The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1903-01-23

steamer evidently close at hand, and
the Bourgogne replied with a single
fierce Shrek OF its foghorn, and then
before the briefest order could be put
into execution a huge PROV, seeming
doubly large in the envelope OF mist.
bore down within hailing distance
upon the helpless B~ourgogne.
The two ships were made aware or
each others presence In the same In
slant, but then it was too late. The
other ship, the Cromartyshire, crashed
into the Bourgogne, tearing a hole or
| enormous size in her side. The Gro
martyshire was desperately hurt, but
the Bourgogne was MORALLY wounded.
Like a huge beast in torture the fog
horn beloved and roared, and every
human being on the ship rushed about
in a perfect panic. 1t was a scene OF
wild tumult and confusion on every
side, and the narratives of what hap
pened vary widely. In any event a
French admiralty board has said the
sailors were heroes, SO the case as to
that Is closed.
The captain sought to reassure the
passengers and ordered the ship
headed northeast with full steam
ahead, in the faint hope Of reaching
Sable Island. and grounding his ship
there before 1t sank.
1t was sixty miles to the island, in
a dense fog, with water pouring into
the huge hole in the vessels side. The
water conquered and by degrees it
penetrated to the stokeholes of the big
vessel, and then the rae for Sable
Island came to an end. The panic
was renewed in all it's hideousness,
and out OF all on board only a few
/ were saved.
In the less of the Bourgogne the
loss of the France it was, in proper
ticn, even greater. The France went
down i'll 1900 because of an instant of
hesitation and the wrong interpreta-
ton Of an order.
The French Mediterranean squad
ron under Admiral Fourier, who was
on board the Brennus, was heading
for Gibraltar IN the night Of the 10th
IF August. The night was clear and
the moon was shining brightly, SO that
it was possible to see almost as well
as in daytime. Admiral Fourier
| wanted to give an order to the tor
| pedo destroyer France to convey to
the cruiser Foudre.
The France vas s%ignalled, and,
leaving Its place in the line, ap-
| preached the Brennus to get the or
der. 1t laid a course almost parallel
to the big warship at a distance of
scarcely 100 yards. The France was
heading in toward the Brennus and
at the same instant the officers on
both ships saw the danger of a col
lision. The commander OF the Fra
| NEE rushed to his post and cried the
order, Twenty points to port"
The order was so distinct that those
on the Brennus heard it plainly and
| we're satisfied that it's execution would
| avert all danger. The commander OF
the France awaited the immediate
execution Of his command and even
| heard the tiller ropes responding, but
to his amazement the man at the
wheel had by some alteration of mind
misunderstood the order-the France
was headed up twenty points to star.
hoard. The officers acted. instantly
and there was still one chance Of es-
cape. BY going full speed ahead the
| destroyer might clear the bows of the
| Brennus and escape. 1t was tried.
The Brennus was reversed and then
there was an instant of hope, which
faded as the huge prov of the war
ship tore the side out Of the little
gunboat.
The whole tragedy was enacted in
the space of three minutes and all
the officers and fourty-four men Of the
| France were lost because Of an in