Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE CU I The great steamer Lusitanla was Galasgow, launched July 7, 1906, and long, gross tonnage 32,600, net tor end class passengers and 1,300 -third TWLVE HUDRED L LUSITANIA, GREA VICTM OF Two Torpedoes Strike Vessel .Sending Her To Bottom In . Fifteen Minutes STORIES OF SURVIVORS About 120 Americans Are Lost. Many Victims Are Women. Bod les Brought to Land. London.-The Cunard liner Lusi Lana, which sailed out of New York -with more than 2,000 persons aboard, lies at the bottom of the ocean off tahe Irish coast. She was sunk by a 'German submarine, which sent two torpedoes crashing into her side while -the passengers were at luncheon. The Lusitania was steaming along about 10 miles off Old Head Kinsale on the last leg of her voyage 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 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 ing terrifllc exlolsions. Almost Im mediately great volumes of water pouredl through the openings and the Lusitania listed. Boats which wvere already swung -out on the davits were dropped over board and were speedily filled with passengers who had been appalled by the desperate attack. A wireless call for help was sent out, and immediate ly 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 disap peared. - Wh~en the passengers realized that the Lusitania was doomed they found that most of the boats of the port sidle were so jammed because of the great list of the v3ssel that they could not be lowered and last seen of them by the more fortunate pas' sengers who had secured places in the starboard boats or who had jumped overboard and had been pick ed up, they were lined on the sloping decks awaiting their fate, doubtless even then believing that with land so close they would still he saved. However, the torpedoes had torn such gaping holes in the liner that she did not remain afloat for more than 20 minutes, and the calls for hlp which the wireless sent out, al though answered quickly, could not bring the rescuing steamers in time to be of any service. Clinton Bernard of Now York, a first cabin survivor of the Lusitania, said of his experiences: I jumped overboard. I had no life belt but I picked up a bit of floatsam. Finally' I got to an upturned boat and cling to that. Later, with some others who had swam to this boat, we ialan aged to right it and climbed ini and started to rescue thog we could reach German subm ne hi ace no attempt to save anybod '/ saw it for a moment just beto~ ' dote. -"The first torpedo'o ck us be. 'tween the Vyt and~ d ~unnels. The L2eSjki\ :Bhookf, 4ttl~d down ai%t. Two ot a,6 e~ 4 uickly followed. and sooni fnish Four or fito of our lit NARD LINER, LU one of the largest and speediest trans-1 started on her maiden trip September 7 nage 9,145, and had accommodation f -class. Her captain was W. T. Turner. VES LOST; IT OCEAN LINER GERMAN SUBMARINE down with her and the tremendous suction as the liner was engulfed dragged many down. "The first 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 cue steamers arrived. Previous to this time some small shore boats and fishing smacks came along and help ed us." The Rev. H. W. Simpson, a passen ger in the second cabin, saved him self by clinging to an upturned boat. "After a struggle we filled this boat with all we could rescue." Dr. Simp son said today. "We tied a pair of trousers to an oar and hoisted it as a signal of distress. "A big trawler came along and took 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 account: "The passengers, a large number of whom were seriously injured by the explosion and by splinters from the wreckage, were all at luncheon. The weather wvas beautifully clear and calm. We were going ' at about 16 knots, and were seven or eight miles south of Galley head when we were struck by one torpedo and in a nin uate or two by two more. The first explosion staggered us, shattering the gigantic ship. The Lusitania disap peared in 20 minutes after- the first torpedo struck. "It was a terrible sight, but the passengers were Eirprisingly cool. We did not get a moment's notice from the submarine. It appeared sud denly above the surface on the star board 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 rate in a trap when the gr-eat ship sank like a stone. GERMANY DEFENDS DEED. Points