The Detroit times., 1915-03-06
Cargo Reported to Be
Mostly Food
stuffs
MANY AMERICANS
ARE ABOARD
Threatened Vessel Is
One of Greatest
Ocean Liners

LONDON, March 6.-The French
liner La Touraine is on fire 700 miles
west Of the French port of Brest, ac-
cording to wireless to Lloyd's At
1925 a. m. today. The steamers
Rotterdam. Swanmore. Cornishman
and Arabic are rushing to her a.
sistance.
The La Touraine carried but 81
passengers when she left New York.
1t was announced at the company's
ONCE here today. Thirty-eight OF
these were cabin passengers and ~
we're in the steerage.
The La Touraine carried crew
of about 200. according to the New
York ONCE of the French company.
In her hold was 1900 tons of cargo.
mostly foodstuffs. She carried no
munitions of war.
The message came from the wire
less station Of valentia, county Der.
ry, on the west coast OF Ireland. Her
owners. the Compagnie Generate
Trans-Atlantique, gave out the fol-
lowing statement:
e"The La Touraine, New York to
Havre. is afire of the coast OF ire
land. She was due at Havre tomor-
row. Consequently she cannot be In
great danger, owing to her nearness
to the English coast. There IL
plenty Of assistance en- route. The
White Star liner Arabic and other
vessels are rushing to her assistance.
The only news we have received In
from the valentia wireless station
The La Touraine sailed from New
York. Feb. 26. On her passenger list
are five American doctors and 10
American nurses, bound for French
battlefelds. The remainder of her
passengers consisted largely OF
Americans, whose business demand
ed their presence In France, and q
number Of French reservists an
swering the call to the colors.
Lloyd's wireless, apparently, con-
ficts with that received by the La
Touraine's owners. II fixes the To-
cation Of the burning liner at lati-
tude 4S.06 north. longitude 20.1l
west, 200 miles of the French coast.
The liners owners insist that the
liner is close to the British coast.
and that her passengers are In no
danger.
The La Touraine is one OF the biz
liners plying between New York and
Havre. She is steel screw steam
er OF S,429 tons, built In 1890, and
$40 feet in length, with accommoda-
tions for several hundred pas
sengers. She has a speed of 10
knots and was under command of
Capt. Caussin. Because Of war con-
ditions and OF the recent establish
ment OF the German "war zone" her
passenger list was comparatively
light when she sailed from New
York.
The party OF American nurses and
doctors aboard the La Touraine
comprise a unit sent by the French
hospital. West Thirty.fourth-st.. New
York Funds for the hospital unit
were supplied by Mrs. William J.
Fitzgerald. an English woman liv-
ing in New York. who contributed
100000.
The American surgeons In the
party are Doctors A. c. Jlnenin, r.
G. Walker, W. G.. Braddock. Joseph
Wheelright and John w. Irwin.
The nurses are Misses Eugene
Lyons. Victoria Frankfort. Mollie
McGrath, Katherine and Nellie
OTIanlon. Nellie Parsons. Beda Pet
erson, and Dorothy O'Connell.
The American hospital unit was
destined for Passy, France.
The White Star liner Arabic sailed
from Liverpool three days ago. She
is believed to have been within zoo
miles OF the Ia Touraine when IRE
broke out. The Arabic wirelessed
that she had caught the liners can
for assistance. and was going 10 her
aid. She did not wireless her 1osar
tfaa