Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-10
SURVIVORS TELL
TALES OF HORROR
Surrounded by Dead Bodies,
They Hear Shrieks of
the Dying.
SEEMS LIKE WORLDS END
Despite Burden of Terror, There
Are Many Deeds Of Per
sonal Heroism.
SEEMS LIKE WORLDS END
BY A. r. BEACH.


tania's passengers-many of them
women and ch,dren-after being
placed safely in lifehoats. were dragged
down with the ship when 1T sank, be-
cause the boats could not be lowered.
Some OF the survivors attribute this
fault TO inehiciency among the crew
Ropes fouled, some of the boats wore
chopped away, overturning when they
struck the sea, and hurting the occu-
pants into th. water. Some fell from
height of forty feet. others could
not be released. and were dragged
down.
These reports were given to me by
responsible persons among the 196 sur
vivors who came through on the first
train from, Queenstown. My inform
ants also agree on the following facts:
The Lusitania was struck by two tor
pedoes. She was struck at exactly
2:15 o'clock. and sank at 2:3o They
showed me five watches that stopped
exactly at 2:3o, when their owners
struck the water.
Alfred Vanderbilt. Charles Frohman,
S
Hubbard undoubtedly are dead
Following are excerpts from survi-
vors' stories:
SURVIVOR DESCRIBES
LACK OF EFFICIENCY
Robert C. Wright. Cleveland, O.:
There was panic on board, but
there was an awful lack of efficiency.
The boats were not lowered properly.
Some were chopped from the ropes,
fell and overturned"
Martha Ann Whyatt, New Bedford.
Mass: II found 1t impossible to get
into any OF the lifeboats. There
seemed to be no help about"
Others told stories Of personal
hcroism. More tales were of the bur-
den OF the terror. the long fight OF the
living among the dead, and the miracle
OF their rescue.
One passenger told how. with their
life raft loaded with injured and bercft
survivors. with bodies of dead all
lug men and women ringing in their
ears, tho score or more on the raft
broke into "Tipperary"-singin TO
keep up heart.
George a. Eessler, well-known New
Yorker. told correspondent aboard
the steamship Munster a thrilling story
of his experiences.
AS he stood in the companionway OF
the Munster as II zigZagged its way
across the dangerous zone in the Irish
Sea from Kingstown to Holyhead his
voice trembled and his hands shook
as with great agitation he told the
story of his deliverance.
During his narrative he continually
interjected such CALCULATIONS as why
am / alive" How was II I escaped?'
1T is a miracle, Gods mercy, that ]
was spared
only the decorations on my legs
where they were scraped on the boats
rendering me hardly able to walk, make
me realize that it was a reality
HAD WATCH IN HAND
WHEN TORPEDO STRUCK
IT was standing on the deck smok-
ing when all at once I distinctly saw
the wake of a torpedo as it came rush
ing at us. 1t struck us exactly at 2:15
o'clock. know this, because my watch
was In my hand at the time.
"I was calm even after we were
struck. and felt no alarm. nor did any
OF the saloon passengers. We lived In
FOOLS paradise of disbelief that any
thing in the line of torpedoes possibly
could baa!y irjure the Lusitania.
I'VE calmly put the women into the
boats. but did it simply in n spirit OF
convention. None Of us believed that
1t was necessary.
"Al1 the men In the saloon were
smiling. I went forward to the cap
tain's bridge and started to help some
OF tho women into boat when there
was sudden list. found myself thrown
into boat WHICH, up to then, had beer
uncovered. IL was about fifty fee,
above the watet mark. This boat was
Immediately lowered, and before we
reached the water the Lusitania had
settled down. with us about twenty
feet
Scarcely had we got the boat clea,
of the falls when the Lustania disap.
peared before pur very eyes. It was
too sudden to idescribc: 1t just hap
pened. Immediately there was tire.
mendous connection. or suction, and
the boat overturned. I, with tho othe,
occnpants-probabl bly, nifty or sixty ir
all-were throwit into the water and
dragged down. How far down we wen,
or how long I remained under waite,
cannot tell. 1t seemed n lifetime.
When finally I came to the sur.
face. the boat had disappeared, and no.
one of my companipns was to be seen
1 swan almost nvoipntarily-how Ions
1 do not know-but FINALLY came te
a coliapsible boat with eight men. ST,
of whom were stoke|r |rs. I cIambcref
into the boat, which whs half-hlled with
water. We tried bailinJg and balancing
but the boat would tilt and turn, and
finally capsized again. \We clambered
aboard again. and again we bailod and
Continued on Third Page.)