The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-06-15
$50 DROWNED
AS SHIP TIPS
over IN GALE
Only Seven Men Are Saved
in French Excursion
Boat Disaster.
60 BODIES WASHED UP
Passengers Crowd to One
Side and Huge Wave
UpSetS Craft.
By United Press


The beaches of the Bay Of Biscay
for twenty miles below the mouth
Of the Loire river were strewn today
with bodies of victims who were on
the excursion boat st. Philbert, sunk
in the worst steamship catastrophe
in Frances maritime history.
The dead were estimated at a
minimum of $50 persons, more than
half Of them women and children
The st. Philbert sank in hurricane
at dusk Sunday evening with nearly
400 persons, the families of French
workers returning from a days
outing.
Fishermen found sixty bodies
mainly women and children, washed
up on the beaches between the viii
lagos Of Pornic and Fromentine, be-
low st. Nazaire on the south side
Of the Loire. Tugs searched hope
lessly for possible survivors of the
tragedy. So far, only seven were
known to have been saved.
Blame Frightened Passengers
The seven survivors included four
F'renchmen, two Austrians and one
Pole. The owners of the st. Phil
bert, the Messageries De L'Quest OF
Nantes, said they did not have
the names of all the passengers on
board, but doubted that any Amer
leans we're among them.
Government experts questioned
survivors and decided that the
tragic accident was not due to over
loading the boat, but to the fright
Of passengers who crowded to the
starboard side to escape the wind
and huge waves breaking over the
little vessel.
The rush to one side caused the
st. Philbert to list at least 80 de-
grees. On an angle like that, the
expert said, the next big wave
easily turned it over and the ship
sank, keel up, in less than minute
Not Five Miles Out
The Saint Philbert went down in
plain view Of the selnaphore sta
ton at Saint Gildas Point. The
excursian boat, filled with a happy
holiday crowd, was not five miles
out as it skirted the coast on its
honleward journey to Nantes, ur
the Loire.
The men in the station stood
helpless and watched the struggle
as the captain of the pleasure boat
sought to bring his ship around into
the gale before the wave which
tipped it struck. He failed.
The men could only telephone tc
send tugboatS and other ships to its
aid. The chief Of the station, Fran
co.'s Guillaunle, said:
The Saint Philbert unanswered
well to avoid the rising storm. II
rounded Saint Gildas Point about
three miles out because of the dan
ger Of being driven on the rocks
but when she headed for the Loire
Estuary rain and the gale caught
her broadside. She swiftly keeled tc
starboard, evidently due to the rush
Of the excited passengers.
Sank in Quick Time.
"The boat then seemed to turr
toward shore, as though the cep-
tain realized the danger of expos
ing his port to the waves and wind
At that moment the ship turned
over. She sank within three min.
uteS. The passengers were thrown
into the water.
The rescue tug Pornic was Ii
danger many times as it fought int
the gale, it's decks washed BY the
rough waves on it's way to the scene
Of the disaster"
Most of the dead on the Saint
Philbert belonged to families, al
Saint Nazaire and Nantes. Alnosi
all were of the working class.
Nearly 100 passengers on the ex.
cursion to the island of Noir-NTou.
tier we're saved because of thei1
prudence. They decided to spend
the night on the island in the bay
rather than risk the return journey
in the face of the threatening storm
Survivor Describes Tragedy
Albert Berthy, one of the sur
vivors, who reached st. Nazaire
amid sad scenes as hundreds peered
anxiouSly at the resuce tugs for
word Of their relatives, described his
experiences to the United Press cor
respondent. Berthy said:
The outward crossing to the is
land was rough toward the end and
many got sick. Probably 100 Of
the excursion, Ill and noticing the
wind increasing, decided to remain
at Noirmoutier over night and cross
to the mainland at Pornic today
taking train to St. Nazaire.
MY watch stopped at $50 D. m.
the moment we were thrown into
the water. am convinced that
the accident was due to the fear OF
300 passengers who gathered In
Starboard cabins ard on deck be-
cause of the binding gale and rain
They rushed to that side DESPITE
the heroic efforts Of the crew to
divide the weight.
Two Fall From Lifeboat
I'm convinced that the st
Philbert could have come around
despite the gale, for it has outrid-
den worse storms.
With the ship keeling over SC
degrees, forty-foot wave caught
the port side and rolled the slair
over, spilling water on others
trapped in their cabins.
THE storm made swimming difi-
cult. Dozens sank within the space
Of a minute or two.