The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-05-08
TOTAL DEATH LIST
IS 2O49

first startling message from Ireland
and the fragmentary bulletins, in di-
eating a possibility of heavy loss of
life, London waited with intense anx-
iety for further news.
This anxiety grew steadily through
the evening as hour after hour passed
without any definite statement from
an authoritative source as 20 The ex-
tent of the disaster.
The Cunard Offices which viii re-
main open throughout the night, were
beseged by a great crowd largely
composed of women, many OF them
weeping bitterly as the hours passed
and no definite news came OF those
aboard the Lusitania.
Accommodation twas provided in
side the offices for those who had
relatives or friends on the steamer,
while hundreds waited outside. eager
ly reading the scanty bulletins Which
told of rescue boats arriving at Kin
sale and Queenstown, but gave no
names of the saved, and consequently
did not allay the anxiety
There was CLEAN of hope in the
general gloom soon after s o'clock,
when this announcement was made
unoliicially:
The Cunard Company has definite
ly ascertained that the lives of the
passengers and the crew of the Lusi-
itania have been saved.
This was speedily proved untrue,
however, but the more optimistic still
refused to credit the early reports Of
the swift sinking of the big liner, 1t
was believed that her watertight
bulkheads would tend to keep her
aAoat, and if she floated a reasonable
length of time before going down, it
is possible that rescuing ships got to
her side in time to save all on board.
Owing to the fact that all the news
of the Lusitania came through the Ad
miralty, and that only fragments fill
tered through at intervals, the
crowds got increasingly more impa-
tient, though the Cunard officials
posted quickly all bulletins received.
Late in the evening the Admiralty
felt compelled to give out notice that
it was not holding back any known
facts, but did not feel justified in Civ
ing out rumors.
The American Embassy and Con
suate and the American newspaper
Offices were flooded with telephone
inquiries from Americans as to the
fate of the passengers on the Lusi-
tania, but there was no definite news
there until after midnight, and the
only hope that could be held out was
that some boats had landed survivors
and others had been seen making fc
the shore. The Embassy decided to
remain open all night, so that any
news that was received could be
made public.
Up to 1 o'clock no news tending to
alay the public anxiety had been
received in the city. Then dis
patches, issued by the Admiralty, in
ulCdleu ludL among InC Survivors
landed at Queenstown were some in
jured, presumably by the explosion.
A later dispatch from the same
source increased the apprehensions
in this direction. Those wounded
are being sent to the naval and mill
tary hospitals.
A press dispatch from Queenstown
reported that 400 passengers and
crew had been landed at Kinsale.
This stated that none of the
class passengers had been saved, but
this is proved not true by private dis
patches.
An Admiralty statement states,
however, that the survivors from the
Lusitana landed at Kinsale number
ed about eleven.
A private telegram from Clonakie-
ty to Dublin says that several nun.
bred passengers had landed there
from the Lusitania.