Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-07-17
Say Attempt to Torpedo
Ship Was Made Last
Wednesday.
NONE OF SEVEN SHELLS
STRUCK THE VESSEL
Story of Attack Heard When
Ship Reaches Quarantine.
II Americans Aboard.
SAILED WITH 227 ABOARD
FROM LIVERPOOL JULY 8
Travellers Report u. S. Bark,
Possibly the Normandy,
Was Nearby.

NEW 1ORh, July 1f.-Ihe British
passenger liner Orduna, with s27
passengers aboard, twenty -one Of
whom were Americans, was az
tackled without warning by a Ger
man submarine at o'clock in the
morning of July 8, sixteen hours out
of Liverpool. on her way to New
York. Announcement of the attack
was made by the ships captain,
Thomas McComh Taylor. and pas
sengers, when the Orduna reached
here today.
torpedo was fired at the steamer
and missed it by ten yards. Twenty
minutes later submarine rose 10 the
surface, possibly a different sub
marine from the one that launched
the torpedo. and for half an hour
thereafter pursued the steamer, fir
ing shells which whistled over the
decks above the heads of passengers
standing there with their lifebeits
on.
Ten minutes before the attack q
sailing ship with two American flags
painted on her side was seen ahead.
Captain Taylor became suspicious u
this craft and began maneuvering
lilc uGii CdliiC llG dLidChy Lie
first warning of which was the streak
of torpedo which whirled through
the water and missed the orduna's
stern by ten yards or thereabouts.
Stewards Arouse Passengers.
Stewards ran below and aroused
the passengers. With clothes hur-
rledly fastened haphazard they rnado
for the upper deck. There they wers
assembled near the bridge. Life
belts were adjusted and lifeboats
swung out. The crew stood ready to
launch the boats. From a subma-
rine off the starboard quarter there
came shell which kicked up a min
iature geyser In the Orduna's wake.
The submarine had the range.
Captain Turner turned the stern of
the ship toward the assailant and or
dered full speed ahead. Within from
two to five minutes another shell, this
time passing over the heads of the
assembled passengers. was fired. As
1t overshot the mark its landing place
was marked by a rising column OF
water.
A third shell passed overhead and
so close that it seemed to clip a
lifeboat. Captain Taylor ordered the
passengers to go to a lower deck.
They obeyed and the lifeboats were
adjusted lower still SO that the pas
sengers might step into them without
delay. The shelling continued, shots
falling about the steamer at intervals
of from two to five minutes.
Seven Shots In All Fired.
For about half an hour the subma-
rine pursued the liner with the space
of water between them lengthening
each minute. Seven shots were fired
in all Four of them passed over the
decks. The other three fell close to
the ship. Then the submarine, dis
tanced, gave up the chase. Early
risers who had left their berths to
enjoy the fine morning were with the
captain on the bridge when the at
tack began and Witnessed the entire
episode Among them was Baron
Marcus Rosenkrants, of Denmark,
who married Miss Rebie Lowe, of At
lanta Ga. The baroness was with
him on the trip, but did not witness
the attack.
Ask the passengers what hap
pened?" Captain Taylor said. when
the Orduna docked here today II
am attached TO the Royal Naval Re-
serve and, therefore, cannot discuss
the matter. Ask Baron Rosenkrantz,
he saw the whole thing" But there
is one question, Captain Taylor, that
you can answer, and you alone.
Were you attacked without warm
ing?"
Il did not have even the slightest
warning of the attack" he replied.
Beyond that, will say nothing
Baron Rosenkrantz, one of a group
with the captain on the bridge de-
scribed the attack in detail
Baron Describes Attack.
1--WE left Liverpool about 2:So
o'clock on the afternoon of Thursday
the Sth," he said 'At 200 o'clock,
by my watch. the first missile, tor
pedo, was fired
"a few minutes before that, how
ever we saw small sailing ship just
ahead of us. She had two American
flags painted on the side that was
turned to us. She was broadside 10
us and seemed to be beating up the
wind. We could see her over the
bows.
Captain Taylor apparently became
suspicious of this boat We noticeu
that the course of the ship was i'm
mediately changed so that the little
vessel would be given wide bertn.
| could see that we could pass faf
astern of her, if we kept to the new
course.
Some of those aboard believed that
the sailing ship was hiding subma-
rine behind her OF this | can't say
There were twenty-one Americans
aboard the Orduna, it was learned
when she docked here. Passengers
saw the submarine attack was snade
without previous warning.
The Orduna's passengers ncludee
the Baron and Baroness Rosenkrantz
Lawrence johnson, jr., of Philadei-
phia; w. o. Smith, of Chicago, ana
+. M. Morz, of Winnipeg.
Save for single cryptic wireless
message received yesterday, the
Cunard line had heard no word from
the Orduna since she sailed from
Liverpool until the vessel reached
quarantine today.