Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-09-08
TEUTONS TORPEDO
|. ANOTHER LINER;
EIGHT LIVES LOST
HeSperian Remains AfIoat After
Being Hit.
TWO AMERICANS ARE SAVED
cabiegram From U. s. Consul at
Queenstown Says Boat Had Gun
Mounted-Passengers and Dis
abIed Troops Reach Port.

Washington, Sept. Ga cablegram
from American Consul Frost at
Queenstown to the state department
announcing the torpedoing of the Hes
perian, with loss of probably eight
lives, said the liner was armed.
The copsuTs message follows:
THE Allan liner Hesperian tor
pedoed by German submarine 20 miles
southwest of Fastnet at $3.50 O'CLOCK
Saturday evening. One or two Amerl-
cans on board; none lost. Loss OF LIE
about eight. Vessel has not sunk. Ad-
miralty boats landed passengers and
troops at $3.50 Sunday morning. Have
returned to bring Hesperian in here
Queenstown. There were about
forty-fiye Canadian troops on board,
unorganized and mainly invaded.
Also one Al gun, mounted and visible
on stern. Vessel bound for Montreal"
Hesperian Is Torpedoed.
London, Sept. 6.-The Allan steam
ship Hesperian was torpedoed at 500
o'cloc. Saturday night off the south
coast Ireland, 100 miles southwest
of Fast1et.
Approximately $50 passengers were
ON board, one or two of them Ameri-
cans. All were saved, according to
the latest report issued by the Allan
line.
Vessel Is Still AfIoat.
The steamer did not sink and is re-
ported proceeding under convoy to
Queenstown, to which port most of the
passengers and crew were taken by
rescue steamers summoned by wire
less calls for help.
Passengers landed at Queenstown
asserted that the attack was made
without warning. The United States
embassy here has not yet received any
information on this point. The Ameri-
can consul at Queenstown telegraphed
the embassy, however, that there were
one or two Americans aboard, adding
that none was lost.
Wounded Soldiers on Ship.
The Hesperian, vessel of 10,92O
tons gross, was outward bound from
Liverpool for Montreal. Many of the
passengers were wounded Canadian
soldiers on their way home from the
'front.' There were approximately $50
in the crew.
The attack upon the Hesperian
came just as darkness was falling.
Passengers who have reached Queens
town express the belief that she had
been chased for some distance by
submarine, which fired as soon as it
was within range. The attack came
so suddenly, it was stated, that great
alarm was felt aboard the steamer.
Three Lifeboats Upset.
The torpedo struck the Hesperian
forward of the engineroom, tearing
away the forward part so that water
rushed into the forward compart-
ments. The wireless operator instant
~ sent out a call for aid, while Cap
tain Main ordered the boats over the
side. Three of them are said to have
been upset in launching, and 20 per-
sons who were injured have been land
ed at Queenstown. So far as known,
all those thrown into the water were
saved.
A feet of rescue steamers soon
in the small boats were taken aboard.
When it was seen that the Hesperian
was likely to remain afloat for some
time Captain Main, regarded as one
of the most reliable commanders in
the Allan line service, insisted upon
returning to his ship to await the ar
rival of admiralty tugs. which he
he oh To faly hnr fol
TO Queenstown. Twenty of his men
went back with him.
Says Perfect Order Prevail cd.
Mai. ]. S. Barres, who was return.
ing to Canada with IL officers and 38
men to recuperate from wounds, said
concerning the torpedoing of the Hes
perian:
Perfect order prevailed. One boat
capsized through the davits getting
TANNED and someone cutting the ropes
10 facilitate the lowering of the boats"
The Hesperian, a twin-screw steam.
er. was built at Glasgow in 1908. She
was 4S5 feet long, with beam of 90
feet and a depth of hold of 80 feet
The Hesperian sailed from Montreal
August IL for Liverpool, where she
was reported to have arrived August
27. The Allan line, owners of the He's
perian, has been operated for about
three years by the Canadian Pacific
railroad, ships of the line running be-
tween Great Britain and Canadian
ports.
Proceeding Under Convoy.
Montreal. Sept. 6.-The Allan line
management received cablegrams
from England informing them that the
Hesperian, which was torpedoed, was
proceeding 10 Queenstown under con-
Voy.
All the passengers were saved and
the crew was standing by the vessel.
Numbers one and two holds were full
Of water. II