New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-18
TORPEDO MISSES;
DECK GUN USED
Rain of Shells Fall Around
Ship-Burst of Speed
Saves Her.
PASSENGERS PROTEST
Captain and Grew, Calm. Use
Every Ounce of Skill to Foil
Sea Raider.


Another German submarine COM
mander, il was learned yesterday upon
the arrival here of the Orduna, Of the
Cunard Line, chose a moment to at
tempt TO sink an unarmed British mer-
chant vessel with twenty-one Ameri-
cans in her passenger list when nego-
ristions between the United States and
Germany relative to the modification
Of underses warfare were at a critical
point.
The Orduna barely escaped a fate
like that of the Lusitanis. The attack
occurred on Friday, July 9, when the
vessel was thirty-fve miles from
Queenstown.
Sloshing along in the Irish Channel.
with nothing but the periscore above
water, the submarine sighted the Or
dura about o'clock in the morning
From the commander came the order
to submergs and steal toward the
course Of the steamer. When less than
a mile of water separated the line,
cnd the deadly U-boat the submarine
came above the surface for another OBJ
servation.
The 0rduna's speed was reckoned st
fourteen knots an hour, and the Ger
man commander was aware Of that fact.
Preparations were made 70 launch
torpedo at the unsuspecting ship by
calculations based on her known trav-
elling rate.
Torpedo Missed Target.
The periscope disappeared. The or.
der to fire was given.
Eight minutes later the periseope,
then the coming tower and lastly the
deck Of the submarine appeared above
the water three miles in another d.
rection.
A different sight than that expected
by the submarines commander met
his eyes. Instead OF crippled steam
er. listing and filing with water be-
cause of a rent in her hull, as passen-
gers struggled with lifeboats, great
clouds Of black smoke belched from
her stack as the vessel fed under
forced draft
The torpedo had missed its mark.
A blind fury must have overcome
the German commander, passengers on
the Orduna said yesterday. In few
seconds a disappearing gun platform
was swung 70 the submarines deck.
Without consideration OF the fact that
the passengers on the vessel were still
asleep in the staterooms- s-the time was
only a few minutes after o'clock in
the morning the gun was brought
into action.
A shrapnel she'll came screaming
over the water and struck within thirty
feet or the 0rduna, exploding beneath
the surface Less than minute later
another she'll was fired, missing us
mark by only few feet. Another and
another came until nine had been hred.
Not one of them nit.
According 70 passengers and MEM
hers OF the crew, the magnificent sea-
raanship of her commander, Captain
Thomas McComb Taylor, was the only
thing that saved the vessel and those
on board from a fate similar 10 that
which overlook the Lusitanla and her
Passengers. Captain Taylor, who, be-
sides being as unexctable as a me-
chanical checker player, is modest, at
tributed his escape 70 the mlscalcula-
ticn of the German commander.
Figured Two Knots Wrong.
"He figured US at fourteen knots an
hour" he said when he 4 neaved
sigh of genuine relief at bringing his
ship safely TO her pier. "but we were
running at top speed. sixteen knots.
THE torp do passed ten feet from
our stern. 1T fourteen knots we would
have got il beneath the boilers
That absolutely no warning was is
sued by the German sea raider was the
unanimous testimony Of those on tho
0rduna.
at was almost another case Of brutal
nurder," said Captain Taylor.
William o. Thompson, of Chicago.
counsel % the Federal Commission on
Industrial Relations. who returned
from a business trip abroad. expressed
the sentiment OF the passengers,
twenty-one of whom were American
citizens, when he declared emphatic
ally.
"The attempt TO destroy the Orduna.
while women and rittle children slept.
was a damnsble outrage"
After docking Captain Taylor made
the following report 70 the Cunard
Line, the first account received there
of the attempt TO destroy the ship:
AT $3.50 a. m, A. P. time. July 3,
one Of the lookout men on the after
bridge rang the telegraph. at the same
time pointing his hands downward and
out on the port beam. The third Of
ficer was Immediately sent aft TO in.
quire what was seen. He returned
quickly and reported that he and ths
| lookout had seen torpedo pass across
the stern from port 70 starbosid, only
ten feet clear Of the rudder.
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