The sun., 1915-06-13
Letter Tells Thrilling
Escape From Lusaania
English Business Man, Writing to E. D. Mills of West
nghouse Company, Describes His Terrible Ex-
perience When Ship Was Torpedoed

the boat and we were about 100 yards
almost exactly astern OF the Lusitania
slightly to port when we saw her go
down. Her stern rose and rose to n
most tremendous height, and 1t was
then that the unfortunate people in
and round the boats on the port side
of A deck commenced to fall in ava
,anches into the sea. 1t was a ghastly
and appalling spectacle to see wave
after wave of humanity going to its
death like this. She then sank down
into the water and as her stern dis
appeared | heard muffled roar Of
boilers exploding and saw one funnel
fall over and a mass of steam and
debris shoot up into the air That
was the last of the Lusitania.
Then to my greatest relief and JOY
saw that Byington had also been
picked up by the same boat as my
self and was sitting right in the bows.
You may imagine our feelings.
What struck me as remarkable was
the great distance the few boats that
managed to survive appeared to he
from each other after the ship had
gone down. There were a good many
RATS floating about besides and peo-
pie climbed on to these. our boat was
cram full We had sixty-three people
On board. mostly women and chill
dren, ! am glad to say. and the rest
were stokers and boats crew. Bying-
ton and | were the only two saloon
passengers on her We were so
packed in the boat that II was very
difficult TO row and we were then fif-
teen or twenty miles from shore. After
rowing for about three hours we were
picked up by motor trawler and
after another hour by the Stormcock.
which eventually brought us into
Queenstown harbor at half past 3.
our chief anxiety OF course was
to get cables off to our people and
, sent one to YOU and my partner in
New York among others. After get
ting a change Of clothes and some
thing Ia pull us together We remained
in the Cunard offices till half past .
IN the morning helping TO identify the
bodies Of the drowned as they were
brought IN. We passed the next morn
ing until about o'clock going
through three mortuaries which were
| filed w:h dead bodies. and in the
Town Hall mortuary we Identified the
body of Dr +. :. Pearson. Up TO the
! moment of writing his wlfes body
/ has not been recovered. ! deeply re-
gret that We heard afterward that
Mrs. Shymer was not saved.
1t was an appalling and shastly
horror. and felt nothing hut an over
whelminE sense Of savage. impoten'
rage against those foul fends who
! could perpetrate such dastardly out
rage. Bylngton and I suffered no In
! jury and did not even catch cold. but
naturally we are pretty much shaken
after such a fearful experience.
! At the time the Lusi;ania was
( struck there was not a sail in sight
nor streak Of smoke on the horizon
/ and the brutes could easily have given
I us two hours notice before sinking the
ship. and the lives OF all those unfor.
| tunate Innocent people would have
been saved BY far the most pathetic
sight was the bodies Of the women and
! children, tho latter ranging from
babes in arms up to children we'll in
| their teens.
The people here seem fully reused
at last and have had countless let
ters and kilograms Of congratulations,
n some cases from people I do not
even know. which show how deeply
the horror of this deed has sunk into
the public mind
Please give my kindest regards to
Mrs. Mills. The splendid time you
gave me during my trip to America n
one OF the bright things I look hack
on through the gloom Of this appalling &
tragedy.
Good-by for the present, old man
and write to me just as soon as ever
YOU get this and let me know your
news. Yours ever.
FREpKRIcK f. O. ToorAL.
Mr. r.. d. Mills, Westinghouse Elec-
trio and Manufacturing Com
pany.