Everyone knows the story of the sinking of the “unsinkable” RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912. It was a tragic loss of life where about 1,500 passengers and crew died. Eighty percent of those who perished were men and 25% were women. About 2/3rd of the passengers died and 3/4th of the crew.
What is less known is the ocean liner tragedy that occurred 14 years prior to the Titanic: the sinking of the S.S. La Bourgogne. Even though fewer people perished – 546 in total – in many ways the sinking of the La Bourgogne was more tragic.
Launched in 1885 the La Bourgogne was a French ocean liner that traveled between Le Havre, France, and New York City. It was known for its speed — it could cross the Atlantic in just over seven days and averaged 17 knots — quite fast for its time. It was a large ship: 490 feet in length, 7,395 tons and was capable of carrying 1,000 passengers.
On July 3rd, 1898 the La Bourgogne left NYC with 725 souls on board. The next day, July 4th, at 5 a.m. she was rammed by the British sailing ship Cromartyshire in heavy fog off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Of the 506 passengers on the La Bourgogne, only 70 survived (14%) while 103 out of the 220 crew survived (47%). More shockingly, only one woman (out of about 200) and none of the children survived the wreck. The lopsided nature of survival was due to the horrible way the crew acted – they fought off passengers and took the lifeboats for themselves. There were reports of crewmembers stabbing passengers in the water and beating them with oars. As reported in the Kansas City Journal on July 7, 1898:
The last few minutes on board the Bourgogne witnessed some of the most terrible scenes of horror and cruelty that have blotted the history of a civilized race. Instead of heroic discipline which so often has been the one bright feature of such awful moments, the crew of the steamer fought like demons for the few lifeboats and rafts, battering the helpless passengers away from their only means of salvation, with the result that the strong overcame the weak and the list of 162 saved contains the name of but one woman.
There were reports of a lifeboat with about 40 women on board, but it was not cut free, and they all were sucked down with the ship.
The only woman to survive was Mrs. Victoire LaCasse. When asked how she came to be the only woman to survive the wreck, this was her fantastic response: “Don’t ask why I am the only woman who was saved, better to ask why my husband was the only man aboard who was man enough to save a woman.”
Here’s the headline of Kansas City Journal story on the wreck and sinking:
The La Bourgogne lies 69 miles south of Sable Island, Nova Scotia in over 9,000 feet of water, too deep to access.
Have you checked with the big ship museum in Nova Scotia where shipwreck occurred? I’ved heard they have a lot info about the wrecks off Nova Scotia. ( on my bucket list to go there❣) My great grandfather ( Peter Barrett- a Tailor from Philadelphia on way to get material/ cloth for his business from France, & was also going to visit his mom in Tyrone, Ireland while in Europe) was murdered( beat off with an oar) by a crew member, while attempting to crawl into a lifeboat- an account from his friend who was already in lifeboat. He left a wife, and 4 children behind!! He is mentioned in many of the newsclippings around United States at the time of accident. Of the 500+ lives lost, his body was one of the only 8, of bodies identifiable!! I would love to hear what
you know of La Bourgogne shipwreck!!👍 Want more info from me: Maureen Files- Eugene, Oregon (alys43no@yahoo.com )😀
Maureen, Peter Barrett was my great grandfather too. His wife was Margaret Conway. They had 3 kids. My grandmother, Alice was one of them. I suspect we’re cousins! I’m working on the family tree. Feel free to contact me at tvcoach911@aol.com Thanks!
Can anyone send me a description of the SS La Bourgogne’s interior? I’m having a devil of a time trying to find a book on the interior and exterior. Most descriptions are of the engine.
Dane
danebmcfadhen@gmail.com
Have you checked with the big ship museum in Nova Scotia where shipwreck occurred? I’ved heard they have a lot info about the wrecks off Nova Scotia. ( on my bucket list to go there❣) My great grandfather ( Peter Barrett- a Tailor from Philadelphia on way to get material/ cloth for his business from France, & was also going to visit his mom in Tyrone, Ireland while in Europe) was murdered( beat off with an oar) by a crew member, while attempting to crawl into a lifeboat- an account from his friend who was already in lifeboat. He left a wife, and 4 children behind!! He is mentioned in many of the newsclippings around United States at the time of accident. Of the 500+ lives lost, his body was one of the only 8, of bodies identifiable!! I would love to hear what
you know of La Bourgogne shipwreck!!👍 Want more info from me: Maureen Files- Eugene, Oregon (alys43no@yahoo.com )😀
Thanks for getting back to me Maureen,
I did try the museum and well, the curator there was of little help. He seemed a tad overwhelmed by my request. I got back, after much prodding by me, very poorly photo-copied newspaper articles, most of which I found myself in my own digging.
How he figured I could read the articles was beyond me. And so I dropped a request for him to improve his finds. It just seemed a big waste of time.
Dane
When in Memphis a couple years ago we read a story about the explosion and sinking of the Sultana on the Mississippi. It is on similar scale to Titanic and La Bourgogne but like the La Bourgogne is lesser known maritime tragedy.
Why does it have rigging for sails? Was it solely a sailing vessel or did it also have a motor (and if it had a motor, why the sails at all)?
The Cromartyshire? No idea. I know it was an iron side ship about 250 feet long and 1500 tons.
Cromartyshire was (according to Wikipedia) a sailing vessel. It seems from a quick search that early motor vessels kept masts, if not as a backup for engine failure, then as a convenient place for winches, radio equipment, radar reflectors, etc. As many modern vessels do also. My brother’s Amsterdam river barge, which I was on last week in Belgium, has a mast for several of those purposes. It folds for passing under bridges.