Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1915-06-05
Survivors, Vivid Description
Of Lusitania's Awful Fate,
A Feeling Of Awe And Silence
Paul r. Brady Hands .'Palisadian" Remarkable And
Graphic Account OF European Vars Most Tragic
Event, In Which Chance For Life Vas Small
OF SHOCK MADE OUTCRY IMPOSSIBLE

Inc dllSduldu Is Indebted 10
Paul t. Brady for the following
graphic description of the sinking of
the Lusitania, written by a friend
Of his who was a survivor of that
terrible tragedy of the sea:
had just finished lunch and left
the dining salon about ten minutes
past two, and should judge that at
the time there were possibly 100 peo-
pie still at luncheon. | had assembled
the companion way and had just left
the lobby on the promenade, or, as
1t is styled "B' deck, the dining salon
being situated two decks below or
on ID" deck; when two or three chill
dren and one woman came rushing
IN the open doorway from the prone
made deck shouting torpedo" and in
very short space of time, possibly
five to ten seconds, it struck. | I'M
aerstood later that it passed almost
direcly under he Captains bridge,
and only two or three feet below the
water line.
The sound of the explosion, while
loud, was not especially terrifying,
but the shock to the vessel was con-
siderable. Almost instantly the boat
took a decided list.
In very short space of time after
the first torpedo struck, second one
hit the vessel. | have heard num-
Der OF persons say that it was pos
slbly thirty seconds later, but it APP
peared to be considerably less. The
second torpedo | am informed, went
through the vessel practically amid
ships, and hit in the boiler room.
This had the effect in a very few sec
onds of righting the boat to more
even keel, so that it was not difficult
to walk. The shock of the second
explosion was very great indeed, and
possibly thirty seconds after it oc-
Cured, an immense column of water,
carrying with it all kinds of debris
shot up from the side Of the vessel
and through the promenade deck, al
though, so far as | noticed, despite
the fact that it was practically
solid wave, it swept right by the
open doorways and windows and did
not enter the interior of the ship, at
the particular point at which | was
standing. This wave lasted for pos
sibly ten to fifteen seconds and then
subsidized.
Up to this point | had been stand
ing grasping stairway stanchion,
| and tho11 1oHn fn1, bi,, xr,hi oh,
was on "B" deck, where | secured
some papers, my overcoat and life
preserver.
l then proceeded to the deck above
called the boat deck or "A" deck, and
on reaching there found large num-
Der of people standing around quiet
ly, and the officers shouting that no
boats were to be lowered, and that
the vessel was not in danger of sink
ing. A few of the boats were par
TALLY filled with people but just at
that particular moment l did not see
any oilers getting into them.
| had re-entered the salon, and
going down one of the passage-ways
met Mr.. William F. Hodges, of the
Baldwin Locomotive Works. Mr..
Hodges was just going out of his
cabin with several life preservers,
and | asked him if he had enough
for his wife and two children and
himself. He told me yes, and that
they were all together.
| did not see this gentleman after
wards and unfortunately they were
all lost, and up to the time l left
Queenstown on Sunday afternoon
their bodies had not been recovered.
By this time the vessel had again
taken very decided list, so that it
was very difficult to walk, but | went
out on to the high side of "a" deck,
and one of the first things | noticed
was that two of the life boats filled
with people had been released from
one end, and was suspended in the
air in vertical position. Many of
the occupants had been dumped out
and We're struggling below in the
water, while many others were still
clinging to the boat
A minute or two later | saw Mr..
Alfred Vanderbilt, Mr.. Frohman, Mr.
Guy Vernon and Miss Rita Jolivet,
Mr.. A. Scott and three or four others
whom | did not know, standing close
together and spoke to them, stating
that there was no chance whatever
of getting off on that side of the boat
and that they had better cross to the
other side and do it quickly.
The boat was then going down
quite rapidly by the head and below
the Captains bridge-the "B" or
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