THE LUSITANIA

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 130, 5 June 1925, Page 8

THE LUSITANIA

♦ THIS MONTH'S GRIM ANNIVERSARY CAPTAIN LASSETTER'S MEMORIES. Ten years ago this month (on 7th May to be' exact) the Cunard liner Lusitania was sunk off the Irish coast by a German torpedo. There were about, 3000 persons aboard, and over 2000 were drowned. Captain Fred. Lassetter," of faydney, who is oiio /0 f the survivors, recently recounted the thrilling story to- a Daily Telegraph" representative. * ; had b een i VO unded in November, iyi4, said Captain Lassetter, "and had been given six months' leave. I came to Australia for a trip with mv mother, who was then in England We came to Australia through the Canal and went back through the^U.S.A. In JScw York we were undecided as to what ship to go across in. Then we met Mr, and Mrs. Charles Learovd, of Sydney and the four of us decided to travel by the Lusit-ania. "At this time there were advertisements m all the New York papers, inserted by the German Embassy, warning, all civilian passengers that the German navy had been* advised that the Lusitania, was carrying contraband of and that it would do its best to sink her. As we came out of the Cunard Line s offices, after getting our tickets, we were approached by a courteous gentleman, evidently a German I and warned that the advertisements were not to be lightly regarded. We decided to risk it. We knew that they would try, but we thought the great ship was unsinkable. /'During the journey, which takes five days, there was no boat-drill; boats were not swung out, nor were passengers notified where they were to muster m case of an alarm. Luckily, we four .arranged that, in case of accidents, we would meet at boat No. 3, on the starboard side. On the morning of 7th May we were approaching Ireland in Wy weather, and, contrary to what we thought would b 6 done, the captain went at a slow speed, and continually sounded his foghorn. This seemed to us to invite danger. "After lunch I was on deck, talking to Colonel Stackhouse, a secret serviec w"' A V«° W- aS the re P resentative of the Office m charge of their consignment ot cargo. At 1.20 p.m. the explosion, came. The water shot up above the funnels, one of which toppled over Hie air was filled with wreckage, and the ship took a, sharp list to port. There was 110 confusion. The captain told me there was no danger of the ship sinking and repeated this'message through "a megaphone on the bridge. This had a sad result,. Most of the first-class passengers went to the palm lounge, on the boat deck, and were caught like rats in a trap. _ "The crew was untrained in launching boats. Only-two reached the water sately. beveral others, cut loose, were used by people in the water as something to cling to. There being no hope °. f °"r getting into a boat, we four decided to jump just as the boat sank We did, and I thought I would never come up again, as we were taken under in the suction. When I found the surface my mother was quite near to me but the big ship had gone, and where she nad been was a whirlpool of bodies and wreckage. First we clung to an upturned boat, but this became too crowded. I saw a small box about 200 ya"n aWaj*' and wa swam for thafcOn the way I saw Learoyd clinginoto some wreckage- about 200 yards away 3 and swam over, only to find him dying! He had been hit on the head, and he died while I was there. I took two other people to the box—Miss Braithwaite, niece of my divisional commander in France, and a young stranger. Umgmg to this box, we spent four and a half hours in the icy water. Miss ■braithwaito died during the afternoon All around us were the dying and dead floating about. The moaning of the drowning and the screams of -the little children' are thinks I never will forget We were (ho last to b e picked up. A collier it was, a teetotal one top and 1 would have liked a ration of rum: It took us to Qiieenstown Harbour entrance, where we wera transferred to a destroyer and taken to Queenstown early next, .lay. Throughout (ho next morning the corpses recovered were lieing landed in Queonstown. about 300 fl tliom. There wcro many sail scenci as_ Irieii.ls pi- relatives i,1,.,,"|,ifU.,l Uieni. One or the most vivid recollections 1 have of the tragedy was the spectacle 01 J-atlicr JUalurin, a Roman Catholic priest, refusing to take any steps to save himself. Wo left him givin» last consolation In the crowds kneeling on -leek. Colonel Stackhouse, 100, refuse, jo leave (he vessel. Whon last T *„„- him I.e. was standing aI, attention un deck as the bout a;uik.'.J