to Warning and Seeks to Shift Blame to Owners. Berlivn, via Wireless to London. The following official communication was issued: "The Cunard liner' Lusitania was torpedloed by a Ger-man submarine and sunk. The Lusitania was not only armed with guns, as were re cently most of the English mercantile steamers, t'ut, as is wecll known here, she had large qluantities of war ma terial in her cargo. "Her owners, therefore, knew to what danger the pasengers were ex posedl. Trhy alone bear all the re sponsibility for what has happende. "Germany, on her part, left noth ing undone to repeatedly and strongly warn them. The imperial ambassador in Washington eveu wvent so far as to make a public warning, so as to draw attention to this danger. The Eng lish newspapers sneered then at the warning and relied on the protection of the Britiesh fleet to safegard At lantic traffic." No News of Vanderbilt. Washington. - American Consul F'rost at Cork sent the following ce~ble to the State Department: "Please assume that persons not listed as either survivors or identified dead are missing and almost certain. ly dead. No news of Vanderbilt Stone, Shields, Myers, Hubbard, For nuan nor Gat te bodies. ITANIA M4.. Alantic liners. She was built in , 1907. The Lusitania was 785 feet )r 550 first-class passengers, 500 sec PRESIDENT CALMLY CONSID ERING 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 con. sidering very earnestly, but very calmly, the right course of action to pursue. He knows that the peo ple of the country wish and expect ilm to act with deliberation as well as with firmness." FACTS ABOUT THE LUSITANIA. Every Thing About the Great Ocean Liner Was Colossal in Dimensions. New 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. Most of these vessels were torpe doed by German submarines, although in some cases it has not been estab lished whether the damage was in flicted by 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 larg est trans-Atlantic liners 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 Cunardl Steamship Company, Ltd.. of Liverpool. 11cr captain was WV. T. Turner. The Lusitania was a proauct of the race for speed which was carried on for years among trans-Atlantic steam ship companies, particularly of Eng land and Germany. When the Lusi tanla wvas launched she was the wvon der of the maritime wvorld. Her mas tory of the sea from the standpoint of speed was undisputed. Marine engineers were particularly interested in the great engines by which the Lusitania was propelled, which were regarded as a distinct de parture. Instead of the usual typo of reciprocating engines, her builiders in stalled turbines. These engines de veloped an indicated horsepower of 70,000, driving four shafts, each of which carried a three-bladed pro peller. The launching of the Lusitania on June 7, 1906, at Clyde Bank, was at tended with elaborate ceremonials. She left on her maiden trip Septem ber 7, 1907. This voyage was herald ed as a race for the wor-ld's record. German steamship companies said her time of flve cdays, 54 minutes, was not in reality a recor-d. Later she made an undisputed record of four days, 11 howrs. 412 minutes, but that subsequently was beaten by the Mauretania. In January of last year the Lust tania rescued the crew of the little Canadian brlgatine Mayflower which waj difting wrecked and helpless 1,000 miles from the Canadian shore. Every thing about the iLsitania was of colossal dhnmension. Her rudder weighed 65 tons. She carried three anchors of 10 tons each. Tfhe main frames and beams placed end to end, would extend 30 miles. Charles P. Sumner, general agent of the Cunard line in New York, is sued a statement jusit before the Lusitanla left Now York the last time saying her voyage would not be at tended by any risk whatever, as the liner had a speed of 25 1-2 knots and was provided with unusual water tight bulkheads. Marine men said that In their opinion the Lusitania cou-ld not be sunk by any single torpedo. Japan Cancels Military Movement. Trokio.-The Japanese Government announced that the naval and military movements in connection with the Chinese situation had been can.caoUnd. ONLY A FEW OF LUS ARE FOUND; rwo OR THREE SUBMARINES ATTACKED THE GREAT OCEAN LINER. DAPTIAN TURNER IS SILENT Grieving For Loss of Ship He Only Remarks, "It Is the Fortune of War." Broken Down. London.