SS La Bourgogne
Encyclopedia
SS La Bourgogne was built in 1885 by Forges & Chantiers de la Mediteranee, La Seyne for the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique (French Line)
Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique , typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established during 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was indicated during the Crimean War of 1856...

. She was a 7,395 gross ton vessel, length 494.4ft x beam 52.2ft, two funnels, four masts, iron and steel construction, single screw and a speed of 17 knots. There was accommodation for 390-1st, 65-2nd and 600-3rd class passengers. Launched on October 8 1885, she sailed on her maiden voyage from Havre to New York on June 19, 1886. In February, 1896 she collided with, and sank the steamer Atlas off the US coast. In 1897-8 she was fitted with quadruple expansion engines and her masts reduced to two. On July 4, 1898 she was sunk in collision in dense fog with the British sailing ship Cromartyshire off Cape Sable
Cape Sable
Cape Sable, Florida is the southernmost point of the US mainland and mainland Florida. It is located in southwestern Florida, in Monroe County, and is part of the Everglades National Park. The cape is a peninsula issuing from the southeastern part of the Florida mainland, running west and curving...

. At the time, she was carrying 506 passengers and 220 crew of whom 549 were lost, including Turkish wrestler Yusuf İsmail
Yusuf İsmail
Yusuf İsmail , also widely known as Youssouf Ishmaelo, was a Turkish professional wrestler who competed in Europe and the United States as Yusuf Ismail the Terrible Turk during the 1890s. During his lifetime, his native Turks knew him as Şumnulu Yusuf Pehlivan...

, the American instructor/sculptor Emil Wuertz, American painter De Scott Evans
De Scott Evans
De Scott Evans was an American painter known for working in a number of genres. Raised in Indiana, he spent much of his career in Ohio and then moved to New York City...

, and three members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...

. Only 173 people survived, but fewer than 70 survivors were passengers, only one woman was rescued, and all children perished. Reports circulated that the crew had refused to aid passengers in the water, to the point of stabbing them. Surviving crew members required police protection upon their arrival in New York.

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