Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-24
FIVE SUBMARINES
CAUSED LOSS OF
BRITISH CRUISERS
Death List Decreased to
100 as Fishing Boats Re-
port Picking Up Many
Survivors.
LONDON, Sept. "a.

LONDON, Sept. "a.
Nearly half Of the officers aboard the
cruisers Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue when
they were sunk by German submarine
attack in the North Sea lost their lives
This was revealed today when the Gov
ernment Press Bureau issued a sum
mary of the casualties among the naval
officers, II showed that 81 had been
killed and so rescued.
Twenty-one officers of the Aboukir we're
killed and II saved. The Cressy lost 25
officers, only Il being rescued. OF the
10 officers Of the Hogue Il were killed
and % rescued.
Reports of the rescue OF more members
of the crews Of the three cruisers had
reduced the estimates of the dead to-
day to about 100 but the exact number of
saved and lost viii not be learned until
the official reports have all been received
at the Admiralty.
Stories told by the survivors OF the
disaster have failed to clear up many
OF the conflicting points. The announce
nent in Berlin that the three ships were
sunk by one submarine is contradicted
by the story told by Albert Dougherty
chief gunner os the Cressy who was
rescued and taken 10 Chatham. DouGherty
declares he saw five submarines, and that
he shattered the coming tower OF one
OF them
Doueherty said:
suddenly l heard a great crash ana
looking In the direction of it, saw the
ALoukir heeling over and going down
rapidIv We came 10 the conclusion that
she. had been struck by torpedo and
kept a sharp lookout for the craft while
stenming To- the assistance ot the Ahouhir
Tho HoEue was also closing mp toward
the sinking ship with the object OF assist
ing the crew who were GroppinG into the
water wmen We heard a second crash. As
the HOEu= began 10 settle we knew that
she also had been torpedoed.
we drew near and at that moment
some one shouted Look out, sir, there S
a submarine on your port beam
II saw her. She was about 800 yards
away only her perisCope showed above
the waves | took careful aim at her with
q ls-pound shot, but il went over her by
about two yards That gave me the
range.
Il frfd again and hit the periscope
Then the submarine disappeared Up she
came again. and this time her coming
tower was visible, so | frcd my third shot
and smashed in her coming tower
THE men standing by shouted: she's
hit SIR and then they le, out a sTeat
cheer as the submarine sank, and, while
she was going down Two German sailors
roatsd ND from her. both swimming hard.
"After that We shot tTawler which
Uss about 1000 yards away, and evil
IDENTIFY a German boat in disguise dt-
recting operations, She must have COW
cred the approach Of the enemy's sub
marines. We trained our guns on her
and hit her with the FIRST SHOT setting
her aire, | don't know what her fate
"Bv this time We already had been
struck by a torpedo. but the damage
MAS not in a vital spot and we could
have kept ahoat all right. We saw
another submarine on our starboard
side and We made a desperate effort 10
yet her We failed and her torpedo
got US IN our enginerOom.
Then the Cressy began 10 turn over,
our captain was on the bridge, and IN
those critical moments he spoke some
words or advice TO the crew:
Keep cool. my lads, keep COOL he
said IN steady voice Pick up a spar,
my lads and put II under your arms.
That will help 10 keep you ahOat until
the destroyers pick you up
That was the last l saw Of Captain
Johnson
The Germans were discharging tor
pedoss at as while the water was thick
with drowning men. Although1 person
ally observed ave EubmarinessS and al