THE TORPEDOING OF THE MARQUETTE.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14155, 18 April 1916, Page 7

THE TORPEDOING OF THE MARQUETTE.

-e»>— (From tlio "Masseydonian Stretcher,'' [uiblishod at Salonika, March Ist, 1910.) The bells of tiie good .ship "M.uqiiottcj" iiad just sounded on the morning of October 23rd. On hoard wore tho staff and equipment of the No. 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital ■ and., i\ Divisional Ammunition Column of about 500 officers and m(!i.i, besides 000 j mules aixl equipment. Salonika, tlio| ])ort of destination was only about 60 I miles distant. The "Murquette" had already entered the '.gtJf bearing that name, and the left and right shores of the gnlf wore about L 3 and 3^5 miles distant res]>Gctively. Suddenly a terrific explosion occurred forward. A torpedo •.'entered at tho stai'ooard, and passing through the slip ir.ade a great hole m the port side,' which commenced to lower rapidly. The explosion eomplct-jly bleu- up the quarters of our unit, which were down in the lowest hold below the jihilo dock, also carried away tho ladders lead' ing to the forward "Heck. Therefore many of our unit were for the timebeing imprisoned. Tho first inrush of water almost filled the hold, and it was a matter of swimming to th*.- opening^ where willing hands, threw down rop#t; to assist the climbing to tiie deck, home were wounded by the explosion ; and all were more or loss stunned, but before long they succeeded in reaching the deck. Meanwhile the alarm bugle had been mounded, and every one calmly but quickly fell in at the respective post-, allotted, where lifebelts were put on' The nurses were next lowered into | the boats under the supervision of those officers detailed for that duty. Shortly after this was-'carried out, the command came "Every man for himself." Our boys were paraded with their officers on' the forward deck, and as no boats were, available immediately swam off in all directions. Some could not swim and simply throw themselves into the .•water which was then half.awash of their parade deck. Tho Commanding Officers stuck to their posts bravely, setting a'splendid example, and wero jmoiin the la-t to lone rl c 'hip The next iew minutes were indeed oiies of anxious suspense, "rd lew who \\r>ie near the propellei will iui ioipet the .iwiul moments v\hon it ->eemol i- o. a -ibfM Aovld ho cut io - . *i T i,..

over on her port -side. • Had she done so many would have been kiiled sn the water. Surprising though it may seem, she actually righted herself, save that the forepart was submerged. The stern rose gradually until the rudder , was almost at right u'.igfos with tho , water, tho.ii diving forward tho "Mar- , quette" slowly disappeared i'rom sight, amid tlic sound of a, dull explosion. It v.-as now a matter of crustingtr. pieces of wrt-cka«e and the liio- , belts. TJio soa was choppy, and ve''.y , soon the struggling mass drifted apart, , covering some miles. The day was extremely cold. nr>d even within the first hour many iicerno 'exhausted and ■periled.; 'Eiglit, Uv^: iiours passed by i't-f;).'.: ' he!:.. .t;i:i:*i.. jr.. was just as darkness v.:as '' r. v«mcncii:<_' lo fall that! the "TiVaiJleur" w.-rri .>-b O vif i destroyer) and tilt; "I.vnr' '':;.--•;. mine sweeper) hove in r|...--H. jj.|.;T •, i C 'k- ' ly carried out the workui i\: 'U';. I .•'.l] tlie ■survivors Were .'-r..7--->-"1 %• 1 kindly treated on the rescue .sh;;;-. j. i,ir: Avhicli, after Salonika Ikr !'•;.;• i^d been reached, thej' were tran;.i;.:rr'.-:-d to j hospital ships. ■ j The most unfortunate nv.v. . ■■■:::.-]■]'■ t pjirb of the disaster was that. :-- ;>i.-.nany. nurses should have boon lost. 'Liiis clue to faulty lowering of the boats. The boats were lowered with the nurses in.ample time, and had this work been curried out properly they should ha-/e been safely clear of the ship for a considerable distance Ixrfore the ship sank. However, a 'number of them were capsized out of the boats in thj lowering. operations, and others wore injure*! by 1 he lowering of one boat on top of another. These "11 succeeded in renewing boits or pieces of wre-ckagC'; but the extreme >"o!dness of the wa'car. nncl th.c shock received were too severe for many of them, and accounted for tiie largo percentage of lo^sei.