Middletown transcript., 1915-08-28
AMERICANS ON
TORPEDOED LINER
SinkingOfArabiCMay Determine
Relations With Germany.
NO WARNING WAS GIVEN
Millions In American Securities Went
Down With The Arabic-surViVors
All Agree That The German
Submarine Gave No Warning.

London.-The White Star liner
Arabic, bound from Liverpool for New
York with 180 passengers, 26 of whom
were American citizens, and a crew
OF 243, was torpedoed without warn
ing by a German submarine off Fast
net Light and sank within II minutes.
The White Star Line officials in New
York figured IA passengers in all miss
ing or lost, and according to their
checking of the list only two of these
are Americans. Mrs. Josephine L.
Bruguiere and DR.. Edmund Woods.
The American Consul at Queens
town, Lewis C. Thompson, is supply
ing the American survivors with all
necessities. He has provided for them
documents which will enable them to
travel without being inconvenienced
by military regulations.
Great Hole Torn In Ship.
The torpedo struck the liner on the
starboard side, about 100 feet from the
stern. 1t tore great gap in the ships
side, making the water-tight compart-
ments useless. The scene of the tor
pedoing was about 40 miles from Old
Head off Knsale, the grave of the
Lusitania.
The White Star Line issued an Off
cial statement containing the state
ment OF Captain Finch of the Arabic,
in which he asserts that the liner was
torpedoed without warning.
In view of the fact that the vessel
was ,westbound, and that she carried
neither guns nor ammunition, London
received with stupefaction the news of
the attack. 1t was hardly believed
possible here, considering the tension
between the United States and Ger
many over previous submarine attacks
that Berlin would give deliberate prov
ocation to the United States Govern
ment.
Passengers' Chairs Upset.
The big liner was a day out from
Liverpool when she met her doom.
She was just off the Irish coast, max
ing a fair speed through a calm sea.
Practically all the passengers are
reported to have been on the wide,
roomy decks which made the Arabic
a favorite in the transatlantic serv-
ice.
Suddenly, according to stories told
by survivors brought into Queenstown
on warships, terrific shock threw
the vessel far to port, spilling pas
sengers from the chairs, throwing
those standing to the deck. A terrific
explosion told more plainly than words
what had happened to the Arabic.
After the first momentary excite
ment there was no panic. Passengers
below hastily made their way to deck,
buckling on life belts. Stewards
worked rapidly, assisting the passen-
gers to don the cork preservers, and
the seamen of the crew, who had been
put through lifeboat drills daily, hasti-
ly and smoothly manned the boats.
Under the direction of Captain Finch
and the ships officers, the survivors
were hastily put into the boats, which
were cut free and launched as fast as
passengers could be crowded into
them. The sea was calm and the men
at the oars pulled away fast from tn
rapidly listing steamer. Eleven boats
in all are reported to have been
launched.
Excitement gripped few, and some
of these leaped into the sea, according
to the stories of survivors. The few
casualties among passengers were suf-
fered from this cause, it is believed.
The Arabic sank within IL minutes,
four less than 1t took the Lusitania to
go down.