MANY WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND INVALIDED SOLDIERS ON BOARD.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14868, 17 September 1918, Page 5

MANY WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND INVALIDED SOLDIERS ON BOARD.

RESCUE WORK DIFFICULT. ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR MISSING. ("The Times."} (Received Sept. 16, 8 p.m.) London, Sept. 15. The Galway Castle was bound for Durban. She had 941 persons on board^ including the crew of 201, 300 women and children, and 300 invalided soldiers. The ship filled rapidly, but the bulkheads kept her afloat while destroyers rescued the survivors. The ship was torpedoed at seven o'clock in the morning. Nothing was seen of the* submarine. The explosion broke the steamer almost in two.

There was1 imminent danger of her sinking, and Captain Dyer ordered her abandonment, but, with volunteers, remained on board.

The crew behaved with commendable promptitude, but the rough sea made rescue, terribly difficult. The first boat lowered overturned, and the women and children in it were thrown into the sea. Another boat was dashed against the steamer's hull, resulting in the loss bl numbers of lives. Others were drowned by jumping into the water, hoping to reach the boats, which, however, the rough sea prevented from remaining alongside.

Constant baling was needed to keep the boats afloat. Later destroyers brought the survivors to port.

Twenty first class, ten second class, I and ninety third class passengers, and 34 of tho crew arc missing. Many of I the latter were no doubt -killed by the explosion. | Many of the passengers were in their berths, when the ship was tor- ; pedoed, and most of them wore only lifebelts over their night dresses. Many of the rafts overturned. Men svram about picking up children and putting them on the rafts. One naval lieutenant died of,<?xposu t re in a boat.

The missing include Mr Bunting (PBurtine), a member of the South African Parliament. Amongst the rescued are the" Hon. H. Burton, a [South African Minister who was returning from the Imperial War Conference. Within an hour everybody was off the i ship. When the rescuing destroyers I left with the survivors the steamer was still afloat. j