New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-02
LOCALITY WITHHELD
BY THE ADMIRALTY
Rescue Effected Under
Great Difficulty in a
Raging Sea.
FLEET OFFICERS DIE
WITH MIDSHIP MEN
Wrecked Vessel, Sixteen Years
Old, Used in Fleet Shelling
Germans Land Positions.

UerH1dnS Land POSITIONS.
London, Jan. 2.-"The Daily Chroni-
cle' states that survivors Of the battle
ship Formidable report that the vessel
was torpedoed both fore and aft early
Friday morning, and sank almost i'm
mediately, giving the crew hardly time
to escape.
The Brixham correspondent Of The
Daily Chronicle" who is authority for
the above, says the captain Of the
trawler Providence. which rescued sew
enty survivors who had escaped from
the battleship in cutter. states that
other fishing boats we're close SO hand.
The captain expresses the belief that
other survivors have been rescued and
taken 70 Dartmouth. lie saw no other
boats belonging 20 the Formidable,
however.
The "Chronicle's" Chatham corre-
spondent says that the Formidable left
that port on Thursday morning.
London, Jan. /. The British battle
ship Formidable was sunk in the Eng
lish Channel thu morning with tho
great majority Of her complement Of
$50. Eighty men are known % have
been picFed up by a light cruiser and
seventy more BY trawler, making
total of 15O There has been no def
mite news Of the other 600.
The Admiralty withholds the locality
Of the disaster. and details arc meagro.
The report issued by the official in
formation bureau said:
"The battleship Formidable was sunk
this morning in the Channel but
whether by a mine or a submarine is
not yet certain.
"Seventy-one survivors have been
picked up BY a British light cruiser
and il is possible that others may have
been rescued by other vessels
Rescued in Heavy Sea.
After the above report was given out
news of the rescue Of the other men
was received, also news that the For
midable had been torpedoed.
The rescue was effected under dan
gerous and exciting circumstances. The
crew Of the trawler we're amazed while
running before the oale for shelter 70
find a small open boat driving under
their Ice througn mountainous seas
with an oar hoisted, bearing a sailors
scarf. After strenuous efforts those on
the trawler succeeded in getting a rope
to the cutter and brought her with
great skill to Berth at their stern.
The naval men began TO jump
aboard, but even then there was dan
ger of losing men. as the seas were
rising thirty feet high. After thirty
minutes labor, however, all were safe
ly rescued. One lad Of nineteen was
Sc exhausted By exposure that he re-
ouired immediate treatment 20 save
his life When all had left the cutter
her rope was cut. as she was full ot
water. leaving a hole under her hull
which had been stuffed with pair OF
trousers of which one man had divest-
ed himself for the purpose.
Some Of the rescued men mad no
trousers. and these were cared for in
the warm engine room. The naval men
had been I'm the cutter for nearly
twelve hours. The crew Of the trawler
distributed hot coffee. food and tobacco
among the benumbcd sailors. When
they landed the residents brought olan-
kets. clothing and boots for the sur
vivors and housed them in comfortable
quarters.
The plight Of these survivors from
the Formidable is almost indescribable.
For hours before being rescued they
had been battling against the Storm
hoping against hope, until the brown
sails OF the Providence hove in sight
During the height Of the storm they
were almost continuously engulfed n
great waves.
Some May Have Been Saved.
"The Daily Chronicle" says that sur
vivors from the Formidable state they
were in the cutter more than twelve
hours before being picked up BY q
trawler. Two other boatloads Of sur
vivors got away from the Formidable,
and it is thought that these may have
been picked up. as other trawlers are
known 20 have been IN the vicinity at
the time. One OF the survivors related
that as soon as the boat got away
some Of the men started 10 sing Tip
perary," but they had only finished one
verse when huge wave broke over
them, almost swamping the boat and
putting an erd 10 their song.
The Daily News" says that the