The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-05-28
Princess Irene Destroyed
While Lying Off Sheer
ness, England
ONLY ONE SURVIVOR
OUT OF $50 ON BOARD
New Auxiliary Ship, Formerly Canadi-
an Liner, Vanishes in Sheet OF Flame
Admiralty Says the Explosion Was
Accidental Shipping Damaged.

Accidental Shipping Damaged.
SHEERNEss, England, May IS. i
TIE Princess Irene was blown to pieces
OF here just before noon yesterday,
with q loss Of some 250 lives The
Princess Irene was a new liner of
5000 tons, launched for the Canadian
Pacific Railway company at Dunbar
ton last year, and was taken over by
the admiralty. 1t is said she has been
uscG in minelaying and was undergoing
repairs.
Suddenly at 1l19 O'Clock people on
shore saw Il three-funneled liner dis
appear in u vast sheet of flame, which
saot upward with a deafening roar.
The vivid splash Of color died away,
giving place to column of smoke
waic!l hung over the spot for about n
quarter Of an hour.
''It seemed quite solid, and stood
like q huge gray monument over the
spot where the ship had been an eye
witness said. Then, as the smoke col
umn broke into plumes and SLOWLY
driftcd away, il was seen that the ship
had completely disappeared with the
crew. All that remained was Il quau,
titv Of floating wreckage that had
been blown into tiny fragments.
Shortly afterward tiny fragments of
charred wood and other wreckage be-
gan to rain down, some even at Wig
more. nine miles away An officer who,
seeing the flash and hearing the ex-
plosion, motored from Minister to
Queensboro to see what assistance Was
wanted found debris showering on the
latter place as he entered.
Soon after the explosion a tailor in
Shceruess was rung mp on tho telephone
by his wife at Rainham, about four
miles away. She asked what was the
matter, as q few moments after she
heard an explosion a boot, a collar and
tie, and a pound Of butter fell into her
garden.
There were IN board the Princess
Irene at the time of the disaster Off
GERS and crew numbering ITO and so
dockvard hands. W:h the exception
of a few dead bodies no trace of any
of these men has Eetn seem and Il
must be presumed Shat all lost Their
lives. Two dockyard employees, George
Fitzpatrick and jack Hodges, who hld
been members Of the Working party on
board the Princess Irene, were retun-
ing to the ship in thc government pia-
mace.
"'Wc were lying on the cushions in
the cabin, said Fitzpatrick yesterday.
''When the explosion occurred Hodges
WAS shaken On TO Jne moor ny inc tOH-
cussion, and we both ran out to ascer-
tain what had happened.
The rain of debris, was so thick
that we were compelled to seek shell
ter in the cabin, and when we were
able to emerge again there was no sign
Of the Princess Irene.
The scene was extraordinary. lm-
mcdiatcly after the accident the ship
appeared TO have been blown to minute
fragments, many of which seemed tc
hang i'm the air burning. The force OF
the explosion was vertical, and 4 pal
of black and white smoke lowered higt
over the spot for some minutes anC
then began TO drift away in an almos
solid mass. There was little or 10 dis
turbanee of the water, bat the surface
was quickly covered with a litter O
wrcckage. This was so small that i
was just as if YOU had emptied a bo,
of matches into bath, and it was
difficult matter to drive our boa
through it.
We saw nothing Of the men VIII
had been ON the ship, and the larges
pieces of her which we noticed were
portion Of the mast dipping through tn
waves and q part Of the hull. -
Shipping in the neighborhood suffel
cd extensively both from the concu
sion and debris. and numerous casua
ties 10 members Of crews were repor
cd.