Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-05-26
BIG Liner Sinks;
SO PERSONS DIE
Ships Collide in Heavy Fog
Off the Coast of
Brittany.
PROMINENT OFFICIALS LOST
Twenty Bodies Confusion
in Signals Causes Crash Off
Brest-British Army Officers
Among the Victims.

Paris, May 23.-The British steam
ship Egypt of the Peninsular & Orient
al line, London to Bombay, was sunk
with heavy loss of life. 1t colliaed in
a dense fog with the French freighter
Seine off the coast of Brittany, be-
tween the Island of Ushant and the
port of Brest.
The Egypt carried 290 persons, of
whom only 1872 so far as known were
rescued. These survivors were brought
to Brest by the Seine, which also
brought 20 bodies. The Seine was
not badly damaged.
The heavy mist is blamed for the
mixup in signals. The fog prevented
the rescue of more than the 20 taken
aboard the Seine.
Half a dozen lifeboats were low
cred by the Seine and they circled for
hours near the scene Of the collision,
but the thick fog cloud badly impeded
the rescue work and the Seine finally
turned toward Brest, giving up as
hopeless the task of further rescues in
the prevailing weather.
The Seine sped toward Brest after
receiving wireless messages that other
craft were Fastening to the scene and
would sarch for other possible sur
vivors and for other bodies.
In the steamer first cabin were
many prominent government officials
and British army officers going to
their posts Many of these are thought
to have been drowned.
The passenger list contained the
names of women ind children of the
families of these government officials
and army officers, some of whom are
among the dead.
Reports thus far received ara vague
as to how the collision occurred, as
the area in which it happened has al
ways had terror for seamen. The
treacherous character of the coast and
the almost constant succession of
heavy fogs have made the ocean in
that space a hazardous course.
Ushant, near which the crash oc-
Cured, is 10 miles from the mainland.
The coast nearby is strewn with
wrecks that have pounded on the
rocks or have been victims of col
Iisions similar to this catastrophe.
Marine men say that the Egypt must
have suffered a tremendous wrenching
in the collision and probably went
down so quickly that there was little,
if any, opportunity for the launching
of her own nfeboats.
The Egypt had a tonnage of 7,491
and was regarded as one of the beauty
line. She carried in her career many
thousands Of officials and officers and
their families to and from England
and India.
The Egypt was a steel boat built
by Card & Co. in 1897 at Greenock.
1t was owned by the Peninsular &
Oriental Steam Navigation company
and registered under the British flag.
The vessel was 500 feet long and 81
feet wide and has a draft Of "a
feet.
The Seine is also steel built and
registered 1888 tons. 1t was built in
1899 by w. Dobson & Co., Newcastle,
and registered under. the French flag.
It's length is 236 feet, width 81 feet
and depth 16 feet. Beth vessels were
equipped with electric lights and wire
less outfits.
A little over two years ago the
American steamship Rock Island
Bridge collided with another vessel
within few miles of the place where
the Egypt and the 3eine came to-
gether. No loss of li1esw reported.
Both vessels made port.