Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1915-11-18
THREE BKIr1o.1 SHIPS SUNK
Hospital Ship Strikes a
Mine in English Chan
nelELives Lost.

DOVER, Nov. 17.-Q1:15 Q. M
The hospital ship Anglia, with about
800 wounded men on board, in addi-
tlon to the crew, nurses and attend
ants, bound from France for Dover,
struck mine in mid-channel today
and sank in very short time. Nearly
100 men, most of them seriously
wounded and therefore in their cots,
lost their lives.
The collier Lusitania, which was
nearby at the time of the accident,
Immediately went to the assistance of
the Anglia and her boats had just been
lowered when she also strck a mine
and foundered. All of her crew were
saved.
A patrol vessel succeeded in rescu-
ing 300 of the Anglia's passengers and
crew, including some nurses. A num-
Der of bodies were recovered.
The sinking of the Anglia, although
the first case in the war of hospital
ship meeting disaster while carrying
wounded, has caused great anxiety in
the public mind as it had been sup
posed that the English channel was
entirely free of danger from mines.
The newspapers indulge in much
speculation, some of them offering the
explanation that they must have been
German mines.
The Anglia had 200 cot cases aboard.
When the rescuing vessels reached her
she was badly down by the head and
No, ALI
was SO high above the sea that one
of the rescuing vessels was able to pass
under her and forty men dropped
aboard
The crew of the Lusitania gave
vivid narratives of the disaster, ac-
cording to which, after a terrific ex
plosion, the bows of the Anglia SEEM
ed to melt away until the sea Tapped
her rails. She surged forward, now
ever, in vain attempt to reach shore
Soon many boats came to the res
cue, including those sent by the Lusi-
tania Those watching the scene saw
the soldiers coming up from below,
assembling on deck and calmly wait
ing the order to pass into the boats.
A rescuing vessel ran right under
the sinking steamers stern and i'm
mediately the crew set to work under
greatest difficulties to transfer the
wounded
Every moment the stern of the DOOM
vessel rose higher and the hull veered
sidewise as though about to turn tur-
tie, but still the crew worked on.
Some of the wounded, unable to
keep their footing on the sloping deck.
fell into the sea and were picked up
by the rescuers. Others jumped over
board. All the while the nurses work
ed with splendid devotion with tne
crew to transfer their patients to the
boats.
The difficulties were augmented by
the racing propeller, which gave a cir
cular motion TO the Anglia.
The end came with dramatic sud
denness. With wounded soldiers and
doctors, nurses and soldiers still cling
ing to the stern, the vessel appeared
for a moment to stand on her bows,
then suddenly went under, but left the
Red Cross flag flying at her mast,
six feet above the water.
LONDON, Nov. 17.-(6:25 p. m.)-,
The British hospital ship Anglia was
sunk by mine in the English chan
mel today. Three hundred men were
saved out of total of 1856.
The following official communica-
tion concerning the disaster was made:
"The war office reports that hos
pital ship Anglia struck mine in
the channel today and sank. The to-
tai number on board was 13 officers
and 372 men Of other ranks of whom
about 300 were saved by a patrol
vessel.
Another ship proceeding to the
rescue was also sunk by another
mine''
Another official communication says:
King George was shocked to hear
that the Anglia, which SO recently con-
veyed him across the channel, has
been sunk His majesty is grieved at
the loss incurred, but trusts that the