Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-05-13
D UEENSTO WIN
ON SUNDAY IS A
CITY OF THE DEAD

Queenstown, May o, 11:45.-This has
been day of the dead in Queenstown.
Most of the survivors of the Lusitania
left for their homes. No survivors
were added to the meagre list, and the
only figures augmented were those Of
the identified dead. No additional
deaths were reported at the hospitals.
While soldiers toiled in the warm
spring sun in the graveyard of a
church on the hill digging graves for
the unknown dead who will be buried
there tomorrow groups of relatives
and friends Of the passengers went
from morgue to morguc-some finding
what they sought others turning away
to continue their search, with ebbing
hope
PUBLIC FUNERAL Monday.
The public funeral tomorrow, which n
representative OF the viceroy of Ireland
will attend will be too large for the
ordinary facilities of Queenstown and
Cork and trucks will be pressed into
service t. carry the collins The funeral.
which will be- in charge of the general
commanding the district. will he marked
by military pomp, such as is accorded
those who die in the armed service of
their country.
Though too late to he of material as
sistance to their stranded cotntrvnen.
Captains William A. Castle and Alex
ander Miller, the American military at
taches, arrived here to-day to confer with
the American consul. Wesley Frost They
left in an automobile for Kinsale Head
to continue their investigation IN behalf
of the government.
CONSUL CLAIMS TILE DEAD.
Consul Frost has been indefatigable in
assisting the American survivors and at
tending to their wants. He has supplied
many of them with money to reach their
destination All the identified American
dead have been claimed by the consul
even in cases where no requests from
relatives have been received. The bodies
are being embalmed as rapidly as the
work can be done.
The survivors are beginning to recover
from their shock, and told more coherent
stories of their experiences to-day. Tn
like those who were on the Titanic when
she was sunk, they had so little time for
observation that none of them can relate
more than whate happened very near
them. with the result that little light has
been shed on the last moments of Alfred
Gwynnc Vanderbilt and other prominent
passengers who are missing
LIFE BOATS INADEQUATE
The stories of lifeboat inadeouacv grow
as the passengers are able to take a
cooler view of the disaster 4 number
of tn" survivors maintain that only five
nii of he
out We're successfully launched Others
assert that a general order for lowering
the boats We're not given until the second
torpedo struck home. Yet all admit that
as many passengers as possible obtained
seats In such boats as We're launchod
t1ftN-two perons We're picked up by
one boat alone and CA We're found packed
in another, The collapsblo boats proved
surprsinglY efficient as unoXpected
Ravens for many struggling in the water.
probably saving more lives than the
regular lifcboats.
The American survivors, it is re-
narkable to note, have taken no ac-
-ion and have made no protest in any
,orm. beyond supplying the American
consul with q few affidavits embodv-
ng their experiences. These sur
'ivors arc divided roughly, into two
'lasses-the first, those who never be
ieved in the possibility of tragedy
ana who are almost inarticulatc with
bitter hatred for Germany: the second
nose who took the risk with their
eyes open and therefore do not expect
heir country to take drastic action
IN their account Perhaps the most
prominent of the latter class is DIR.
Howard L. Fisher of WASHINGTON. who
although condemning the handling of
he life boats as grossly inefficient
said he knew that he was risxlnn his
life in the war zone. ana accented
what had happened to him as mat
err of course.
DOESN'T WANT L s. To ACT.
We We're warned by the German
government" said he. "and for one.
do not want any official action bv my
All express rcsontful anger thar the
British admiralty did not sec fit to
send convoy for the ship.
Some of the relatives and friends of
the missing motored along the coast
to-day. erasping at the hope supplied
by the rumor that whaleboats from
'''ouIe coNes hau taken survivors
ashore. NO reports have yet been re-
relVed from the mysterious ships
which were reported to be carving
survivors to English ports but the
and admiralty authorities
discredit this story.
A Cunard tender returned to-day
from the scene of the disaster. She
did not recover any more bodies of the
victims. as the sea was too rough for
picking up bodies.