The Brandon news., 1915-05-13
GIANT cuNARDER is ToRPEDoED
OFF IRISH COAST 9Y GER
MAN SUBMARINE.
12O AMERICANS PERISH
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and Ebert
Hubbard Among Those Lost.
Boat Goes Under in 18
Minutes.

London.-The Cunard Liner Lusi
tania was torpedoed by German
submarine off the southeast coast o.
Ireland. near the entrance to Sain1
Georges channel, shortly after
o'clock on the afternoon Of May Z
She was struck without warning and
sank in Is minutes, within ten miles
of land.
Revised lists show that total OF
1,201 persons lost their lives in the dis
aster. This total is secured from the
latest official ship line list showing
1854 passengers and crew of 66s
were on board the steamer.
According to the best available fig
ures here a total of 120 Americans lost
their lives when the great liner went
down. Latest lists show that a total
Of 68 out of 1873 Americans on board
the steamer have been accounted for
as rescued. The balance are all miss
ing and are believed lost. Among the
identified dead three boieds are those
Of Americans-Charles Frohman, Mrs
amelia Mcdonald and Patrick Gallon
Officially given up as dead are: AL
fred Gwynne andVerbilt, multi-million
aire; Charles Klein, playwright; JUS
tus M. Forman, playwright; Elbert
Hubbard, writer; Mrs. Hubbard.
The Lusitania was steaming along
about ten miles off Old Head Kinsale,
on the last leg of her voyage to Liv
erpool. when about o'clock in the af
ternoon a submarine suddenly appear
ed and, so far as all reports go, fired
the torpedoes without wai6ng at the
steamer. she was struck near the
bow and in the engine room.
The powerful agents of destruction
tore through the vessels side, causing
terrific explosions. Almost immed1
ately great volumes of water poured
through the openings and the Lusi
tania listed.
Boats, which we're already swung
out on the davits, were dropped over
board and speedily filed with passen
gers who had been appalled, by the
desperate attack A wireless call for
help was sent out, and Immediately
rescue boats of all kinds were sent
out, both from the neighboring points
along the coast and Queenstown.
But within fifteen minutes, as one
survivor estimated, and certainly with
in half an hour, the Lusitania had dis
appeared.
Where Great Britain's fastest mer.
chant vessel went down-Old Head
Kinsale-is land that has brought
Joy to many travellers as it always
stood as the sign from shore that the
perils of the voyage across the Allan.
tic were at an end. The line, whose
boast has been that it has never lost
q passenger in the Atlantic service,
has now lost the ship that lodged the
lurking enemy off Nantucket light the
day after war was declared and later
startled the world by flying the Stars
and Stripes.
When the passengers realized that
the Lusitania was doomed they found
that most of the boats on the port side
were so jammed because of the great
list Of the vessel that they could not be
lowered, and the last seen of them by
the more fortunate passengers who
had secured places in the starboard
boats, or who had jumped overheard
and had been picked up, they were
lined on the sloping decks awaiting
their fate, doubtless even then believ-
ing that with land so close they would
still be saved.
However, the torpedoes had torn
such gaping holes in the liner that she
did not remain afloat for more than 20
minutes, and the calls for help which
the wireless sent out, although an
swered quickly, could not bring the
rescuing steamers in time to be of any
service.
There is much difference of opinion
as to how many torpedoes struck the
ship and as to whether an explosion
of her boilers followed. In fact, after
the first torpedo hit the Lusitania for
ward the crew were busy getting to the
stations, and the passengers who es-
capped in getting to the boats and pro-
viding themselves with lifeboats. In
shipping circles and among many sur
vivors the impression prevails that
more than one German submarine at
tackled the Lusitania and that two or