The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, May 12, 1915, Image 3
cussp!sse?
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i LARGE PROPORTION OF CREW
: SAVED BUT NO LACK OF DISCIPLINE
WAS EVIDENCED,
>
14-?E4? OLD GIRL -HEROINE
Stories of Heroic Work of Rescuers
/ mong the Passengers of the fH~
. fated Ocean Liner.
v Queenstown.?In striking- contrast,
to most historic sea disasters, the rate
of mortality among Srst class passengers
of the Lusiatania seems to be
heavier than among any other class
on board. A large j*oportion of those
saved are members of the crew, but
j.t_ _ - i. ? j i? v _ r. ^
uns> is not evidence 01 laou OL
line, as most of them were picked up
from the water. The captain of a
i twaier who arrived in the harbor soon
| after "the accident with -T46' survivo-rs,
| mostly women and children,, when rej
preached for no*- staying longer on the
I chance of picking up more survivors,
said:
"There were many left in the water,
but they were dead and many were
so mangled I thought it better to bring
ashore my boat load of'suffering women
, as they could not have stood
mnch more."
These women presented pitiful
sight as they wandered aimlessly
about, searching without hope for
loved ones who must have gone down
. with the ship.
Relatives ana friends of passengers
who naa gone m zugu spiiica uj
- Liverpool to meet the incoming ship,
; began to arrive here 10 search for the
missing, but the small roll of survivors
meant heart-breaking disappointment
for most of them- \
The brief time elapsing between the
torpedoing and sinking of the Lusitania
was long enough to develop a
heroine in the person of Mrs. Kathleen
Kaye, 14 years old, returning
' from New York where she had been
visiting relatives. With smiling words
and reassurance, she sided "stewards
in-Ailing a boat with women and^vchg- :
* dretL / /rr 4
When all were in she climbed
aboard the lifeboat as coolly as an
able seaman. One sailor fainted at.
and the girl- took his. place. '.
mem-*
z&v^
torpedo,
to.
the
for lowerrealized.
remarkable escape was
RolBsiil Minimis of Gainesville,"
was returning to England
fl|UPPHr yearly visit accompanied by
"iis chum R. T. Moodie, also of Gainesville.
Both men gave their life-belts
to steerage women just as the Lusitania
sank. Timmis, who is a strong
3wimmer, ~ remained in the- water, j
clining to various objects, for nearly j
three hours, 'fhen he was taken into
a Knaf n-V^r-Vi Via c+iTl hod the ifrancrth
?? VV/U> V *? 1X4 V U XX v <7 UXXX U?U VUV/ <7 1>X V/ AX >5
to assist in rowing.
The boat began picking up from the
water all those showing signs of life
and the first person rescued was the
half-unconscious steerage woman to
whom-Timmis had given his life-belt, j
Moodie sank when the ship went un- i
der, and although he was a good
swimmer, he was not seen again, j
Moodie was all ready to jump when
Timmis. who had previously given his
helt to a woman, said:
'There is a steerage woman here
with a six-months-old baby/' Moodie
promptly stripped off his left-belt, but .
it seems both he and the woman
perishedDr.
J. T. Houghton of Troy. N. Y?
a survivor, said there was no reason
to fear any danger after the first explosion.
as it was believed the vessel
would be headed for Queenstown ana
beached if necessary. Just then, said
Doctor Houghton, the liner again was
struck, evidently in a more vital spot,
for it began to settle rapidly.
Orders then came from the bridge
to lower all boats. Women became
panic-stricken. People were rushed
into the boats, some of which were
launched successfully, others not so
successfully.
G. D. Lane, a youthful but coolhpadpfl
sw-nnd fah'in naceoncoi- mtin
was returning to Wales from New
York, was in a lifeboat which capsized.
"I was on the *B' deck," je
said, "when I saw the wake of the
torpedo. I rushed to get a life-belt
but stopped to help get children on
the boat deck.
