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

80 uncertain are inc ways OF rate
that wen with every %precaution, with
every appliance Of modern science,
and with the best Of tried officers, dis
aster overtakes a ship and wipes it
out.
The sudden and unexpected disas-
history began and are still being re-
corded. Remember the Maine in mod
ern times. There was also the fleet OF
Xerxes about 500 B. c., when 400 ships
were lost in the Hellespont, and only
yesterday the loss of the Russie at
the mouth of the Rhone in 1900.
The loss of a ship in a storm
through the failure OF the rudder or
because of the violence Of the ele.
ments is not difficult of comprehension
but the irony Of fate appears in all its
cruelty when the ship goes to the bot
tom in a calm sea while those on
board are in the midst of festivities.
This, however, was the fate of the
British steamer DrummOnd Castle, OF
$500 tons, which sailed from Cape
Town on May 80, 1896.
The Drummond Castle had on board
beside the crew and officers, number
ing los, a complement of 146 passen-
gers, many of them women and chill
dren. The ship was bound for Lon
don and had passed Finisterre at a
good speed in spite Of the fact that it
encountered an occasional fog. The
sea was perfectly calm and everything
seemed to be going well until the 10th
| of June. when the fog became heavier,
and during the afternoon became so
dense that the captain ordered the en-
! eines slowed down and the sounding
leads brought out. AS night fell the
shin was simply feeling it's way along.
Music was heard from the cabins and
the decks and all Of the passengers ap-
reared to be having a most enjoyable
time. This lasted until a quarter after
10 O'Clock at night, when, through a
rift n the fog, apparently a long way
off. the lookout reported a light. The
CAPTAIN thought at first he had the
LIGHTS of Ouessant sighted and was
healing properly for the channel. ACT
ing upon this theory the captain went
ahead under the impression that ne
was heading into the English channel
and for home. 1t may have beer the
festivities on board or some otner
ause, but tksren. oAi,n was just Twelve
,iIas ont of MN" koning, and that
error of twelve miles was fatal almost
within sight of the home port.
It was close on to II O'Clock when,
with a rending, crashing noise. the
shin struck the reef. The officers and
crew realized in an instant what hao
hannened. The vessel plunged Tor
ward and shook itself from end TO
end. Then the passengers, rousea OUT
of their first sleep, came pouring all
undressed to the decks to nhd OUT
what had happened. Capt. WOOD OF
the bridge and Lieut.. Wood tried TO
calm thcm. and assure them that there
was no danger. They counted upon
the water-tight ~bulkheads holding ana
keeping thes..A ahoat until help ar
lived his. however, proved a false
hope and the boats were ordered out.
The crew worked like madmen, aided
NV the but all to no avail,
the shin did not stay afoat a quarter
of an hour after striking. The boats
were loaded, and overloaded, and be-
fore they got clear the ship went
down.
Ont of the ESQ persons aboard the
vesse, only three escaped with their
lives and these were picked up from
the floating wreckage by Breton hsh-
|. ermen.
HARDLY less frightful' than wreck
inc nm a rock far at sea is a collision
in the fog between two huge vessels
loaded with people. 1t was a disaster
If this sort that overlook the French
steamer Bourgogne, which left the
mort of. New York east bound on July
- 1898. The trip promised to be a
record breaker for the big ship, which
had on board, outside the crew, Isl
first class passengers. 125 second class
and 296 third class, in all 1872 per-
sons, On the evening OF July 3 the
Bourgogne was just OF Halifax and
nerhaps fifty miles from Sable Island.
The fog came up thickly and the yes
sci slowed down and was feeling its
way along. This was about 8 O'Clock
in the morning Nothing could be
seen in any direction but the dense
gray bank Of fog. At s o'clock the
18th u,o. ro,ood hv tina a0y1nd Of a