Evening star., 1915-01-02
FORM|DAB[EL0SS
DUE TO SUBMARINE
BattIeship, Torpedoed Fore
and Aft, Went to Bottom
in Five Minutes.
$50 KNOWN SURVIVORS;
OTHERS MAY BE ALIVE
Paris Hears Vessel Met Disaster Off
Portsmouth, England's Chief
Naval Station.

LONDON, January 1.-The
British admiralty today issued a
list containing the names of Capt.
Arthur N. Loxley and thirty-four
other officers of the British battle
ship Formidable, which was sunk
in the English channel yesterday,
who, it says, must be presumed
to have been lost in the disaster,
as they have not been reported
among the saved. The list in
c1udes nine midshipmen.
Torpedoed Fore and Aft.
The Daily Chronicle states that sur
vivors of the Formidable report that
the vessel was torpedoed both fore
and aft early Friday morning and
sank almost Immediately.
The Chronicles Brixham correspond
ent, who Is authority for the above,
says the captain of the trawler Provi-
dence, which rescued seventy survivors
who had escaped from the battleship in
Il cutter, states that other fishing
boats were close at hand. The cap
tain expresses the belief that other
survivors have been rescued and
| taken to Dartmouth. He saw no
other boats belonging to the Formidable,
The Chronicles Chatham correspond
ent says that the Formidable left that
port Thursday morning.
Effected Rescues in Storm.
The seventy survivors landed by the
Providence were rescued by the trawl-
er during a terrific storm yesterday
morning. This makes the aggregate
number of saved, as far as is known,
$50.
The rescue was made under danger
Gus and exciting circumstances. The
crew of the trawler were amazed while
running before the gale for shelter to
fined a small open boat driving under
their lee through mountainous seas with
an oar hoisted bearing sailors scarf.
After desperate efforts those on the
trawler succeeded in getting rope
to the cutter and brought her with
great skill to their stern.
The naval men began to jump aboard,
but even then there was danger of los
ing men, as the seas were running
thirty feet high. After the half hours
work, however, all were safely res
cued. One lad of nineteen was so ex-
hausted that he required immediate
Survivors Nearly Naked.
When all had left the cutter her
rope was cut, as she was full of water,
having hole under her hull, which
had been stuffed with pair of trou-
sers OF which one man had divesred
himself foS the purpose. Some of the
rescued, men had little clothing, and
they were cared for in the warm en-
gine room. The naval men had been
in the cutter for nearly twelve hours
hot coffee, food and tobacco among the
benumbed sailors. When they landed
the residents brought blankets, cloth
ing and boots for the survivors and
The experience of these survivors
from the Formidable is almost inde-
scribable. For hours before being res
cued they had been battling against
the storm, hoping against hope, until
the brown sails of the Providence hove
in sight.
Torpedoed by Submarine.
PARIS, January a.-The British bat
tleship Formidable, which sank in the
English channel Friday morning with
the greater part of her crew, was tor
pedoed off Portsmouth by a German
submarine, according to a report cur
rent in Paris.
Portsmouth is the chief naval station
of England. 1t is situated at the
southwest extremity of Portsea Island,
eighteen miles southeast of Southamp-
ton and sixty-fve miles southwest of
London.
Portsmouth harbor is four miles in
length with about an equal width and
it's entrance is only about 400 yards
across. 1t has been said that in this
land-locked haven the whole British
navy might ride in perfect security.
The arm OF the English channel with
which it communicates is the roadstead
of Spithead.