The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-05-14

Inc Cu0hru inner lusltaula, BTU
ish owned passenger vessel, was tor
pedoed by a German submarine off the
Irish coast on Friday, May Z. and went
down twenty minutes after being
struck by two torpedoes, 1900 lives
being lost, 100 OF this number being
American citizens, of the dead many
being women and children.
When the Lusitania left New York
May ! she had on board 1901 souls,
1851 passengers and $50 crew. The
passengers we're made up of 291 In the
first cabin, 500 in the second and 361
In the steerage. The list of survivors
shows so far that about so firsLclass
and rs second-class passengers we're
saved 1t is noticeable that compare
lively few first-class passengers were
saved.
| Either two or three torpedoes struck
the Lusitania. One report says the
irst projectile was followed by two
others. striking In quick succession.
Another report has 1t that two sub.
marines took part in the onslaught
one attacking from the port and the
other from the starboard side.
The Lusitania was nearing the end
of her journey when a submarine sud
denly appeared and began firing. The
first torpedo struck between the first
and second tunnels. The Lusitania
shook and settled down bit Two
other torpedoes quickly followed and
soon finished the ship. Four or five
of the lifeboats went dwon with her
and the tremendous suction as the
liner was engulfed dragged many PEG
| pie down also.
Many OF the passengers Gid not be
lieve the Lusitania would sink as
did not join in the rush for the life
boats, but evidently preferred to trust
! In their belief that the watertight com
partments of the vessel would keel
her afioat until such time as helI
came out from the Irish shore, les;
than ten miles away.
i Many prominent Americans were or
the boat. and among those who went
down with the ship were Charles Froh
man of New York, the theatrical
producer, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
Charles Klein, the playwright, justin
M. Forman and Ebert Hubbard ant
his wife.
The stories from Queenstown de
scribe the bringing in of the bodies o.
a great number of women, many Of
them still unidentified The Queens
town docks are the temporary resting
places also of the bodies of severa
children. One dead mother still Ii
clasping in her rigid arms the body OF
her three months old baby.
All the evidence goes to show thai
the first-class and many of the second
class passengers had such confidence
In the ability of the Lusitania, be
cause OF her watertight compartments
TO remain afioat after she received the
first blow that they did not concern
themselves about taking to the boats
or even providing themselves with life
preservers.
When the passengers did realize
that the Lusitania was doomed, they
! found that most of the boats on the
port side were so damned, because oil
the great list of the vessel, that they
could not be lowered, and the last seer
of them by the most fortunate passen
gers who had secured places on the
starboard boats or who had jumped
overheard and had been picked up
they were lined on the sloping decks
awaiting their fate, doubtless even
then believing that with land so close
they would still be saved
However the torpedoes had torn
such gaping holes in the liner that
| she did not remain afioat for more
than twenty minutes, and the calls for
help which the wireless sent out, al
though answered quickly, could not
bring the rescuing steamers to the
spot in time to be of any service.
Marine superintendent Dodd OF the
Cunard line said that the Lusitania
sank in sixty fathoms OF water and
would never be raised.
The names of seventy-three surviv
ors of the 1873 Americans aboard the
Lusitania has been reported to the
state department at Washington.
Insurance on the Lusitania, 1t Is
said. amounted to s7.5O0,0oO. The yes
sci was valued in round figures at
$10,00O,000. The worth Of the cargo
she carried was reckoned at $735.0O0
An Irish coast guard who witnessed
the sinking of the ship believes she
sank within eight minutes. His story
is confirmed by farmer who was
working near Old Head Kinsale. when
he heard shots and looking seaward
Frohman May Have Lost Life.