The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-28
Princess Irene Is Destroyed
MysteriOusly at
Shecrness.
SECOND DISASTER IN
ALMOST SAME SPOT
Explosion RcndS ship Apart
Just Where the Bulwark
Disappeared.
WAS E. p. LINER IN
SERVICE OF NAVY
Admiralty Reports Only
One SuryivOr-IIad Crew
of $50 and 118 Workers.
Special cable Despatch 10 TUE suS.

LONDON. May HI.-Ehe Canadian IA
clhc Railway steamer Princess Irene.
a British auxiliary steamship, was lt-
orally blown into atoms with 42o men
aboard as she lay at anchor in Sheci e
ness harbor at tho mouth OF the
Thames this morning. The explosion
was apparently internal Its origin is
a complete mystery. So far as known
only one man who was aboard and
three who went ashore before the
explosion escaped.
The Admiralty statement. issued to-
night. says that only three Of tho ves-
sells crew were aboard at the time.
Dispatches from the scene, however.
state positively that 2+7 Of the $50 men
composing the crew were on the
steamer. In addition there were sew
enty-eight dockyard men and 100
Chatham workers.
The Admiralty's statement follows:
u. NJ. s. auxiliary ship Princess
Irene was accidentally blown uG, in
Sheeruess harbor this morning.
SO far as known At present there ia
only ono survivor, "A stuker named
David Wills. lie sustained burns
from the explosion.
Three men belonging TO the vessel
were aboard at the time Of the dis
as;er. Seventy y-eight dockyard work.
ers are reported To- have been aboard
AT the time. They must have per-
ished.
Several men belonging to vessels
lying near by were wounded by dying
spliuters.
Recalls Disaster To BuIwark.
The disaster Immediately recalled the
fate of the British bl;tlcship Bulwark,
which was mysteriously blown up on
November % with the loss of some
73d officers and men. AZ practically the
Identical spot in which rested tho Pr!n-
cess Irene. The destruction Of tho Bu.-
wark was never explained There were
rumors at the tim" tina; German
submarine had slipped into Sheerness
harbor and launched a torpedo at tho
warship. subsequently stealing away
without detection. II has since seemed
more probable. however. that the Bull
wark was blown up by an internal ex-
plosion-thc inference being that a spy
accomplished the work.
The Princess Irene. a Canadian Pacific
was lying AZ her moorings seventy
yards off Port Victoria at II O'Clock
this morning her decks crowded with
busy workmcu. The harhNr was filed
with vessels Of all descriptions. Moth
ing of an extraordinary nature had oc-
CURED 10 arouse suspicion,
At few minutes after II there was
terrific explosion. The neighborhood
was shaken for miles around. windows
being blown in and chimnoys toppcd
over 4 huge fapr Nnot up from the
Irenes deck = was followed by Il
cloud of smoke and a series of crack.
ling explosions. Then followed a deep
roar and the steamer Was rent from
stem tn stern,
The air was hllcd with a perfect ha,l.
storm Of fying splint"rs Volumes ~
smoke rolled up from the spot where
the Irene had been moprrd. For a few
moments there was nothing to mark
the locality but dense cloud of dust,
steam and smoke Then the atmos-
pherc cleared.
The steamer had simply melted from
sight. pu all sides pieces of the wreck
age wcr, falling. Tho water in wucA
the vessel had rested WAS iu a turmoil
For the moment sailors dock hands, and
all workers in the u" ,ghhorhuod stood
still, apparently expecting a second eN,
plOsion,