-Froi the reports that reach here fromn many sources these points seem to be established in re gard to the sinking'of the Lu.itania: No warning of the attack was given. Several torpedoes were hurled at the ship; some say four and others tveu. Two, or at most three of the missiles struck the Lusitania. One of the torpedoe:, entered No. 1 stokehold and another the engine room. Conflicting reports as to the side struck suggest that nore than one submarino may have participated. There was no panic on the ves sel, the crew going coolly about the work of preparing to save passengers. Captain Turner promptly turn ed the Lusitania toward shore. The heavy list due to inrushing water prevented the launching of many lifeboata. Some boats were swamped after launching, the vessel being un able to slow up because of sev ered pipes. Many passengers, expecting res cue by boats, put on no life. belts, and perished. Others on board, including members of the crew, were wound er or killed by the torpedoes. The ship, sinking rapidly by the head, went down with stern In air ten or fifteen minuts after she was struck. Captain Turner, commander of the Lusitania, one of the few officers sav ?d, has refused to make any formal statement. He remained at his post on :he bridge until the ship went down, ind was rescued two hours later, ivearing a life belt. He was terribly broken down when he landed at Queenstown, but his drst remark as he went ashore was >ne of quiet irony. "Well," he said, "it is the fortune of war." After a strong cup of tea and a short rest he seemed to recover from is depression. He displayed great grief over the loss of his vessel, but expressed no vpinion on the action of the Germans. After renalning on the Lusitania R bridge until the structure was sub merged, Captain Turner climibed up a ladder, as would a dive- from a tank. When he reachedl the surface he graspedl an oar and then a chair, Hie clung to the (chair fot- neat-ly two hours, and finally when the chair turn ed over, he flung up a gold-braided arm. This was seen by a membler o1 the crew in one of the boats, and thus the commander was Raved. Many passengers owvned theft- res cute to life belts, which kept then afloat until they were picked uip by boats. The scene as the big linet- sank be neath the waves is describ~ed by the survivor-s as heat--t-ndittg beyonc wor-ds. Battlinig for life, the passenger. aalled to relatives anid friends or had< each other goodl-by3e. The small boat~s which had got away t'rom thte side of t-he liner- picked ur a goodl many survivors, who, witi: life belts or clinging to wreckage were floating on the surface of th( water. Blut soon the boats were al crowdedl. These boats wvere in tutrr picked up bly rescing steamers, conm Ing at full s'peedl from shore poin11ts b)ut in many cases four and mor-e hlourt elapsed before tile r-esceners reachte( the scene. In many cases the onh work the r-escue wor-kers to (10 was t( collect from the water the floatilng bodies of the (lead. Several paissen lers were tak~en aiboa rd trawlers se anl ii-h in IuIred( Ihat t hey (lied befort they could r-each shore-. A conlsidierablle por-tion of thlos< broughlt into Quteenstown werec mem thers oIf the ('cw. Thes-e inIciluded( 'a p 'ain Turn'ter, with1 thle first and~ secon( officers. All tihe (Ith 111-(ffleers are he' Ileved to hav"e per-ish11ed. One huin d ret 'nd seventeen stewvards and stewardi -ases of the shilp's comle 1m en t werd saved. Theore is no evidenc(e, hlowever, tia the time hlonorad rule of tile sen "womlen and cildren first."' was no observed to thle last. Earnest ('owper a Toronto newspaper muan, has Ilal tribute to the discipline of the crow. On Watch For The Raiders Apparently, e very precaution ha< been taken by tihe officers againls a surp~rise attack bly a submarin( Lookoutts were constantly on -'tile aler as tihe gianit steamfship speeded t< ward tile Irish Coast. Tile lookoults sighlted the~ periscop) of a itubmlarine a thlousandl~ yard away, andl thle next instant t hey sa' tihe trail left by a torpedo as it fianl ed on its course. Thenl ca~me a te: rific crashl as the inissile pierced th liner's side, followed almost immned ately by another which littered th ITANIA'S VICTIMS 37 AMERICANS DEAD 765 SURVIVORS. New York. - The Cunard S'teamship Company announc ed the receipt of the following cablegram from Liverpool: "Queenstown advise total number of survivors 764, Includ ing 462 passengers and 302 crew. "One hundred and forty-four four bodies recovered, of which 87 Identified and 57 unidentified. Identified bcdies comprise 65 passengers, 22 crew. "Number of persons injured: Thirty passengers and seven teen crew." decks With wreckage. Officers of the ship are quoted as saying that two other torpedoes were fired, but miss(d the ship. An other aceeilnt says ,even were shot t t Lusita ia. JUSTIFIED IN SINKING LINER. Dr. Dernburg Says Lusitania Was War Vessel.