"The second cabin was a veritable
nursery. Many youngsters must have
drowned, but I saw one boat get away
filled with women and children. When,
the water reached the deck I saw another
life-boat with a vacant seat. !
which I took as no one else was in
sight. The Lusitania keeled so suddenly
our boat was swamped but we
righted her again.
"We witnessed the most horrible
(scene of human futility it is possible
to imagine. When the Lusitania had
iuruee! almost over she suddenly
plunged bow foremost into the waUr,
leaving her stern "high in the a!r. -
; I ^ Cl
- ' The great steamer Liisitania was
Glasgow, launched July 7. 1906. and
long,. gross tonnage $2,500. net to.
end class passengers and 1,300 thin
1WELVE HUNDRED II
mm
i o
v 11
Two Torpedoes Strike Vessel!
O '* nw* 1 |_
sending inter no oonom in
Fifteen Minutes
STORKS OF SURVIVORS
V ]
About 1American* Are Lost.?
' Manly Victim# Art Women, Iodise
Srought to Land.
London?The Gunard liner Lusi- ^
tm*> ~rMck sailed out of Nev York t
aWJt? 1
Jiw at the bottom or too ocean os ;
She Irish coast- She was sunk by a
Gorman submarine, which sent two torpedoes
crashing into her side while
the passengers were" at luncheon.
The Lueitania was steaming along 1
about 10 miles off Old Head Kinsale
on the last leg of her yoy&ge to <
Liverpool when about 2 o'clock in
the afternoon a submarine suddenly :
appeared and so: far as all reports
go, fired two torpedoes without warn- i
ing at the steamer. One struck her
near the bows and the other in the '
engine room.
The powerful agents of destruction
tore through the vessels side, caus- j
ing terriffic explosions. Almost im-1
mediately great volumes of water j
poured through the openings and the j
Lusitania listed.
Boats which were already swung
out on the davits were dropped over- j
board and were speedily filled with :
passengers who had been appalled by ;
the desperate attack. A wireless call (
for help was sent out, and immediately
rescue boats "of all kinds were sent
both from the neighboring points
along the coast and Queenstown.
Within 15 minutes, as one survivor
estimated, and certainly within half
an hour, the Lusitania had disappeared.
J When the passengers realized that
| the Ludtania was doomed they
j found that most of the boats of the ,
: port side were so jammed because of 1
the great list of the vessel that they
; could not be lowered and last seen j
! of them by the more fortunate pas-!
I sengers who had secured places in
' 1 A
! the starDoara ooais m ?uu imu
I jumped overboard and had been pick- I
| ed up. they were lined on the slopin.tr
decks awaiting iheir fate, doubtless ';
even then believing that with land so
close they won! 1 still be saved.
However, tbe torpedoes had torn
such gaping holes in the liner thai
she did not remain afloat for more
i r- Tninut.es. and the calls for
j help which the wireless sent oui. al[
t.houeh answered quickly, could "not;
hiiuy rue rescuins steamers m tirue t
i to be of any service.
I Clinton Bernard, of New York, a
first cabin survivor of t.he ~Lusi*ania.
said of his experiences:
T jumped overboard. I had no lifebelt
but I picked tip a bit or floatsam.
Finally 1 sot 10 an upturned boat and
clinjr to that. Later, with some others
who had swam t.o this boat, we man
acted to riqnlit it and climbed In and i
started ?< rescu*- those we could
reach.
"The Genua 1 submarine made no
attempt to sa\- anybody. We saw it !
for a niomtrt Just before ii dove.
I "The fust torpedo struck us boI!
r/ween the lirsf a:id second funnels.
The Lusitania shook a.nd settled down
a bit. Two other torpedoes quickly (
| followed end joou finished our ship. .
>Tnr or iv? .->? our lifeboats ^tut ,
JNARD LINER, LUJ
^
one 01 the largest and speediest transstarted
on her maiden trip September
nn-age 9,143, and had accommodation
i-class. Her captain was W. T. TurnerisIS
JEM SMIfE j
down with her and the tremendous
suction as the liner was engulfed
dragged many down.
