Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-03-08
GREATEST OF SEA DISASTERS.
More Than 5000 Lives Lost OH the
French Cruiser Provence.

by the French ministry to-day that
there were nearly 1000 men on
board the French auxiliary cruiser
Provence when she was sunk in the
Mediterranean on February &c.
AS the ministry Of marine on Feb
ruary 20 announced that the num-
Der of survivors of the Provence dis
aster was estimated at $40, it is in
dicated by the foregoing statement
that upwards of 5000 lives were
lost
1t was stated that on board the
Provence were the staff Of the Third
Colonial Infantry Regiment, the
Third Battalion, the second company
Of the First Battalion, the second ma
chine gun company and one extra
company. in all nearly 1000 men.
Greatest Ocean Disaster.
The loss OF more than 5000 lives
i'm the sinking OF the French auXil-
iary cruiser Provence is the greatest
ocean disaster of modern times. Up
to the present the largest number of
lives ever lost in one wreck was when
the White Star Liner Titanic struck
an iceburg off the Newfoundland
banks on April Id, 1912, and sank
with a death loss Of 1895. The res
cued numbered 7l3.
The French ministry of marine had
previously issued no statement as to
the number Of persons on the Pro-
vence when she went down. The YES
sci, however, when in the trans-At-
lantic service could carry 1850 per-
sons, including the crew. and it has
been presumed that, as she was
transporting troops between ports
not far anart, she was carrying a
number vi men larger than her nor
NAL capacity.
The official statement announcing
the sinking Of the Provence said:
"The French auxiliary cruiser
Provence II, ESQ designated to dis
tRguish her from the French battle
ship Provence) engaged in trans
porting troops to Saloniki, was sunk
in the Mediterranean on February
26. Two hundred and ninety-six sur
vivors have been brought to Malta,
and about 400 to Melos by French
and British patrol vessels summoned
by wireless.
"No signs OF q submarine were no.
ticed either before or after the sink
ing. La Provence was armed wit tn
five cannon Of ii centimetres, two of
81 millimetres and four Of ~ milli-
metres.'
Some Great Sea Tragedies.
Among the other great sea disas-
ters in addition to the Titanic al
ready mentioned were:
The Cunard line steamship Lusita-
MIA, which was torpedoed by a Ger
man submarine and sunk off the
Head of Kinsale, Ireland, on May 7,
1915. with the loss OF 1,20G lives.
The burning OF the excursion
steamer General Slocum in the East
river, New York, June Is, 1904,
when nearly 1000 persons met their
death.
The French line steamship La
Boprgogne, sunk in collision with the
steamship Cromartshire, July A.
1898, with the loss Of $50 lives.
The Japanese liner Kicker Maru
sunk off the coast OF Japan, Septem-
ber %, 1912, with the loss OF 900
lives.
The Canadian Pacific Steamship
Empress of Ireland, sunk in coils
ion with the Danish collier Storstad
in the St. Lawrence river. May goth,
1914, with the loss of more than
1000 lives.
The burning OF the Uranium line
steamship Volturno in mid-ocean on
October 0, 1918, with the Joss OF
1876 lives.
Mine Sweeper Sent 10 Bottom.
London, March 3.-The admiralty
Mnoanccs that the mine sweeper
Prmula was torpedoed and sunk
March in the Eastern Mcditerra-
mean while performing her usual dn-
ties. All the officers and crew OK
cept three men were saved and land
ed at Port Said.
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