The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-05-08

entirely fragmentary, little by little it
is becoming known that either by
an external or internal explosion,
perhaps by both the giant ship was
blown almost apart this afternoon off
Old Head of Kinsdale. The double
explosion is mentioned because there
! a theory advanced that the exter-
nal explosion of a great torpedo
smashed into the ship without warn.
ing by the submarine, caused an in
terror explosion. This may eaye
been in some nest of boilers, or It
may have been among explosives i'll
the cargo.
The wounded who are going to the
naval hospital and the dead who
we're brought ashore indicate tnat
tbere was enormous havoc IN the in
terror Of the vessel. This may have
been in the fire room or the engine
room. 1t cannot be conceived that
passengers could be hurt in this way
The Lusitanla. swinging northeast
of Cape Clear, came in sight of the
Irish coast early in the morning and
started north Tor st. Georges chan
mel. II was going at full speei, some
shipping men believing that She was
up to twenty FIVE knots, some even
saying twenty six knots, witch is her
trial speed limit 1t was prcceedine,
as she has since the Germans wera
seen in the Irish sea, with her life
boats swung outward on their davits,
ready for immediate use, ana all ner
watertight bulkneads and eompart-
ments tightly closed
A message received tonight from
Queenstown by lie Cunard company
seys:
Chief Steward Jones thinfs about
800 to 600 saYeC This incllac5 pas.
sengers and cro s. aud is the only cs-
innate we are at'c to give, IA the
meantime, We are COINS through
EJtels, lodging fCcses tonigat and
Will wire tomorrow the fullest pos
sible details. In the meantime the
injured and the dead are taking up
all our attention
After the early morning report of
the Lusitania nothing was heard Of
icially at any of the wireless stations
until shortly after O'Clock when the
wireless operator at Lands End, Ire
land caught this hurriedly;
Come at once Big list, position
ten miles south OF Kinsale
rhe word from Lands End was out
to the world in another minute.
Every port of the Irish coast was no.
tilted and passed the word along.
Men on the jump from Waterford
clear down to Cape Clear rushed in
to small boats and large boats and
dashed out to sea.
Old Head of Kinsale was the next
TO send a little word. A marine OBJ
server there with powerful glasses
made out the big ship ten miles out.
listed to one side almost on the point
of turning over There was only
brief fash of this, and then came tn,
word "She has gone AS matter
OF fact it is estimated that the Lusi-
tania was hit around 2.15 o'clock ara
was under water by 2f5. Lloyds OF
ficially places the time as that.
Then the observer made out the
small boats on the spot left waen the
big ship vanished
There are twenty Of them,' he re-
ported A little later
"O;hcr boats including big Greek
slceinship are around there They
are picking up the small boats
Then came procession of bulle-
tia5 from all points.
The admiralty received bulletin
from Galley Head
Several boats, apparently surviy-
ors, southeast nine miles from here,
a Greek steamer is proceeding TO as
sist."
Other ports sent word of the tyen-
ty small boats, which could carry
perhaps 500 persons in a very calm
sea. But no one could tell now many
were in them or how many had been
picked up by the rescuing ships. \
great fleet was rushed out of Queens
town, but they had about twenty
seven miles to so and must arrive too
late to be of any use, except to facid
tate the carrying Of the wounled to
the hospitals.
1t seems almost incredible tha,
more than one torpedo could hit
while she was proceeding at hc,
highest speed Therefore it is reas-
oned that something happened on
board Immediately after the first ex.
ploson. The ship could have made
the ten miles to land from where she
was with one, or even two of her
compartments filed with water, and
it would only stop if its engines
were crippled These must haze
gone out of commission Immediately
either by explosion or by the wreck
ing of her main and auxiliary boilers.
1t must practically have been blowr
apart, Some believe, despite denias
of the Cunard company, that it had
ammunition from the United States
aboard and this exploded. There are
some also who hint at Internal ma
chine and a well timed moment. In
any event the big ship stopped srd
denly, listed heavily to one side, and
sank