Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-03-11
Famous Steamer La Tourains
Burning In Mid-AtIantic,
While Five Rescue Ships
Rush to Relief.
HAS 81 AND CREW ABOAR6
Many Americans Among First
Cabin List - Few Details
of Fire Known In Mari
time Circles.

London, March "a message
from Queenstown say the fire on
La Touraine is fierce. Otherwise
ibis message is a repetition of the
one received by Lloyds from the
wireless station at Valencia, Ire
The London office of the Com
pagnie Generate Trans Atlantique,
which OWNS La Touraine, is with
out special information concerning
the vessel.
New York. March 6.-Maritime cir.
lies nave received word that the pas
sengers and crew of the La Tourraint
are safe.
Aboard the La Touraine when sh.
sailed last Saturday were 4.494 cases
Of cartridges intended for use in the
European war.
London, March 6.-The steamship
La Touraine is aflre at latitude 4S.0a
north and longitude 2O.14 west, accord
here. Five steamers have gone to the
assistance of the La Touraine, the mes
Jage said
The message telling of the fire was
received by. Lloyds from the wireless
station at Nalentia, Ireland. In addi-
hon to giving the position Of the La
rouraine, it stated that the steame
Rotterdam, Swanmore, Cornishman,
Arabic and Others We're going to her
assistance.
The French liner. La Touraine. sailed
from New York, February u. The po-
- ~ StyD, t- tho 1D,- r-- L. ~ nav
imately 100 miles west from her port
of destination. Among the passengers
are five doctors and nine nurses, on
their way to Franc to be attached to
the new war hospital at the Chateau
De Passy. near Sens.
Americans on Board.
The doctors are Joseph l., Wheel
wright, r. c.. Walker. w. G.. Braddock,
A. O. Jiminis. and John S. Irwin. The
the French hospital in New York, are
the Misses Alma Marie Mccormick.
dorothy O'Connell, Eugenia H. Lyons.
Victoria F%ranchort. Florence Gordon,
ellen Hanlon, Mollie McGrath, Nellie
|Burdette Parsons. and Beda Laurantie
PEARSON.
La Touraine, under the command of
captain Caussin. is one of the older
transatlantic liners, having been built
in 1897. Since she was launched La
Touraine has played an interesting part
In the history Of ocean travel. She ar
rived in New York on October Is, 1918,
with 40 persons. which she rescued from
the Uranium line Nolturno, which
burned at sea with loss of 1872 lives.
Captain CauSsin was one of the first
commanders of rescue Gamer to get
a boat over into the heavy sea to aid
IN rescue work. The captain and crew
we're decorated with medals for their
bravery on this occasion.
Warned the Titanic.
1t was the captain of La Touraine
who warned the Inflated Titanic of the
presence Of icebergs in her course.
Once before the steamer was threat
ened by fire. when flames We're dis
covered in the slater ooms. while she
lay at her lock in Harre, on January
ia. 1919. There were no passengers
aboard and the damage was not Sc
fious. She was withdrawn from SER
vice for a time in 1907 because of Sc
rious damage to her machinery. The
discovery was made just before she
was due to sail from New York. On
another occasion a number of her crew
was killed by the bursting Of a steam
pipe.
When the European war began the
entire carrying capacity of La Tour
aine was reserved for Americans strug-
Cling for passage home from France.
She arrived in New York. December
Is. So hours overdue, because of hur-
%ricanes. High seas swept her decks
while the passengers were battened be-
low.
The steamer is $40 feet long. with a
beam of Sc feet and a depth of 34.S.