SURVIVORS' STATEMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15915, 12 May 1915, Page 8

SURVIVORS' STATEMENTS.

SEVERAL BOATS SMASHED.

CRUISER WITHIN CALL.

ON SPOT TWO HOURS BEFORE.

London, May 10. Survivors of the Lusitania relate a number of facts which call for explanation. Despite the warning of the German Embassy at Washington the Lusitania had no naval escort. This is more remarkable when it is remembered that a German submarine had already found victims in this part of the Atlantic. Cork newspapers reported that a submarine was reconnoitring close in shore on Thursday.

Observers on land declare that 15 minutes before the disaster a patrol boat passed the Lusitania and then turned and followed her, while immediately after the Lusitania sank another patrol boat darted up from the west. These statements directly conflict with the unanimous assertion of survivors that though they felt sure that the British Navy was taking care of them they saw neither warships nor patrol boats before or after the sinking. The British light cruiser Juno had passed over- the spot where the Lusitania was sunk two hours

earlier. The moment she was mooted at Queensiown she received the Lusitania's call for help, and steamed out, but she shortly returned, as many Admiralty tugs and small craft were swarming about the scene of the disaster. Evidence is clear that the survivors were without assistance for two hours. A survivor states that no smoke was coming from the rearmost funnel and little from the next funnel before the Lusitania was torpedoed. Whether the engineers were economising coal in order to reduce the smoke trail, or whether the slow speed of the liner was involuntary has not been ascertained. This is a most important point in view of reliance placed on the vessel's speed. Others consider that the crew might have done more, but make allowance in view of the difficulties owing to the heavy list of the ship. The fact remains that several boats were smashed and swamped while being lowered, and no attempt was made to lower others. A curious statement has been independently made by two American passengers that an order was received not to launch the boats. In one case passengers were already in a boat, and had to return to the deck. In the other case the narrator states that he threatened to shoot anyone attempting to prevent a boat being lowered. Mr. Isaac Jackson stated that an officer ordered several to quit the outswung boats in which they were awaiting events, shouting that there was no danger. Apparently the officers believed the ship would remain afloat because it had ceased to heel.