THE LUSITANIA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 10 May 1915, Page 5

THE LUSITANIA

iftMSM- AMOCIAXZOK. —COFXMOHT.)

TORPEDOED WITHOUT WARNING STEHMER SETTLES IMMEDIATELY I^7iIVESIOST 1! - . " 'LONDON, Fay 8. Twenty of the Lusitania's. boats arid 16, other boats were on-the scene after th©"~sinking of tie liner.. The Messrs. Chas. Frohmah and Hugh Lane, who had just olfei«d:'Mr:"J6Tm Singer R.A., *<> Cross Fund, v if He'woold .accept a commission to paint .-Mr. Sargent accepted at - a price:. •'£ •/.-;. '^ : ~= *;■ _y TMyiusi&nia- was not/warned} Jbufc the sung;ou£ as a precaution. Captain Turner was. saved,jbut nearly aU the officers perished. ~" Twenty-£wo of the Tes'ctieir passengers

dled.y*. One hundred aitd-'six Ariieritens perished. It wasthought the ship wbuld float, but shVsarik in less-than thirty minutes. Scarcely an event.. ■", caused - ,the samel profound ?S London: prio;fto":We" vessel's -sailing disinissed, >r arid Jeven ; : ..the submarine activity- .off - Kinsale during thelast-few days.had.npt; caused anxiety, the public, pinning" their faith-on the linerf§ speed. '• •■'.-„- •-- • .'-/■' The 5 first.rumours of ; the disaster were franklv. discredited,. and the official in- j f onnafcioh produced a ■': -shock. Most peoplfe were unable to realise.that-a:great disaster had Slowly the facts I ■wefe=acfe'epted. The one question asked was,' f"Hpw,many survived?" The -absence* of information deepened: ?;ohe. anxiety,-> and'distressed..inquirers besieged the Canards Goinpariy's "including .'-many- Americans. -"• Heartrending scenes'were witnessed-: -The:officials for j some ;: time were without infp'rmatipn. Tfii xrbwdsHri Gocltspuf-stfeet increased fioi&yf : 'tW nightT *" It' was a-hot, ventle southerly Breeze "blpwing. ? Captain W. :£ T? Turner"" began 1 his career as a cabin boy forty years ago. He" has commanded most the large Cunarders, and will soon!.'be - given - Command of the Aquatania. _ According to the best available mformation the Lusitania: - was torpedoed about 4-w.o ~6!clock. .The signalmen at Xffisalff Head observed that .the liner was InfdWcuKies' W 2.12. Apparently the first wire)ess. : call? ior. help was picked up - at* Queenstown three minutes later; and. Kinsale at 2.33 that the vessel lad disappeared. : ;. " ; < boats were counted -oh the after. All the Lusi-. tania's were capable -of carrying troni. f 32 ;ixS6Q? persons -each, and it is S<mn that the. liner carried more than Efficient Iboats t6 accommodate the pas- I leftgeTs; and:,crew., .-;-.-._..- .-."-, . • -J'Mesnwhile 1 Admiral Coke ordered four xilVaßvessels .arid-all the available tugs,, traw.ftrs, "and' lifeboats from -Queensfrom all the? stations. : :-■.: .= glairy inotor boats: we're prominent in the rescue-work. A Greek-steamer was amone-the-"first~on.the scene,-and -towed tse' boats to J narbbur. A motor boat repersons, and transferred them to the Admiralty tug Stormcock. ■ It -tEen-returned and towed several boats. ■■' Soou' - and" :the Lusitania's toata slpwlv icpved shorewards. A fleet ofSmbto*r X c ar rs^'" as despatched from Gork. tio meet-the "survivors, and -the wpunded vrere'^sobn: placed-iii hospifal/"Where.seve--jaldied- v .'.-V J : -'-v : .■'■.■■ . T The survivors were landed at various passengers included Mr. 3>.. A. Thomas, the Welsb coal king j Lady Mackworth, Mr F. Stackhouse/ the exinprer, the Rev. BasU Maturin, Mr and S J- C. Mackay, of. Auckland; Mr. Klein, the playwright; and Mrs Justus Miles Fbrman,: the author. . ... VThe" Xusitania carried 187 American press Bureau that there -tfere v 279 Hist 1 ■' class British: and 725 other : British passengers on board the Xusitaeiia. , , . , --ttomeaiately : she was struck she took a iseaw list; and. those who- made for . the -pp-rt "side had very little chance. ¥The first-class passengers were lunching,at the time pf-.the disaster.. All the survivors are in a; pitiable conare some complaints about the of armed escorts for large liners approaching the coast;- - '■',>»'*" -The firstand second-officers and bt oi the crpw,- includin K • four stewardesses, saved. --*' ,■_'[ - : %he:Lusitama was struck on the starboard side. ;''■■.. . - ; ■. . , "Bive of the boats reached Queenstown lite-en Friday night. There were pitiable barefooted men and women feeins- tfainly clad and soaked. A Greek ladv an expert swimmer, swam for a Tvf„V time? before- she. was,rescued. Elbert HubBafd and UgT wife, and also-vthe: whole o£ a theatrical tfompany recently touring play "A Pair of Silk-Stock-''?;s%"rs. Band aftd hV son,, and Mr Fred were _ S^ the; passengers . j&ved. " ".' ■:''■'"■.