"The iirst torpedo burst with a big
thud, and we knew that we were
doomed.
"We had floated about two hours
In our small boat before the first res- I
cue steamers arrived. Previous ? to
this time scrne small shore boats and
ashing smacks came along and helpsd
us."
The Rev. H. W. Simpson, a passenger
in the second cabin, saved himself
b7 clinging to an upturned boat.
"After a struggle we filled this boat
irith all we codld rescue."; Dr. Simpson
said today. . "We tied a pair of J
trousers-to an'bar and hoisted it as j
i signal of distress.
44A K<*r fj-iwlar s>am* olrvnjr and t?vt1r I
us aboard.
"When we were struck I was in the
saloon. Lifebelts were handed around
but the people did not want to put
them on and they rushed off to the
deck just as they were."
A cabin steward gave the following j
account:
"The passengers, a large number of i
whom were seriously injured by the
explosion and by splinters from the
wreckage, were all at luncheon. The
weather was beautifully clear and
calm. We were going at. about lo
knots, and were seven or eight miles
south of Galley head when we were
struck by one torpedo and in a min
uate or two by two more. The first
explosion staggered us, shattering the
gigantic sbip. The Lusitania disappeared
in 20 minutes aft^r the first
torpedo struck.
4-It was a terrible sight, but. the
passengers were surprisingly cool.
We did not get a moment's notice
from the submarine. It appeared suddenly
above the surface on the starboard
bow. It disappeared as suddely
as it came into view, and was not
seen again. It did not attempt to
save men. women or children, but left
them to drown like rats in a trap wfien
the great ship sank like a stone.
GERMANY DEFENDS DEED.
Points to Warning and Seeks to Shift |
Blame to Owners.
Berlin, via Wireless to London.?
The following official communication
was issued:
"The Cunard liner Lusitania was |
torpedoed by a German submarine !
and sunk. The Lusitania was not j
only armed with guns, as were re- i
cently most of the English mercantile j
steamers, cut, as is well known here, j
she had large quantities of war ma- j
terial in her cargo.
"Her owners, therefore, knew to j
what danger the pasengers were ex- j
poseu. J iicy aione near an inn re- j
sponsibilir.y tor what has happonde. !
"Germany, on her part, left nothing
undone to repeatedly and strongly
warn them. The imperial ambassador
in Washington even went so fa." as (o j
make a public warning, sc as to draw j
attention to this danger. The English
newspapers sneered then at the
warning ai.d relied on the protection
of the British fleM. to saf* g. nl At- j
i : .. 4?.v a: ^ >
Aftjiuv uann;.
Nc News of Vandcbilt.
Washington. - American Consul
Frost at Cork" sent the- follmvinr
cable to the State Department:
"Please assume thai persons no:
listed as either survivors or identified
dead are missing and almost certain
ly d i?A. So new? of Vandubilt.
Stone. Shields. Myers. Ifnbbaid. Far*
uiyu am or heir bodi^." '
5ITANIA
t
*
I
p- ;? "rawsr-?
j0 '
f
.
Atlantic liners. ,She v<-a-s built in. i
7, 1907. The Lusitania "was 785 feat I
for 550 first-class passengers, 5f,0 secPRESIDENT
CALMLY CONSIDERING
QUESTION
Washington.?After a conference
with the president at the White
House, Secretary Tumulty said:
"Of course the president feels
the distress and the gravity of the
situation to the utmost, and is con1,
sidering very earnestly, but very
calmly, the right course of action
to pursue. He knows that the people
of the country wish and expect
lim to act with deliberation as well
as with firmness."
F^CTS ABOUT THE LUSITANIA.
Every Thing About ths Great Ocsa*
Liner Was colossal in Dimenttona.
Now York.?The Lusitania is the
twenty-ninth vessel to be sunk or
damaged in the first week of May in
the German war zone about the
British Isles m
Host of these vessel* were torpe-,
doedby German submarines, although
k cases it has notbeen estabwhether
the damage was inflicted
hy mines or underwater boats.During
the last fortnight German
submarines have carried on the most
active campaign of any time since the
war began.
