispatches from the
village of Faraman, near which the
French mail steamer Russie, from Oran,
Algeria, stranded Monday in a violent
storm, with fifty passengers and a crew of
forty on board, say that all efforts to
reach the steamer have failed owing to
the tremendous hight of the seas which
are running. The pilot boats and torpedo
boats which have attempted to reach the
steamer have been unable to battle with
the waves and have returned. The only
hope seems to be in the ability of life
savers to throw a line over the Russe as
the wrecked vessel is driven closer to
the shore. The forecastle and part of
the forward deckhouse are all of the YES
sci remaining above water.
A signal message was received at 8
o'clock this afternoon from the Russie
saying all on board were alive, but beg
ging for succor. The sea has slightly
moderated, but up to the present all at
tempts at rescue have failed.
When nightfall yesterday enshrouded the
Russie quite number of the crew and
passengers were seen clinging to the fore
rigging and to the rails, making despair
ing signals for succor, which those ashore
were powerless to afford. The gale in
creased in fury aI night long and though
fickering light was perceived from time
to time, apparently waved by those on
board to attract attention, it was feared
the steamer would either break up or dis
appear in the shifting sands before worn
ing. A thousand persons awaited along
the shore and the fisherman prepared to
launch a boat at the first sign of the
abatement of the hurricane. When day
broke it was a great relief for the watch
ers ashore to find that the bow and other
parts of the forepart of the ship were stik
above water, though the stern had COM
pletely vanished. A group of men hud-
died on The steamers bow renewed their
mute appeals for help.
AS the day wore on, more persons ap-
peared on the deck forming three groups,
one at the bow, another on the bridge
and a third around the funnel. Thus it
was seen that most of the crew and pas
sengers, who, rectifed list shows, num-
Der 102, were still living.
The Russie lay partly on her beam ends,
with her deck facing seaward and the
seas, which have carried away her hatch
ways, filing the holds, and cabins with
water. Every possible expedient was tried
from the shore to save the sufferers.
The coast guardsmen and fishermen man.
ned life boats and made several ineffect-
ual attempts to reach the steamer which
was shifted by the incessant pounding of
the seas, a trifie near the shore. One life
boat got half way when it was capszed
and its crew swan ashore and We're
dragged out of the water by the people
ashore who formed a line with hands
Joined and waded breast deep into the
water in order to seize them.
A tug approached as near as possible
to the wreck. and then flew a kite to
which a life line was attached, in the
direction of the Russie, but it failed to
reach the stranded vessel. Floats We're
also sent out from the beach with lines
but in no case did they succeed in reach
ing the steamer. Rockets were fired fruit
lessly until the ammunition of the rocket
mortars, which was very meagre, ran out.
The tugs which made repeated efforts to
approach the Russie, were themselves
menaced with disaster, and obliged 70
relinquish their attempts.
Late in the afternoon another expedi-
ton was essayed-that of launching a
raft, with a lifeline, from a tug laying
off the wreck. The result of this attempt
to reach the endangered crew and pas
sengers of the Russe is not yet known.
Those on board of her were seen to launch
floats, but they were all carried out 10
sea by the current. This afternoon the
gale was subsiding
Narrowing scenes were witnessed at the
offices of the steamship company here,
outside of which were gathered weeping
wives and children and other relatives OF
the crew, who mostly hail from Mar
seilles. A message posted at $3.50 D. M.
that up to that time all on board the
Russie were alive, evoked a pathetic ex-
ploson of joy.
The Russie was owned by the Societe
Generate de Transports Maritimes Ava
peur of Marseilles and not by the Com
pagnie Generate Trans-Atlantique. The
Russie was of 623 tons net register, and
was built in 1897 at Sunderland She was
25I feet inches long; her beam was 81
feet and she was 25 feet inches deep.
Shortly after o'clock, during the lull,
the men on shore succeeded in getting a
lie line TO the RuSSle, Dut II snapped as
it was being pulled on board. Other SINH
lar attempts failed but more hopeful
feeling prevails in view of the indica-
tions that the weather is clearing. A
message from the Russie says:
1.-THE passengers are Kept below. but all
the crew are at their posts; and the cap
tain and officers are lashed TO the bridge.
The seamen tried to construct several
RATS, but as they neared completion they
were washed away"
The sinking of the stern in the sand
proves to have been lucky thing for
those on board,as the bow of mail boat
is lifted high above all save the biggest
waves and affords a refuge. Otherwise 1t
is believed that all would have long since
perished.
The cruiser Galilee and a tug with
rocket apparatus left Toulon arsenal this
evening to attempt to rescue the passen-
gers. who are chiefly colonial functiona-
ries and soldiers.