The Washington herald., 1915-05-11
WED in CAPITAL;
LOST in HORROR
Mrs. Henry Adams Tells of
Experience When the
Lusitania Sank.
LOSS OF LIFE NEEDLESS
"Stokers Would Be Damned if Deserts
of Crew Were Melted
Out"
LOSS OF LIFE NEEDLESS
BY HALDEN TALBOT.

Queenstown, May l0-Mrs. Henry Ad-
ans. wife of a London merchant. today
told me a graphic tale of the disaster
She had just finished examining the I'M
identified dead in the collins on the
Cunard pier and had given up as hope
less her search for her husband when
| approached her.
Ny husband and ! were married in
Washington on April }" she said I'VE
were coming TO London 10 make our
home. He did not wish to sail on the
Lusitania because of the threats by
the German Embassy but some of my
relatives are Cunard officials. and I have
always been a confirmed Cunarder, so
I insisted on the Lusitania
"On the night before we were tor
pedoed something prompted my husband
to try on the life belts. We got them
down from the top of the wardrobe and
after putting them on left them under the
berths.
Sure OF safety.
when the shock came We were both
in the writing room on the top deck
| knew that the shin was doomed but
my husband was Just as sure that she
could not sink.
However We went down to the state
the top deck. preservers in hand The
ship was listing 50 that it was very diff
tiCult to walk. On TWO occasions while
ascending the stairs. my husband was
struck and knocked down. We climbed
the slopnc deck and reached the rail
on the higher side.
Here saw a boat ready to he low
cred. Some one shouted Women first
but | refused to get in. insisting on stay
ing with my husband We put the life
preServers on and waited.
In che meantime the captain had or
dered the boats not to he lowered. A
hoatswain standing beside me on deck
said: We're resting on the bottom. We
cannot sink
EnEu7ftd by Wave.
The statement Gained most Of those
Z bout Us. Suddenly l saw a great wave
come over the bow. and instantly my
husband and all of us were engulfed
AS the ship sank l found that | was
being carried down under a life boat
II could not swim. but ] finally caught
hold OF piece of wood and held on.
After a time a raft. carrying twenty
men and one woman. sailed by. ! begged
the men TO help me aboard hut they did
not want to. and ii was only when the
woman upbraded them that one of the
men dragged IN on the raft.
There was something wrong with the
raft. as it kept capsizng time and time
a gain. Each time il was less buoyant
and almost every time II overturned one
OF more of the poor wre,ches would dis
appear Finally the other woman went
down.
Climbed to Raft.
Il made use of my gymnastic knowl-
~ 81, -
hand over hand always managing to
stay on it Finally only six of us were
left. and then the raft sank from under
us and we were left alone i'm the water
ALTOGETHER IL was three hours and half
before a torpedo boat came. | lost con
seriousness and knew no more until | re-
covered aboard the torpedo boat
Second Officer Burrowes after the
doctor had given me up for dead. con-
tinued TO work on me and finally sue
Ce"ded in reviving me"
Vt the conclusion Of her description Of
h"r en- "rien"cs Mrs. Adams made this
startling statement regarding the conduct
Of the ships officers and men:
Los. Was Needless.
''Alth"uch ! am closely identified with
the CUnard Line and would wish to do
nothing that might minimize the hideOus
CRIME oil the Germans. | teel II my duty
to humanity to say something that may
prevent repetition of this needless loss
Of life.
Not only were the boats undermanncd
before being lowered. bat the equipment
itself was faulty. The raft ! was on
leaked and the c0llapsibe boats had
rusty unworkable hiuses-a matter that
could have been remcdied BY oiling once
in a fortnight.
IF members of tho crow got their
deserts the stewards would be praised to
heaven and the stokers would he damned
to hell. The former behaved maGnii-
Gently. or all that great number of men
charged with our safety only the stew
ards showed any appreciation of their
The behavior OF the sto-
kers was too terrible for words J. my
self. saw many instances Of their beast
ialitv.
AS for the conduct Of the officers I
have to say that they were conspicuous
ny their absence throughout the whole
twenty minutes. There surely must be
an investigation that will, place the blame
for this adding 10 the number muir
icred.''