Survivors stated that there was a great crash, and in the hustling, wives and children were separated,in the first confusion. There was" no panic, and all quickly recovered their self-possession. Theliner shivered from stem to'stern. There was no chance of making for the shore, as she settled immediately. The list was. so great that Hie passengers feared the vessel would capsize. It was impossible to launch the port boats. ;."The women and children were placed in : the Boats first. ■The womenf-who were saved visited the Queeristown. quays early morning to learn if their husbands arid children-had been saved. Forty-nine more survivors were landedat Qneenstown from a drifter. The Admiralty announce that there is little hope of there being more survivors. The Bishop of London cabled to "the "New York Tribune" :—"The ; sinking of the Lusitania is a colossal crime, staining the" reputation, of its perpetrators for ever." ,

Signor Marconi interrupted a German wireless message from the "New York World"-to. Herr Ballin, reading as follows :~-7"Believe a message from you in justification of the destruction of ; the LusitariiaY-would be welcomed by inillions o£ ; German-Americans. "Your reply would be- 1 of. incalculable benefit to Germany in this crisis." ■ -•,-• '.-•'■ .■-■■- 'v . LONDON, May 9. \ The Adriiiralty the statement that the Lusitania carried guns. A Mansion House fund has been opened. :. ; - Violent hostility is shown to towards German members of the Stock Exchange, and several were, thrown out of the -building. Many of the passengers were stupefied 6v the fihnes of the torpedo. Before the, vessel made the final plunge the stern rose high, in the air for several minutes-. ; .

• Stoker Tourier> who escaped from the Titanic, states that the. torpedo went right through, the, engine-room-. A few moments, later 'the ship was torpedoed in the- port-sid&.'Jsuggesting that two submarines vvere lying in wait. ;Mr Cowpef, a Toronto _ journalist, caught a glimpse «of a conning" tower a thousand yards .clistant., ,-, Then he. noticed the track- of a torpedo. The Lusir tania.was struck forward, and there was a-loud 1 explosion, portions of the splintered hull being sent flying in the air. A few seconds later another torpedo struck her.-' '■- ■•■■■ - -' r - -. ■'■■■'■■ ;■ ■'■

The crew- immediately got the passengers into the boats. Everything was done in an orderly fashion. Some of the boats could riot be launched, and had to be cut away as the vessel: was sinking. There was a large liuriiber of women in the second-class, arid about forty babies.

Mr. D. A. Thomas states that Lady Maek'worth was picked up unconscious after-being in the water hours. She recovered.

The Lusitania . was torpedoed : fifteen riiiles-off the shore, and headed shorewards after being struck. She sank'in fifteen minutes.- Mr Thomas heard one torpedo. The captain remained on the bridge until the last," and went down with the vessel. His lifebelt kept him afloat for three hours till he was rescued. '...-•'. ..■■-..•.: •'■■ .-■' The following names in the Niagaras passenger list appeared in the Lusitania's list,—Mr and Mts C. A. Learoyd, Mr W. Pailey-Sutherst, Mr G. H. Turton, Mr. Mrs, Miss, arid Master Neville, and Mrs Wickham. The survivoTs include Mrs'Learoyd and her maid.