West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-05-13
LUS|TANIA TORPEOOEO
BY GERMAN SUBMARINE
Giant Passenger Steamship Goes to
Bottom Within Fifteen Minutcs
After Being Struek-Morc Than
One Thousand Lives Arc Lost in
Catastrophe

| QUEENSTOWN. May 9.-Twenty-
three miles from this port an irrcgu.
lar smear of flotsam on a calm sea
marks the grave of the Cunarder Lu-
! sitania, first transatlantic liner sunk
! by German submarine. 1l9 OF 1900
souls who perished with her lay I'm
improviscd morgucs in old buildings
bordering Queenstown harbor. They
were either picked up dead or sue
cumber after landing.
The 645 survivors landed here are
quartered In hotels. residences and
hospitals. some too badly hurt To be
moved
Two groups left Saturday. clad I'm
mistt clothing, bound for Dublin bv
rail and sent by boat to Hollyhead.
The Injuries of some are so serious
that additional deaths are expected
and nearly all are too dazed to under
stand fully what has happened.
The Lusitania was steaming along
about ten miles off Oldhead Kinsale
on the last leg OF her voyage to Liver
pool, when about 2 o'clock in the af.
ternoon n submarine suddenly appear-
ed and fired two torpedoes without
warning at the steam. One struck
her near the bows. and the other In
the engine room. The powerful agents
OF destruction tore through the ves-
sells side, causing terrific explosions.
Almost Immediately great volumes OF
water poured through the openings
and the Lusitania listed.
Boats, which were already swung
out on the davits. were dropped over
board and were speedily filled with
passengers who had been appalled, by
the desperate attack. A wireless call
Tor help was sent out. and immediate
ly rescue boats of all kinds were sent
out both from the neighboring points
along the coast and Queenstown.
But within fifteen minutes, az one
survivor estimated, and certainly
within half an hour, the Lusitania
had disappeared.
The Lusitania was product OF the
race for speed which was carried on
FOR years among transatlantic stenm-
ship companies, particularly of Eng
land and Germany. When the Lusi-
tania was launched she was the won
der OF the maritime world. Her mas
terry OF the sea from the standpoint OF
speed was undisputed.
The progress OF the LusitanIa on
her first voyage to New York was
watched by the entire world. She
made the voyage in five days and IS
minutes, at that time record Her
fastest trip, made on the western voy-
age, was four days, IL hours and AZ
minutes. This record, however. was
wrtsted from her subsequently by the
Mauretania, her sister ship, built
few months later, which has been I'm
service for the British navy during
the war. The Mauretania set the mark
of four days, 10 hours. III minutes
which still stands.
for $50 first-class passengers, 500 sec
ond-class and ] 300 third-class
The vessal was pronounced by her
builders 10 be as nearly unsuitable
as any ship could be. The lower deck
was water tight. The double bottom
was so constructed that should the
bilge keels be torn away and the hull
pierced the entering water would be
confined within the inner and outer
bottoms. The lower portion OF the
hull was divided into 175 water tight
compartments. with communication
doors so constructed that they could
be closed automatically from the neyl-
cation bridge in a few sections.
The Lusitania is the twenty-ninth
vessel TO be sunk or damaged in the
first week Of May in the Geramn war
zone about the British Isles
Most of these vessels were torpe-
doed by German submarines, although
in some cases II has not been estab-
lished whether the damage was in.
nicted by mines or under water boats.
The Lusitania. with total Of 1851
passengers aboard. OF whom 1888 were
Americans, and with crew Of SIG,
sailed from New York i'm the face of
a warning published on the day OF her
departure by the German embassy.
which stated that travellers intending
TO embark on British ships did so at
the risk Of the ships being destroyed
in accordance with the German war
zone decree.