THE TORPEDOED TUSCANIA

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 123, 11 February 1918, Page 5

THE TORPEDOED TUSCANIA

HOW THE AMERICAN TRANSPORT WENT DOWN ATTACKED AT DUSK London, February 8. The American transport Tuscania (reported last week to have been torpedoed) was attached to a convoy. She had no warning or sight of a submarine, when, just at dusk, a torpedo struck her full amidship. Directly afterwards another torpedo passed astern. The Tuscania touk a hig list immediately. Tho men were called_ to their stations, but the list mado it impossiblo for tho lifeboats to be properly lowered, and some of the men jumped into the water. Tho lowering of tho upper lifeboats was responsible for a good many casualties. The survivors wero landed quickly, and were fitted with clothes and lodged in hotels. Afloat for Four Hours. The Tuscania floated for four hours before sinldng. The rest of tho convoy is safe. Many of the survivors had never seen tho ocean or been on board a ship until they embarked. Some, of them were in the water from 6 o'clock in the evening till 1 in tho morning. Other clambered on board rafts and waited in inky darkness for rescue at dawn. When tho torpedo struck the vessel the life-saving crews immediately ran to their stations, but the dynamo was blown up and the lights failed. Almost immediately the auxiliary lighting plant was put in operation, and flares lit every deck. In the first darkness succeeding tho explosion some difficulty was experienced in lowering tho lifeboats, the chains being broken and the tackle tangled. Superb Discipline. The soldiers lined up in the darkness, waiting to get into the boats. Their discipline and corrago were superb. Mon held on to the nearly perpendicular deck, lowering boat after boat with swiftness and precision. The rapid canting of the liner, however, put many of the boats out of use. Rafts of all kinds were then tossed overboard, in order that those flung into the sea might have a chance of life. Beforo some fully realised what had happened, the British destroyers were alongside and took off tho men in perfect order. _ One destroyer got 500 men from tho sinking steamer on board. She was drawing off from the Tuscania when the submarine fired another torpedo, which missed the destroyer, A sister destroyer immediately dashed off on a bomb-dropping enterprise, in which it claimed that tho submarine was hit.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. LATEST CASUALTY LIST (Rec. February 10, 5.5 p.m.) " London, February 9. The Admiralty states that 2235 lives were saved from the Tuscania, while 166. are missing. One hundred and twenty-six bodies have been recovered. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. . NEW PIRATE TACTICS CONVOYS TO BE ATTACKED BY U-BOAT SQUADRONS. (Rec. February'lo, 5.5 p.m.) London, February 8. Reports from Berne state that the Germans have planned a new method of attacking tho American convoys. They are sending out groups of powerful submarines, operating in _ column formation at various points in midAtlantic, where rescuing is difficult.— "The Times." A BAD THREE MONTHS AHEAD LORD JELLICOE'S WARNING. (Rec. February 10, 5.5 p.m.) London, February 8. Admiral Lord Jelliooe, speaking at Huli, said that we were in for a bad time during the next three months, but he believed that if we held out the submarine menace would he killed by August.—Reuter. SIR ERIC GEDEGS'S WARNING. The following warning to the public in connection with the submarine menace was given by Sir Eric Geddes, First Lord of the Admiralty, in tho House of Commons on November 16: — The good report of tonnage sunk, by enemy submarines in last week, and indeed tho comparatively favourable reports for the last two months, ought not to be taken as indicating that the submarine menace is a thing of tho past or is defeated. In the statement I made in this House on November 1, I said ;that the enemy's "attack on our trade is being held," but that it was not defeated. I also stated as plainly as I could that, on the best information I had, the enemy v.as building submarines faster than we were destroying them —but that our methods were improving, and that I looked with confidence to the defeat of tho submarine menace eventually. I also pointed out that although we were now straining every nerve to increaso our merchant shipbuilding—as were our Allies—we were not at present maintaining the mercantile marine tonnage against the depredations of the enemy submarines. I see no reason in what has happened eincc, or in the favourable results of last week, to qualify or modify in any way what I have said as publicly as possiblo, both in this House and elsewhore, and which I crave tho indulgence of the House to pormit me to repeat :— (1) That the calls upon too merohant shipping of tho world "for the waging of war are so great at the present time that nothing should bo kft unsaid or undone which will bring home to the people of this country and of all Allied countries thnt economy in everything that is seaborne hae a direct vital and early result iipon tho successful prosecution of tho war.

(2) That the shipyards nro short of men and women, and that all the labour that can be saved from unnecesBary work or production, and diverted to the shipyards, will I'ave a direct effect upon the winning of the war. Lastly, I would earnestly bej; the House and the country not to be uplifted or cast down by one good or bad week or month in tonnage sinkings. The steady downward curve of sinkings since April shows that we are holdino;, and, for the nresent, mastering, the submarine. The riso in merchant shipbuilding, present and proposed, shows that we aro counteracting his efforts. But I repeat once more— Wo must have riijid economy. We must have increaspc] outivt in marine engine shops and shipyards. CARRYING THE WAR INTO THE PACIFIC NEW YORK "WORLD" ON U-BOAT PLANS. New York, February 8. According to information received by the New York "World," Germany is planning a submarine campaign in the Pacific—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.,