River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-09-09

rlr1e commander, according to a dis
patch from Berlin. Germany's explain
alton, the dispatch stated, will be that
if a submarine torpedoed the liner
without warning it was because the
U-boat had left its base before the
new instructions were issued through
the admiralty.
London, Sept. 7.-According to the
Daily Mail, Mrs. Chantham of Mon
treaI, one of the survivors of the Hes
perian says she saw a torpedo COM
| ing as she leaned over the ships side.
Queenstown, Sept. z. = Six second
cabin passengers, six third cabin pas
sengers and 13 of the crew of the
steamer Hesperian, torpedOed $50
miles off Queenstown are unaccounted
for according to the revised official fig
ures issued by the Allan line. This
brings the probable death list, includ-
ing Miss Carberry, of ST. Louis, N. F.,
whose body is here, up to &c.
The captain of the stricken liner re-
NAMED by his ship until it sank. He
declined to comment on the disaster
for publication, hence the official
statement as to whether he believes
his ship was the victim Of torpedo
or mine must come from the admir-
atty, although the captain is quoted
as having told an Allan line official
that the Hesperian was torpedoed.
Most of the survivors, passengers
and crew, will leave Queenstown by
special train and boat for Liverpool.
Ship PIunges to Bottom.
Captain Main and the officers who
remained aboard the steamer while eff
forts were being made to tow the lin
er to port were able to save some OF
their effects before the ship plunged
to the bottom, 78 miles southwest of
Fastnet, not far from the scene of the
attack, taking with her 3,545 bags Of
mail, much of it originating in neutral
countries.
The flooding of the forward compart-
ments, which caused the Hesperian to
sink so much by the head as to throw
The propellers out of the water, made
the task Of towing the liner to Queens
Town impossible in the rough sea.
The names of the missing second
cabin passengers follow:
Miss Bannister, Mrs. Fisher, Joseph
Fowler, Mrs. Hannah Fowler, Maria
Jenkins and Miss Murray.
The Hesperian sank at 6:45 o'clock
IN the morning within a few miles
IF Queenstown, after Captain Main
of
made brave fight to bring the Grip
pied ship into port.
During the night the Hesperian set
lied gradually by the head Daylight
showed the decks awash and the liner
about to take the final plunge.
The captain and crew were taken
off by rescue boats and landed later in
Queenstown by the steamer Empress.
Hit BY Torpedo, Says Crew.
The sinking of the Hesperian in
| deep water probably will prevent an
Investigation to determine whether the
disaster resulted from submarines
torpedo or from mine. Passengers
and crew assert positively that the
vessel was struck by torpedo, but
thus far no statement had been OBJ
| tanned from any one who saw sub
marine or torpedo.
The American embassy is receiving
reports from Wesley Frost, American
consul at Queenstown, on the question
whether warning was given to the
liner
No Warning Given, Claim.
Persons so far seen by Mr.. Frost
state that no warning was given.
| The consul has been unable to learn
Of more than two Americans who were
on the Hesperian, both members of the
crew, and both reported to have been
saved.
Press dispatches report the death of
a Miss Carberry, who is said to have
been hurled from one of the boats and
i to have died from the shock, and of
another woman who was badly injured
and died in one of the rescue steam
ers while enroute to Queenstown.
The injured number about thirty.
| For the most part they we're passen-
| gers in two of the boats which capsiz-
ed in the darkness before they struck
the water. Queenstown dispatches
said no Americans were injured.
| The Hesperian remained afoat vir-
| tually "a hours after being struck, and
it was hoped she could be towed into
| Queenstown. Several steamers were
standing by.
Wireless reports state that Captain
Main and the 20 members Of the crew
of the Hesperian who remained aboard
were taken off before the steamer
fnundered.