The sun., 1915-06-13

letter received recently Dy r.. ~
Mills OF the export department OF the
Westinghouse company from a friend
in London, Frederick Il. q. Tootal.
who was on the III fated Lusitania,
gives one Of the most thrilling
accounts yet cone to light VI
the scenes that accompanied her SINK
ing. It is an intensely human record
OF personal experience in terrioe
emergency and shows just what one
level headed business man thought and
old after the German torpedo struck
The letter follows:
Ellis 4 Co,
No. I Cornhill London. T.. G.
May 1S. 1915.
Ny DEAR TED: Very many thanks
! for your cable Of congratulations on
the escape II ByinGton and myself
from the wrecking Of the Lusitaaia.
| We had Just finished lunch and were
| standing outside the entrance to the
dining saloon on "D" deck talking to
Mrs. r. T.. Shymer of New York when
! the crash came II did not throw us
of our feet. but shook the boat from
stem to stern Mrs. $. put her hands
J
come" We each took her by the arm
| and started up the main companion
! way to get TO the nearest deck &C.
! deck, We had not mounted half
dozen steps before felt the ship list.
which made me vividly realize what
terrible rent must have been torn in
her side for this to occur within six or
seven seconds of her being struck
We r ached &C" deck on the port
/ side and ran Il the stcrn companion
way .eading up toward the boat deck,
where there was seethinc crowd Of
/ people trying to get up Some SEM
/ b!ancc of ord = was attempted and
| women were passing up first We sue
ceeded IN getting Mrs :. IN To this
coplpan!onway up to the boat deck,
but Of course we could not follow her
| We then went TO the port side and
climb the rail and got on to the
promenade deck c'B" deck) by means
Of a stanchion supporting the decks.
then told Byington I would 60 to
my cabin. which was an outside one
on Il deck forward on the port side
| ran down the corridor and into the
cabin unlocked my suit case. took out
some papers. md then $50 strangely
does the human mind work under
these ci-cumstanccs) ! reloCked the
bag, ! saw my field glasses on the
table and seized them with some
vague idea that they might be use
f,il for picking up sail. | opened
the locker under the wash basin.
pulled out two lifeielts, and finally
seized my ulster. which was hanging
on the wall. With these I rushed out
again to the entrance of B deck. where
saw only one person and Il was
Byington. 7 gave him one Of tn life
bets and We managed to get up on
To a deck. The boats on the port side
were full Of women and children. but
owing to the list these boats hung
nboard and il was impossible to
launch them. When this was realized
men tried 10 get their women out from
the boats. but the majority being once
in them refused to come ont and that
is what finally cadscd the greatest
loss of life.
w then went around TO the star
board side where we saw an empty
boat, the last saloon one next TO the
second class. which owing to the list
was hanging some five or six feet
away iipiil lIlt W. lltu were
at the ropes and there were a good
many people, mostly women, looking
on. We shouted for them to get into
the boat. but they were too frightened
to risk it, We jumped in ourselves
and holding on TO the davit ropes with
one hand We reached ont to the women
with the other ! managed to get
hold OF the hand of the woman closest
to me and swung her into the boat
that encouraged the others and We
: soon had that boat full. They then
started to lower us down. but the mar
managing the fore tackle let II sir
when We were some twenty-five feet
above the water and the whole crowd
of us were thrown into the sea. hat
not had time to put on my lifehelt
and when I came to the surface thu
first thing I saw was the rudder of the
Lusitania and the numbers on hel
stern post which measure the cargo
charge. My first idea was to swim
away from the ship to avoid suction
and as I turned to do so ! saw an
: other boatful Of people about twent,
or thirty yards away. ] swan towart
y this and was hauled In and We picked
. up four others Of the boat We were
. first in, but the rest were drowned
1 | was sitting in the extreme stern O.