Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-06-14
ST. PAUL IS Conveyed
BY TWO DESTROYERs
Big American Liner Is Escorted
Through War Zone by British
War Vessels.
COL. E. NJ. HOUSE ON BoARl
Believed Escort Was Provided to
Protect Important Dispatches He
Is Bringing Back to President
Wilson
Especial to The Times-Dispatch.l ]

lSpeCial 10 The TimeS-DiSpatch.l
NEW YORK. June 1.-two destroy
ers were sent by the British admiralty
to convoy US through the war zone"
said Captain f. w. Passow, of the
American liner st. Paul. which arrived
here to-day from Liverpool.
They accompanied us as far as the
Fastnct. off the southwest coast of Ire
land. distance of 200 miles There
| is no doubt the destroyers were sent
to protect the dispatches carried by Col
| L. NJ House.
Nothing unusual happened. and
when We reached the Fastnet, the de-
stroycrs ran up a farewell signal and
turned back"
PASSENGERS DECLARE
THEY SAW PERISCOPE
Passengers. however. declared en-
phatically that at one point the de-
stroyer on the starboard bow bore off
10 engage submarine whose periscope
was distinctly visible.
Mrs. Harry Sedgwick. who was bring
ing Miss Virginia Loney, n survivor Of
tho Lusitania back. said:
L saw the pcriscopc, and then saw
the destroyer make for it, signaling
the other destroyer at the same time.
When / saw the pcriscopc, l cried
out. There's n submarine Miss Lonev
grasped my arm and said, No, no, |
can't stand it again / consolcd her and
then we watched tho chase"
Ernest S. c. Cowper and Miss Loney
said the submarine did not attempt TO
attack the st. Paul. but seemed to be
trying to torpedo the destroyer Tho
undersea boat disappeared when the de-
stroyer started toward her in a burst
of speed.
Miss Loney,, who is sixteen, saw her
parents. Mr.. and Mrs. Allen d. Loney,
of Huntington, L. l.. drown. while she
was struggling in the water. She sob
bingly told her story to-day:
My father went down to get some
life-belts and returned with a number
which he distributed around. but did
not keep one himself
, There was lifeboat being lower
ed. and he saw there was just one place
left He ordered me to get in. l pro-
tested. but finally obcycd The boat
was overfllled, and before 1t came near
the water the sailors cut the ropes and
the boat sank Immediately after strik-
ing the water. Our maid, Elise ISer-
TELLER. was drowned with my par
ents"
Mrs. SedEwick and her protege were
picked up after being in the water
twenty minutes.
Eleven survivors of the Lusitania re-
turned on the st. Paul. They were
r. w. Rogers. F. H. Charles, Miss Doris
Charles, II. G. Colebrook, c. F.. Sturdy
and Ernest S. Cowper. of Toronto; Mrs.
+. Bliss Thompson, Miss V. Lonev. OF
Huntington. l.. l.: Q. H. Hammond. OF
Jersey City; James Leary and Mr..
Readdie.
Dowagcr Queen alexandra Of Eng
land sent special request to see six
Eear-oid Helen Smith, of Yonkcrs. a
survivor OF the Lusitania, according TO
cowper. who rescued the child. Helen
mad already left Queenstown and could
not be located.
Twenty-Five offers to adopt the child
were MADE by rich folk. he said, hut
she was returned to a woman who said
she was the child's aunt. Helen lost
her parents and little brother In Tho
disaster.
Fifteen members of the Gulflirb,'s
crew arrived on the ST. Paul. Their
ship was torpedoed on May by a Ger
man submarine.
Three hundred young Irishmen came
in the Storage
G. I. Weitzel and Halet johnson. at
taches of the American embassy IN
Constantinople, brought dispatches from
Ambassador Morgenthau. i,
Both refused to discuss thcir ,,iss;on