-"Aimericans Used as Cloak." Cleveland.---Justifcation of the sink ing of the liner Lusitania by German submarines as a man of war was ad vanced by Dr. Bernhard Dernburg, fornier German Colonial Secretary and regarded as the Kaiser's official mouthpiece in the United States. Dr. Dernburg gave out a statement at the Hollenden Hotel following his arrival in Cleveland to address the City Club at noon on Germany's attitude in the present war. Because the Lusitania carried con traband of war and also because she was classed as an auxiliary cruiser and was at the disposal of the Brit Ish Admiralty, Germany had a right to destroy her regardless of the pas sengers, which included nearly 200 Americans, Dr. Dernburg said. Warn ings given by the German Embassy in public advertisement before the sailing of the Lusitania, he added, to gether with the note of Feb. 18, de claring the existence of war zones, relieved Germany from responsibillty for the loss of the many Americans. The blowing up of the American tank liner Gulflight. carrying a cargo of oil for France, also was character ized as justifiable by Dr. Dernburg. SAW DISASTER FROM SHORE. Coastguardsman and Cork Farmer Say Ship Sank In Eight Minutes. Cork.--A coastguard who witnessed the sinking of the ship. believe that she sank within eight minutes. Ills story Is confirmed by a Cork farmer, who was working near Old -ead Kinsale, when he heard shots, and looking seaward saw a steamer with her bows in the air. He sald that hardly ten minutes later she keeled over on her sidle andl sank. A residlent of Ardfield estimatesq that the ship was five mIles fr-oim shore when lhe heard the (rash of the t orpedlo as it lpiercedl her side. For a moment she seemed to move slowv ly straight ahead, then turned sud-. denly and thlen stopped, her bow sInk In g and1( the stern rising. Then she keeled over and dIsappeared fromi sigh t. Wit hina a few miniut es ten res riue boatis haiid reached tihe spot. where she went dlown. GOV. DUNNE URGES CALMNESS. Asks Citizens to Withhold Views and Leave Wilson Unembarrassed. Springfield, Ill.-G.overnmor Duinne is.. sued a formial signed statemient. u rg lng calmness in the fac.e of the siniking of the Lusitan Ia. "American citizens generally, andl particulharly those ini pmublic .oflne out side of the office of thle secretary of state, should not ini this grave crisis forest all or emibarrass t he president andi the depart ment of state by giving ut terance to their personal views in relation to this grave calamiity," says lihe statemen~lit. It closes withi an expressioni of con fi den ce in thle WIlson adin istrmation and~ faith that it will "'avert the awful enlamiity of war wi th honor and credit to thle American re putIli."' ROOT GRAVELY SILENT. Ex-Senator Says He Feels That He "Should Say Nothing Albany, N. Y.--Ex-Senator Elhbu I lloot, presidloni. of' the C onstitumt.ioa!u . ('onivention. rocei vedl with evidlen ceivern reports of the sinking of thc bumsitaniam' indlicating that the number of dead was much larger than early news had indicated, He dlelIined tr I comment or to give an opinion emi thc ,probable effect the loss of mnany I American lives would have on the fun ture relations between this countr3 anid Germany.. * "'I feel that I should say nothing,' t said Mr. Hloot gravely. tMobs A tack German Shops. I LIverpool. -- Attacks on Germal shops which began some time ag< were renewed as a result of fur; .a aroused by the sinking of tihe Lus y tania. Most of the rioters were wc a men, manmy of them relatives to sal' .ors of the C'unard Line. e Several shcos were wereekedl and th 1contents Wiled in the streets an bm bured. WHOLESALEMURDER CORONER'STERDIGT FIND GERMAN OFFICERS AND GOVERNMENT GUILTY OF MURDEROUS ATTACK.' CAPTAIN TURNER IS WITNESS Testifies, Describing the Catastrophe and Saying He Could On.ly Obey Orders Given Him. Kinsale, Ireland.