The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-09-07
Whether the Vessel Was
Warned or a Submarine
Sighted Is Not Known
SHIP WAS RUNNING
ZIGZAG COURSE
Some Significance Is Attached to Con.
sui Frost s Statement That the Hes
perian Carried Mounted AMI Visible
AT Rifle

SUI Z IOSL oIdCeuent InaC the Hes
perian Carried Mounted an1 Visible
AT Rifle.
QUEENSTOWN. Sept l. - Wesley
Frost, American consul at Queenstown,
has obtained joint statement from
the officers of the Hesperian. He does
not throw any new light, however, on
the question of whether the ship was
warned or whether a submarine was
sighted.
Survivors interviewed here assert
that they learned early on the day of
| disaster that a submarine was sight
| ed and say that the Hespian kept a
| zigzag course afterward.
Some passengers say if a submarine
was sighted they are unable to under
stand why more elaborate prepara-
tions were not made to place lifeboats
| and life belts in readiness.
The Allan line steamer Hesperian,
with $50 passengers and crew of 300
| aboard, bound from. Liverpool to Mon.
| treal, was attacked without warning by
German submarine off the Irish coast
| Just as darkness was falling Saturday
evening. Although the torpedo found
/ it's mark, the vessel remained afloaU
/
| No submarine was seen and prom
ably it was too dark to observe tho
wake of 4 torpedo, but all the pas
sengers and members OF the crew who
| arrived at Queenstown in the rescue
! steamers Sunday agree that the attack
was made by a German uudersea boat,
.basing their opinion on the force of
the shock and great volume of water
| thrown into the air. This dropped back
on the deck, drenching the passengers
| who were taking an after dinner prom
enade, feeling safe, in the belief that
they had passed the submarine danger
zone.
The force of the explosion was tre-
mendous, and of the passengers landed
at Queenstown many of them scantily
clad, about 20 were injured. There
We're no American passengers aboard
About 80 Canadian soldiers, who
| were wounded in battle in Flanders
were going home to reeuperate. Most
of the other passengers were Ganadi
ans returning from a visit to England
or English people on their way to Can
ada to settle.
Torpedo Struck Engine Room.
The torpedo struck the Hesperian il
the forward engine room, and the shil
: Immediately began to settle by th
c head. Captain Main ordered the pas
sengers and crew into the boats, bu
with his officers remained on tn
: bridge, although at that time he mus
have felt sure that his ship would g
9 down.
: The discipline was perfect, but on
of the boats became jammed, capsizeC
j and those in her were thrown into tn
water. In the darkness confusion nat
urally prevailed, but all were pickle
, up, and with other passengers and til
crew were transferred to the rescu
O. steamers which arrived in answer t
n wireless calls for assistance. The lie!
- perian was about $50 miles to the wes
ward when struck.
~ Six second cabin passengers, 81
third cabin passengers and 13 of th
crew were unaccounted for last nigh
according to the revised official figur,
issued by the Allan line. This bring
the probable death list, including Mi
!, Carberry of st. Johns, n. F., who:
l" body is at Queenstown, up to 26.
Some significance was attached
Consul Frost s statement that the He
III perian carried mounted and visible
q her stern q Al inch rifle. While inte
al national law permits merchantmen
he have guns for defensive purposes, pa
&C ticularly when they are of small c,
Is ibre and mounted aft, it was point
out that if the Allan liner acted at
suspicously after being approached t
presence of this gun probably wou
:" figure prominently in the submari
he commander S explanation of the t,
mns, rs pedoing.