The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-27
Male Passengers Fought the Crew
with Knives and Trampled
Women Under Feet.
TRIED TO SEIZE THE BOATS
BUT WERE FINALLY SUBDUED AND
ORDER RESTORED ON BOARD.
Five Hundred Persons Landed on
the Cliffs of Cape Ballard After
Trying Experience.

ST. JOHNS, Newfoundland. June 26 -
The Orient Steamship Navigation Compa-
ny's steamer Lusitania. Captain McNay.
from Liverpool June is, for Montreal, hav-
ing ASH passengers and a crew of 100 on
board, was wrecked last night off Cape Bal
lard.
The passengers had terrible experience.
The first knowledge they had of the disas-
ter was when, owing to the ship rasping
over the rocks, they were all hurled from
their berths by the shock. A scene of great
excitement ensued. Five hundred people
were .clamoring to escape, while the crew
tried to pacify them and launch the boats.
The male passengers, in their attempt to
seize the boats, trampled the women under
foot and fought the crew with knives. Some
OF the more cool-headed of the passengers
assisted the crew in the efforts to get out
the boats. One boat was upset and its oc-
cupants were immersed. Another boat,
having on board twenty persons, went
adrift in the fog, and this gave rise to a re-
port that twenty persons had been drowned,
but all were saved. The women and chill
dren, almost nude, were pulled up the cliffs
by the coast people.
This morning the unhappy passengers,
after shivering for hours on the hilltop,
tramped over weary miles in their endeavor
to reach the houses Of the fishermen, where
they are now sheltered. Previous to reach
ing the cliffs the passengers passed two
hours Of terrible anxiety on the wreck
The Lusitania was bound around Cape
Race for Montreal with large cargo and a
shipload of passengers. She mistook her
course In a dense fog and went ashore
near Renews, twenty miles north of Cape
Race, before daybreak. The ship ran over
a reef and hangs against cliff. The pas
SenSerS, who are mostly emigrantS, were
panic-stricken. They stampeded and fought
for the boats, but were overcome by the Of
ficers and crew, who secured control after
great trouble and a prolonged struggle with
the rougher element among the passengers,
who used knives. The women and children
were first landed and the men followed
The crew stood by the ship. A heavy sea
running, but at latest advices the
Lusitania was holding her own. 1t was
thought likely, however. that she would
prove a total wreck.
The steamer Glencoe arrived here at mid
night, bringing six first, fifteen second and
1876 steerage passengers and ninety-three OF
the crew OF the Lusitania. Captain McNay
and the chief officers of the ship remain
with the wreck. The passengers are almost
entirely Russian and Polish Jews. The
steamer struck at half past ] yesterday
morning, during dense fog Captain Nc
Nay had to force the vessel upon the reef
for IL he reversed the engines the whole
ships bottom would have been torn out
and she would have sunk Instantly Three
hours elapsed between the time when the
Lusitania struck and the time the passen-
gers started TO disembark. This delay was
occasioned by the difficulty in controlling
the passengers and handling the boats. All
the passengers and crew agree that If the
Lusitania had struck the rocks in rough
weather not a soul on board would have
been saved.
The Lusitania was built at Liverpool by
Laird Bros. in 1871. She is $40 feet inches
long, has IL feet inches beam and is q
feet inches deep.