Middletown transcript., 1922-05-27
NEARLY 100 LOST
IN COLLISION
Two American Women Among
the Missing in Disaster
OFF ISLAND OF USHANT
Boats From .Freighter Rescue 29 Pas
sengcrs And More Than 200 OF
The crew-Many Leaped Or
Were Thrown Into Sea.

.Brest, France.-Nearly 100 persons
perished when the Peninsular and
Oriental Line steamer Egypt sank off
the Island of Ushant after collision
with the French freight steamer Seine.
The Egypt sailed from London for
Bombay Friday with "A passengers and
q crew of 290. A roll-call on board
the Seine after the disaster showed
that at least Is of the passengers and
so of the crew of the Egypt were
missing.
Two American women, Mrs. NJ. L.
Sibley and Miss " M. Boyer, are
among the missing. Their home ad.
dresses are not known to the COM
pany, r. F. Bevan, another American,
was saved
The collision occurred during a
dense fog within % miles of the Ar.
men lighthouse. The dinner gong was
about to be sounded on board the
Egypt. Many of the passengers and
most of the crew were on deck The
shock threw several persons into the
sea; others jumped and a number
went down with the ship, which sank
In 20 minutes. The Egypt was
rammed amidship on the port side.
The Seine, badly damaged, reached
Brest Sunday with 29 rescued passen
gers, more than 200 of the crew and
the bodies of 20 dead. The captain
of the Egypt is among the saved.
When the collision occurred there
was rolling sea. Some of those res
cued charge that the Indian sailors
on board the Egypt took the lifeboats
Immediately after the vessels crashed
SO that large number of the pas
sengers and crew had to shift for
themselves.
Those who jumped into the sea and
who could swim scrambled about fol-
bits of wreckage to which they nigh,
cling. Many of these were rescued
They floated about in the fog after
the Egypt went down, calling fol-
help. The sound of their voices di
rected members of the crew of the
Seine in small boats who were pa
trolling the sea, picking up both liv
ing and dead.
In some instances the rescuine
crews came upon persons clinging tc
bits of debris who let go and sank
just as aid for them was at hand
The small boats on numerous occa
sions sought yainly in the fog to
locate persons lifting cries of distress
through the fog. Among the known
missing are the doctor and chief en-
gineer Of the Egypt.
The Egypt was a vessel of 5000
tons. The Seine was bound fol
Havre when the disaster occurred.
Captain LIE Barzic of the Seine, in
describing the disaster, said:
Il was at my post on the upper
bridges Saturday evening at o'clock
Is miles from Armen Light. The sea
was calm with slight swell. The
fog was very dense. | was listening
for foghorns and proceeding at the
slow speed of five knots.
In less time than it takes to tell
great steamer emerged from the
fog. 1t struck my ship and tore
away the forward works and moved
on at great sneed. ! Immediately
ordered our engines reversed. ~
~ saw nothing further. But then
] began to hear cries of horror that
told me Of a catastrophe. l went in
search Of the stricken vessel in the
fog and darkness, l found her in
20 minutes.
She lay on her port side, ready te
turn over. Water was pouring into
a long, deep tear in her side plates
Cries and walls OF despair were to be
heard coming from the steamer. Pas
sengers were seen running about or
to go under.
81 saw man throw himself into
the sea with two little children II
his arms. TIE shipwrecked people
in the sea clung to floating debris.
had al my lifeboats lowered. 1t wa:
particularly perilous work, for We
We're on the main path Of vessels go
ing from the open sea to the Englisl
Channel. / stayed at the scene o
the wreck until 20 minutes after /.
O'clock Saturday night
1t was said late Sunday night tina
there might be more survivors of tn,
disaster, since the steamer Cap Iracol
was nine miles away at the time o
the collision and hurried to the spo
and may have picked up some O
those in the water who were missel
by the small boats of the Seine.
1t was also learned that the Sein'
brought in four bodies and that tn
tugs Vaillante and Canonier landet
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