The Lusitania was one of the largest
trans-Atlantic liDers and was one
of the speediest- She was built in
Glasgow in 1906 and was 785 feet
long. ' Her gross tonnage was 32,500
.and her net tonnage 9,145. She was
owned by the Cunard Steamship
Company, Ltd., of Liverpool. Her
captain was W. T. Turner.
The Lusitania was a proa act of the
race for speed which was carried on
for years among trans-Atlantic steamship
companies, particularly of England
and Germany. When the Lusitania
was launched she was the wonder
of the maritime world. Her mastery
of the sea from the standpoint
of speed was undisputed.
Marine engineers were particularly
interested in the great engines by
which the Lusltania was propelled,
which were regarded as a distinct departure.
Instead of the usual type of
reciprecating engines, her builders installed
turbines. These engines de
veloped an indicated horsepower of
I 70.000. driving four shafts, each of
v. hich carried a three-bladed propeller.
The launching of the i-usit.a-iiia on i
.Tune 7. 190?>. at Clyde Bank, was at- !
tended with elaborate ceremonials.
She left on Iter maiden trip Septem- j
ber 7. 1907. This voyage was herald- j
ed as a race for the world's record.
German steamship companies said
her time of five days. 51 minutes,
i was not in reality a record. Later
| she made an undisputed record of
! four days. 11 hours. 4l' minutes, bur
I that subsequently was beaten by the
; Mauretania.
In January of last year the LusI!
tania rescued the crew of the little
i Canadian brig&tine Mayflower which I
! wa-i drifting wrecked and helpless
! l.OOO miles from the Canadian shore.
Every thing about the "I.usitania was
of colossal dimension. Her rudder
I weighed. (! "? tons. She carried three
I anchors of 10 tons each. The main
I frames and beams placed end to end,
1 would extend i'.o miles
Charles f\ Sumner, general agent
| of the Cunard line in New York, is- j
> sued a statement just before the !
' Lusitania left New York the last time i
I L-ouinti- vftVjfO Wrtlllrf nil' if. j
! tended by any risk whatever, as 'he
liner had a sp'eed of 25 1-2 knots and
was provided with unusual wat^rticlii
bulkheads. Marine men said tha;
I in their opinion the Lushania. could
, nor. he sunk by sny single torpedo.
Japan Cancels Military Movement.
Tokio.? -The Japanese Government
j announced that rhe naval and military
movements in connection with tbe
i t'birfh-o situation U^<\ tmop
I in 11 Cured?no cutting
W* 11 from, business.
I I LLV YOU know. C2
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Register, 506 Union National Bank
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\ ?
'Comfortable Unde
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prepay postage.
I HOPE-OA'
1 OLD Y. M. . J
I COLUMB
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Hardy, Early, Oj
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Arrive Fi:< hinond ..
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M D.DENNY.
Ticker Agent,
i Lexington. 3. 0.
no pain, no danger, no detention
restimonials furnished from people f
ill on or write rne for particulars and
ling my advanced method or treating
)d, Skin and special diseases of men
Consultation Free. Dr. W. R.
Building. Columbia, S. C.
Palm Beach j
and
Mohair Suits
Don't suffer from
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when you can buy
real Cool Clothes
u rM"VC
ii'U'iii x i upv - \jr a \ M
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b m a
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L BUILDING I
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PLANTS
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G COMPANY, I
TH CAROLINA.
==?%
mual Reunion
rate Veterans
nd, Va. ji
rid 3, 1915
Railway
r of the South.
3
mnd Trip
n limit June 10, with extension
:ets ami payment (>t a fee of j
[- LE: !
ti.-J-J F M.
. . T L'O P M. :
13.00 P.M.
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ion Sleeping Oars. First-class
tinirHtf with
MAG RUDER DENT.
District Passenger Agent. Ill
Aoynsta, Ga.
w