The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-04
SURVIVOR MAY SUE
LUSITANIA OWNERS
F. j. Gauntlet Says Crew Was
"Green."
8 O s WAS D~ISREGARDED

r. J. Gauntlet. a director OF the New
port News Drydock and S~hipbuilding
Company, who arrived yesterday by the
American liner Philadelphia with the
body Of the president Of his company,
Arthur L. Hopkins, said that after con-
sultation with counsel he probably would
sue the Cunard Lint because OF the In
competency OF its crew. most OF whom
appeared to be green hands.
Mr.. Gauntlet was a passenger on the
Lusitania and was In the water fifteen
minutes before he was picked up by a
fishing smack. lie said.
The stewards OF the Lusitania showed
a woful lack Of trainings When the
steamship a t~orpedoed they failed 70
grasp the seriousness OF the SITUATION.
It seems to me that II the proper pre-
cautions had been taken he Lusitania
would MOI have been torpedoed.
when I got into Queenstown harbor
found q fiotilla of d%estroyers, and
demanded to know why some of them
had not been despatched to convoy the
Lusitania. I was told that their officers
had been ordered not to risk their yes
sells In convoy work. I learned that
they had received the wireless calls ror
help from the Lusitania, but that they
would not respond because they had re-
ceived no orders to do so.
Hunted Another Submarine.
"I heard later that a German sub
marine had been sighted near Queens
town harbor the day before the Lust
tania was t~orpedoed and that the British
fiotilla in watching out for that lone
to be destroyed"
Besides the body of Mr.. Hopkins the
Philadelphia had aboard these Lusitanis
victims: william Colbert. Mrs. Amelia
McDona, Mrs. II. d. Sinner. Mrs. Della
Condor, all OF this city Mrs. II. J
Ke.ser and Master w. S. Hodges Of
Philadelphia and Mrs. F.. A. Rogers OF
Toronto.
Frederick ". whitridge. president Of
the Third Avenue Railway Company,
also a passenger by tho Philadelphia
admitted that he had expressed q fear
OF sailing by tho Lusitania. and that he
did not near to cross again while the
war was on. As he believed that "nc
mans life was safe on the sea while
the Germans were allowed to keep VI
their piratical submarine warfare" Mr.
Whitridge was for the immediate sever
ance OF diplomatic relations with Ger
many.
Robert Bacon. former Ambassador e
France. said no had been in French
military hospitals and had seen thu
agonies OF soldiers who had inhaled tn,
asphyxiating gas used by the Germans
1T II not true" Mr.. Bacon said, "tha,
these poor soldiers die at once. Som
may do so, but most Of them linger sew
eral days. fully conscious and enduring
great suffering. They slowly strangl'
to death through the liquefying OF thu
lung tissues. I have heard. Even In thu
cases Of those who recover Il In tot
early yet to know what the final effects
may be"
Tells Of Fleeing Germany.
Lieut.. Nssant Beardmore OF TIT
Queens OWN Rifles of Toronto. who wa!
a tenor OF the Berlin Opera at the be
ginning OF the war, said he had beer
put under surveillance ms a British sub
ject and had been ordered to repor
twice a day TO the police. He crossed
the Austrian border by pretending to b'
a German spy and after Disgusting him
self as a peasant finally got TO the Swiss
border and thence to England. He re
Gently received n Short leave OF absence
to visit his family In Toronto.
Z. Richard Schayer. brother-in-lav
Of Sir Edgar Speyer. ENLISTED in tn
Army Service Corps in England IN DC
toher, saying that he was a Canadian
and spelling his name Slayer. Tn
corps IL like our own quartermaster'
department and does not go TO the hrini
line. Mr.. Schayer got tired of his Jo|
and by ~persuading his American friend
TO send him a letter in which they wrot'
that they hoped that "our country
would not be involved in the war h
managed TO get himself hailed befor'
his Colonel. He admitted that his fathe
was a Prussian who had become
naturalized American citizen and ha'
served through the civil war, attaininl
the rank OF Brigadier-General. The
they discharged him, giving him a goo
character but telling him his service
were no longer needed"