Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-15
DESCRIBE HORRORS
| OF BOAT TRAGEDY
Survivors Say Passengers
Rushed to One Side En-
1 Masse to Escape Wind. /,
CONTINUED From FIRST Page,


think must have gone clear to the
II%sonething struck me on the leg, but
I don't know what It was Then / felt
myself going up. kicked with all my
strength and then was on the surface
again.
Boat Turns Over Completely.
!, cit couldn't have been long that
was under water, for when shot into
the air I saw to my horror that the
Keel of the boat was above the surface
She had turned completely over.
,s,"I filled my lungs, for they seemed to
be bursting, and saw clinging to the
heel a few dazed, terrified men and
women. The seas were still tremen-
dous, and while I watched saw some
Sf them slide of into the water. The
women shrieked, and the men too, but
T could not help them.
Then suddenly the ship disappeared,
carrying every one down with 1t.
IT began to swim. It seemed dark
as midnight, but / ran into a lifeboat
to which several other passengers al
ready we're clinging. grabbed the side
III the boat, but it was pitching and
tbssing so that could not climb In 1t.
Neither could the others, but we held
On with all our strength, and the boat
stayed afloat until the steamer Pornic
Game to our rescue.
TT was none too soon, for we were
Utterly exhausted"
!, While Duverger told his story an
other man, saved by his ability as a
swimmer, nodded and from time to time
put in q word of his own. His name Is
Binguet.
Z Swimmer Loses Consciousness.
my wife was with me-" he said, land
luckily we were together when the boat
sank. I am q good swimmer, ana for
an hour swan, holding her head above
the water.
"Then, somehow, lost consciousness
must have been exhausted. do not
know why I did not die, but when
regained my senses my wife was gone
She had slipped out Of my arms, and
she could not swim.
N"I feared that something would
happen to that boat before we started
out and didn't want to go. told my
wife, Wen never come back from TIL:
trip but she thought I needed holi-
day and we went"
Albert Berry also escaped with hi.
nfe. but when a nurse asked him where
she might reach his family to tell them
tf his safety his eyes filled with tears.
"You cannot reach them now" he
said. They are all at the bottom OF
the sea-"
. Francois Guillaume, the keeper Of the
signal station at Pointe de st. Gildas
told the other side Of the story. He
Jaw the st. Philibert go down.
Navigates Difficult Passage.
'rI picked her out with my glass,
He said, land saw her staggering along
trying to make the mouth OF the Loire
She negotiated a dificult passage where
the water is only fatnoms oeep ane !,
The bottom sends up jagged ledges o.
= rock. but when she got out OF that sn'
was still pitching badly, for there wa
very heavy sea.
"Suddenly saw her list to starboard
/, And once she keeled over SO Tar that
thought she would never come pack
but she did.
"Then another sea struck her amid
fhips and she disappeared.
!. "ThiS all happened so quickly, yot
Understand, that couldn't believe my
"T searched with my glass but could
lex, nothing Of her. She was gone"
Gufllaume notified shore stations i'm.
inediate1yNand the rescue craft started
but despite the violent weather winch
threatened their own safety.
Albert Berry, who Is resident OF
Nantes, said on his hospital cot he be-
lieved about 500 were aboard when the
kteamer left Nantes in the morning, put
fhat from 100 to $50 had decided to take
the train home from PROMO on account
If the nasty weather and seasickness. 3
Passengers Rushed to Port Side.
SIT was about 1880 pm.a-Ipy wrist
watch stopped at that hour-wfen the
steamer began entering the Loire Es-
tuary," he said THE tempest ragged so
violently that all the excursionlsts VINO
were unable to find refuge in the cabins
rushed to the port side in order 10 es-
cape the violence Of the wind.
with my dear mother, who, alas, IS
now dead in this terrible catastrophe, 1
remained on the Starboard side. SUD
denly saw the ship lurch under the
weight, of all those on the pert side. AT
the same time an enormous wave came.
overturned it completely and in one
minute the ship sank.
st can't say how came back to the
surface. saw floating log and grip
ped IL and saw lifeboaC In which were
several Of. my companions. made su.
perhuman efforts to reach them ana
mounted into the beat. Two OF my
friends were lacking, however.
Saw Many Floating in Water.
"The waves were so strong that the
boat shook several times, but by hard
swimming several more in the water
were able to approach and grab hold.
Then suddenly waves engulfed two
swimmers. saw numerous passengers
floating on the water Tne women and
children shrieked, drowning out the
wind We saw them sink enc by one"
Daniel Dives, also of Nantes, told al
most the same story.
/ 1T is often fairly rougn crossing TO
Noirmoutier," he said, so / expected
4 tossing coming back with gusty wind
from the southwest, but just OF St.
Gildas, about o'clock a black mass OF
clouds swept up followed by a series OF
high. seas.
1.-THE women and children hurried to
their cabins and others were tossed
against the port rail which was almost
under water The crowd masSed to port
made 1t impossible for the steamer to
right itself. I noticed lifebelt over
head and slipped it On as the steamer
quickly capsized, swan In the current
until exhausted before pilot boat pick
ed me up"
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