New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-01-24
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PAST SEA DISASTERS
DAYS Weut By Before Tidings of
Sunken Ships Reached Shore. FL

the most recent great disaster on the open
ocean was the loss of the French liner La Bour-
Eogne OH July 4 1898, off Sable Island when she
was rsmmed and sunk by the British tramp
cromartyshire The circumstances of the accident
were somewhat similar to those of the Republics
collision, except that there was then no wireless
system with which TO summon aid. Only 1S4 of
the 735 persons aboard saved The catas-
trephe not reported until two days after
comparison these disasters affords a striking
example OF the contrast between the old and new
methods OF communication.
Tho tramp steamer was working slowly through
the fog when suddenly the Fre1chman doomed up
dead ahead. The bows of the Cromartyshire
smashed the liners side When the fog cleared
the watchers the tramp only two lifeboats
filled with survivors from the sunken ship.
On July a messenger boy from the Allan Steam
ship Company rushed into the French Lines Office
with a telegram containing the first news of the
wreck. Then for hours anxious friends thronged
the company's Office unable TO get any further de-
tails the fate of those aboard the ship.
The story whep it did come, of panic
and brutal cowardice the part of the
the ship. OF the seventy women aboard. only one.
Mrs. La Case. OF Planield N j.. was saved.
The board which investigated the accident later
exonerated the captain of the Cromartyshire. but
found that the French liner out of her course.
A striking example of the slowness with which
marine travelled in the days before the wire
less telegraph was afforded by the sinking of the
years ago last March. The first word of the dis
aster did not this city :iIl twelve hours
later about thirty hours elapsed before anxious
watchers ashore learned whether their friends
aboard had been saved.
In other respects, though, the oregon disaster
was like that of the Republic and like it, too cost
no lives despite the ships lack OF present day
equipments. The vessel was inward bound along
the shore of Long Island about o'clock on the
morning of March II. Day was just breaking
uhe biGy
into the port side of the liner, sheered of and dis
appeared. The passengers were thrown into con-
fusion but admirable display of GOODNESS on the
part of the officers prevented panic A pilot boat
was just about TO put man aboard and another
schooner passing. They both bore down and
began transferring passengers from the sinking
Oregon.
Just after the captain had seen the last passen-
ger safely transferred and was himself the pilot
boat the Oregon sank. A short time afterward the
FuIda of the North German Lloyd Line passed
and took en- board the Oregon's SIS passengers and
crew
Late that afternoon bare word came up to the
city from Sandy Hook that the Oregon had sunk
and all night long anxious friends waited
harassed by rumors. for details of the disaster
The next forenoon the Fulda came 10 her dock
with all the Oregon's passengers safe.
One OF the earliest of great tragedies
the loss OF the Arctic. in collision in 1854 when
$40 persons we're lost Four hundred and seventy
persisted with the burning of the Austria in 1855
In the Vile de Havre collision in 1873 there were
226 lives lost. That year occurred one OF the
unseved mysteries of the sea. when the Atlanta
sailed with SIS passengers and was never heard
of again The Schiller went down in 1875 with 3l2
passengers. The CfmhTia, In 1888 sank In the
North Sea with $50 passengers. In 1892 there were
three great wrecks--that of the Utopia, costing $50
lives; the Victoria, 500 and the Elbe. SOL
When the North German Lloyd steamships
burned in June. 1900, on the North River. nearly
two hundred lives were lost