Life — June 2, 1887 — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

310 ‘LIFE: AWFUL DISASTER! THE BLACK STAR STEAMSHIP CELT CRASHES | THROUGH THE FOG INTO HER SISTER STEAMER THE BRITON NO LIVES AND FOUR IMMIGRANTS LOST THE COMPANY NOT RESPONSIBL NO BLAME ATTACHED TO THE OFFICERS, THE COLLISION SIMPLY A NATURAL OCCUR- RENCE DUE ENTIRELY TO FOG. THE LOSS OF THE IMMIGRANTS CAUSED BY THEIR OWN CARELESSNES:! WHAT THE OFFICERS SAY. A collision between the Black Star steamers Ce/¢ and Briton oc- curred at sea on Thursday last, in a dense fog. The Company sus- tained severe losses, the principal being fourteen sheet-iron plates, one anchor, three life-boats, and the Ce/¢’s bow. It is believed that four immigrants lost their lives. The cabin passenger list remains intact. A reporter of Lire called at the office of the company shortly after the news of the disaster was received, and obtained the following information from the Captain of the Briton : “Yes, I believe there was a collision between my boat and the Celt—that is, I read in this morning's papers that there had been, I was in command of the Briton on Thursday, and if I rightly remem- ber, there was some talk about our having rubbed up against the Ce/t, and it was rumored that four immigrants had been careless enough to lose their lives through contact with the Ce/¢'s bow. I think the number was four. There were certainly four immigrants buried, but whether they were the ones that were killed or not I prefer not to say until I can hear from my good friend, the Commander of the Ce/t, I must confess, however, that admitting the Ce/¢ was to blame for this loss of life, the company certainly has sustained heavy damages, which more than offset the loss of four immigrants. The Ce/t’s bow was so stove in as to be entirely unrecognizable.” ** How do you account for the collision ?” asked the reporter, “I don’t, my dear sir,” replied the captain. ‘It takes two to make a collision, and my friend, the Captain of the Ce/t, and I have not yet made up our accounts. As for my own ship, I will ask you to inform the public that I had the fog-horn blown the night before the disaster. It was in good repair, had been regently painted, and a new tone put in its lower register, and the sound it emitted was of such a nature as to inspire confidence. There, as you will observe, my re- sponsibility ceased. I lost no cabin passengers ; and the mere fact that I had so precious a cargo as an American millionaire on board ought, it seems to me, to completely exonerate me from any suspicion of col- lusion to collide. If I should happen to have anything further to say, I prefer, as a British subject, to say it toa British public, who are more lenient, and I might say more just than you Ameri in their judgment of unfortunate victims of circumstances like myself. The Captain of the Ce/¢ was next seen. He stated that as he had not yet heard from his esteemed confrere of the Briton, he was too much at a loss to account for the incident, as he termed it, to make any public statement. He would say, however, that he could cor- roborate the statement of the Br7ton’s Commander that his fog-horn had been blown the night before. “heard it go off,” said the captain. ‘And you slowed up, of course ?” asked the reporter. The captain laughed heartily at this. “Slowed up,” he said, scornfully. ‘‘ Well, I fawncy not. We tripped along at double speed then. It's sink or swim, my boy, When we go fast we get out of everybody else’s way, and run down whatever gets in our way. Two birds at one stone, you see. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that one of our own boats was in our way. I never dis- covered that unhappy fact until the mate came to me, and said: ‘Capt'n, we've been, and gone, and done it! ’Tain't a Cunarder, hit’s the Briton.’ I reversed engines, of course, soon as I heard that, but it was too late. I was quite put out about it, I can tell you, and I think it quite inconsiderate in the papers to clamor for my punishment, as if I had done it on purpose. Why, I havea fine twenty guinea testi- monial from all the passengers, saying that they never knew a collision managed with such neatness and dispatch! Do you think I'd have received that if there was any suspicion that I did wrong? Now, I wish you would say for me that I exonerate my dear brother of the sea, the Captain of the Briton, for any complicity in the death of those four immigrants. Nobody asked these immigrants to get aboard the Briton, and they were not compelled to sit where they were at the time of the collision. You Yankees are too ready to impute motives to us Englishmen; and I'll say right here, that I'll be ’anged if I'll say anything more on the subject.” It will be seen from these statements that really no one was to blame for the disaster, except Providence and the immigrants. The Black Star Line comes out of the trouble with colors flying, and all its former patrons who believe that there isn’t much likelihood that the same thing will happen to the same ships, commanded by the same captains, on the same waters, twice in a lifetime, will, as heretofore, continue to embark to and from Europe on the Black Star Line, BLACK STAR LINE FROM NEW YORK TO LIVERPOOL EVERY WEEK. Free Burial Guaranteed to Immigrants, LUGGAGE AT PASSENGER’S RISK AND ALL DISPUTES ARISING IN AMERICA TO BE SETTLED BY ENGLISH LAW. te WHEN SHALL WE THREE MEET AGAIN? PI comicbooks.com