Evening star., 1915-05-10
LACKED DISCIPLINE
ABOARD LUS|TAN|A
DR.. Howard Fisher Says Of
ficers Failed to Take
Proper Precautions.
CLUMSY IN ATTEMPTS
TO LAUNCH LIFEBOATS
Criticism, Also. of British Admiralty
for Failing to Provide Con.
voy for Steamer.

W tEE1-NSIoN N, May 10.--InJured sur
vivors of the Lusitania are reported to
he progressing. Among the volunteer
doctors none has been more busy than
DIR. Howard Fisher of Washington. who
was rescued after being in the water
three hours.
DR.. Fisher now numbers among his
patients Lady Mackworth of Cardiff,
who Is suffering from the result OF be-
ing a long time in the water; Lady AL
Ian of Montreal. who has a broken col
lar bono. and DR.. Fishers sister-in-lAw,
Miss Dorothy Conner. formerly Of
Washington.
Miss Conner was standing beside Lady
Mackworth when they were flung into
the water as the ship keeled over. Both
women were provided with life belts
and were picked up when at the point
of exhaustion.
DR.. Fisher. who Is brother of Walter
L. Fisher. formerly Secretary of the
Interior of the United States. was on
his way to Belgium for Red Cross duty.
Describes the Disaster.
His story follows:
TT is not true that those on board
were unconcerned over the possibility
of being torpedoed. I took the big liner
to save time and also because in case
of a floating mine I felt she would have
more chance of staying up But. like
everybody else aboard. felt sure in
case of being torpedoed that We would
have ample time to take to the boats.
II do not know what case is being
made out for the Cunard people, but I
cannot say that either discipline or pre-
cautions We're up to the standard.
When ] heard the crash / rushed to
the port side. No officer was in sight.
An effort was being made to lower the
boats swinging just opposite the grand
entrance. Women. children and men
made a mad scramble about this boat,
which was smashed against the side,
throwing all the occupants into the
sea.
Then two big men, one a sailor and
the other a passenger, succeeded in
launching a second boat. Much to my
surprise this amateur effort was sue
cessful. This boat got away and car
ried chiefly women and children. This
boat was successfully launched on the
port side.
Measured by officer.
1--WE then saw our first glimpse of an
officer, who came along the deck and
spoke to Lady Mackworth, Miss Conner
and myself, who were standing in a
group: Don't worry. the ship will
right itself He had hardly moved on
before the ship turned sideways and
then seemed to plunge head foremost
into the sea.
II came up after what seemed to be
an interminable time under water and
found myself surrounded by swimmers.
dead bodies and wreckage. l got on
an upturned yawl, where / found thirty
other people. among them Lady Allan,
whose collarbone was broken while she
was in the water.
"Another passenger on the yawl,
man, whose name I did not learn, had
his arm hanging by the skin. His IN
jury probably was due to the explosion
putated successfully with a butcher
knife by little Italian surgeon aboard
a tramp steamer, which picked me up.
This tramp was flying tho Greek
flag, hence the report that Greek
steamer was on the scene. It was mid
night before I arrived at a hotel in
Queenstown. There l found neither dry
clothing nor bed, but was compelled
to sleep on the floor of the hotel par
lor"
Blames British Admiralty.
Speaking with considerable bitter
ness, DIR. Fisher concluded:
Il do not see now tltneF tHe 1uHdTu
company or the admiralty can hold
themselves free from blame for this
tragedy The authorities allowed
great ship loaded with valuable cargo
to proceed through known dangerous
waters without a single torpedo boat
as a convoy.
Although condemning the handling OF
the lifeboats grossly inefficient, DE-
Fisher said he knew he was risking his
life in the war zone and accepted what
had happened to him as a matter of
course.
I'VE were warned by the German gov
ernment" he said, land l for one do
not want any official action by my
country.
Miss Connor's Experience.
Miss Conner had the thrilling ex-
perience of being rescued after she had
sa Id:
II was standing on the deck beside
my brother-in law, DIR. Fisher, and
Lady Mackworth. When the deck be
came awash ] jumped into the sea
with q lifebelt. After "A terrible buff
feting from the wreckage I felt myself
becoming unconscious.
Il resigned myself to fate, feeling
sure that | would drown. When l re-
vived ! found myself on a collapsible
boat. I believe these collapsible boats
saved more lives than did the regular
lifeboats. The latter could not be
launched in time, and many of them
know that two Ifeboats were
launched on the port side"