-Tho coroner's jury investigating the deaths of flive persons drowned when the Cunarder Lusitania was supik by a German sub marine off the coast of Ireland last Friday, retuined a verdict here charg ing "the officers of said submarine and Government of Germany, under whose orders they acted, with the crime of wholesale murder before the tribunal of the civilized world." Captain Turner of the Lusitania was the principal witness. Ile told the Jury he did not see any submarines eitiIr before or after his ship was tor pedoed. le was on the bridge when his vessel first was struck and im mediately gave orders for the lower ing of the boats and the placing of the women and children in them. Captain Turner said that after the warnings at New York that the Lusi tania would be torpedoed he did not make any application to the Admir alty for an escort. "It is their busi ness, not imine. I simply had to carry out my orders to go, and I would do it again," declared the witness with empliasis. The verdict of the coroner's jury follows: "We find that the deceased met death from prolonged immersion and exhuastion in the sea eight miles south-southwest of Old Ilead of Kin sale, Friday, May 7, 1915, owing to the sinking of the Lusitania by tor pedoes fired by a German submarine. "We find that this appalling crime was committed contrary to interna tional law and the conventions of all civilized nations. "We also charge the officers of said submarine and the Emperor and Government of Germany, under whose orders they acted, with the crime of wholesale murder before the tribunal of the civilized world. "We desire to express sincere con dolenco and symipathy with the rela tives of the deceased the Cunard Company and the United States, many of whose citizens perished In this murderous attack on an unarmed liner." GERMANY BLAMES ENGLAND. Ambassador Expresses Degret to Am erica.-Charging England With Whole Affair. Vashington.-While official Wash ington waited for the word from Pres ide~nt Wilson as to what is to be the p~olicy of the United States in the crisis resulting from the r~nking of the Lusitanla. Count Bernstorff, the G;erman A mbassador, called at the State Departmlient and expressed to Secretary liryan, his deep regret that the events of the war had led to the loss of so many A merican lives." The Ammhiiassador (did not comment on his visit, but Secretary Bryan, say inag only t hat he understood the ex pression to have come from Count IHernst orff personally gave out the f ol low Iing by aigrie'eent: ''The G7'ermaan Amiibassador' called at the State D~epartment andl expressed his deep regret that the events of the wvar had ledl to the loss of so many American lives." 150 Babies Perished. L ondon.-The illustrated Sunday H~erald of Cork says thiarn was on tho Lusitania fifty halies who were less than twelve months old and more than one hundred ot hers whose ages did not reach two years. They all have 'heen dIrowned. U-39 Sunk Lusitania. L ondon.,--A Central News dispatch fronm (Geona says a telegram received here from Muniich deoclares it 'was the Germnan submarine U-39 that sunk the * iusit an ia. List of Identified Dead. New York.-Itclatives and friends of passengers missing from the list of Lu'sitansia survivors again besieged the ('unardl offices. Some ware reward ed when the companjy postedl a r'evis ed list of survivor's and the hopes of ot hers were (lashed wvhen another list wvas postedl containing the names of ident ified deadl. While hope was not entirely ab~an dlonedl that more survivors might bet reportedl, line officials feared the toll of dead wouIld not materially b~e re du(ced below present figures. A list of identified deadl given out follows: First Class. Mrs. 0. WV. Stephens, Montreal; ('harles I'. Paynter, Liverpool (previ ously rep~ortedl among surivivors); Mrs. A. de Page, Newv York; B. King (T. C. King) ; Frank 0. Naumann, New York ; Robert WV. Crooks, Toronto (previously reported among surviv ors); Mrs. Browvn (Mrs. M. C. Brown). Second Class. Mr's. F. King; R1ev. .James A. Beat tie; William R. Bushvine; F". C. Tyers; Michael Foley (A. R. Foley);- 3. R1. Silmann (Yohn' II Cpiniafl)