Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-15
.442 ARE DROWNED
WHEN BOAT SINKS
Excursion Steamer Goes
Down Off France in Hurri-
cane-Eight Saved.

story of the catastrophe Their ac-
st. Philbert turned turtle and sank
| precipitately between st. Gildas and
Pornic after the passengers had stam-
peded to the port rail in fear OF wind
and waves.
A mass OF black clouds, part Of q
general atmospheric disturbance in
Western Europe and the British Isles,
bore down on the steamer about 1880
pm, and was followed by series Of
towering seas. AS the ship lurched on
its beam ends, the panic-stricken pas
sengers maSsed on the port side and the
craft was unable to right itself. She
turned completely over and the human
! cargo was spilled into the water.
The ordinary calm waters Of the bay
became q rnAelstron Of struggling hui
mans A few had managed to don life
| belts at the first hint Of danger, and a
few others clambered into lifeboat.
The great majority sank without q
| chance for life, their cries nearly drown
ing out the howl of the storm. A strong
current evidently carried scores OF
bodies out to sea.
I The lighthouse keeper was the first
person ashore to sense the impending
tragedy. He saw the vessel roll and
toss in a heavy trough and the clouds
hang above her. When she was nearly
across open water and heading toward
the mouth of the Loire River, he saw
her careen under the impact OF human
ity and succumb to the battering Of the
seas.
Crews Put Out in Tugs.
He telephoned st. Nazaire, Nantes
and Pornic for help. Life-saving crews
put out in tugs and patrol boats. BY
the time they arrived the scene OF the
disaster was merely gray eXpanse OF
water, dotted with a few survivors and
bits of wreckage. The boats picked up
eight young men, strong swimmers. but
nearly exhausted, and four bodies. three
of them women with wedding rings.
The rescued were brought to hos
pital at st. Nazaire, where they were
reported to be recovering from their
narrowing experience. They were SUI
fering from cold and immersion and re-
quired continuous attention because OF
water in their lungs
The outing was held under the aus
pices Of the Union Of Co-operatives, q
labor organization in Nantes, and the
participants all were of the working
class, most of them being affiliated with
socialistic societies and the Socialist
party. Such Sunday excursions have
popular with the laboring classes. The
Island Of Noirmoutier was once the site
of the monastery of st. Philbert and is
now inhabited chiefly by artists and
peasants.
First reports of the disaster were
greeted with incredulity. The steam
ship company originally denied the boat
had sank and said it had gone aground.
The full force Of the accident did not
penetrate the country for several hours.
The number Of the fatalities can only
be determined by canvass Of the be-
reaved, because neither the operating
company nor the excursion society had
q list of those who embarked on the
outbound trip or those who remained
on the island. The death list will be
made up as the bodies are washed
ashore on the mainland or picked up
by feet of searching boats.
Many Set Out for Island.
Throughout the night the friends and
relatives of those who did not return
from their holiday sought information
in sobbing groups. When dawn came,
crowds gathered at the quayside and
ancient causeway while the tide was
receding and the waves broke over their
feet. Some were bowed with grief by
the knowledge of their loss, and others
were frantic with uncertainty.
An official explanation Of the cause
of the sinking will be sought in a gov.
eminent investigation. the f1rst steps of
which already are under way by Project
Mathivet Of the Loire Inferieure De-
partment. The master Of the craft was
not blamed In general opinion, although
it was admitted that the weather was
extremely bad.
The st. Philbert was a typical river
and coastal passenger boat Of about a
hundred feet in length over all, with
two decks and pilot house close to
her single funnel. She was commanded
by Capt. Olive, known as capable
pilot who had handled fre,ghters in the
Central American trade and had trans
ported convicts to st. Laurent du Ma
roni. He joined the company two years
ago, after once retiring.
The run from Noirmoutier to st.
Nazaire usually takes 2 hours and 20
minutes, and the st. Philbert was so
minutes out of the island when she
went down. She was outfitted with life.
saving apparatus consisting Of floats
placed under the seats, but as the boat
turned over these presumably did not
float out.
The company said the number Of
passengers was 467 and estimated that
800 were drowned. The others remained
one the island, ofhcials said, orareturned
In some other r,rnner.