Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-12
NO ATTENTION IS PAID
TO STARS AND STRIPES
United States Flag Is Flying in
Breeze When GuIilight Is
TorpetOed.
CHIEF OFFICER TELLS STORY
In Sworn Statement He Describes
How Submarine Attacks His YES
sci Without Warming and in Sight
of British Patrol Boats.
Especial to The Times-Dispatch.

| lSpeclal to The Times Dispatch
| WASHINGTON. May ll.-Ambassador
Page has communicated to the State
! Department the following sworn state
ment of Chief officer Ralph T.. Smith,
of the Gultiight. detailing the crcum-
stances of the disaster to that vessel in
the German war zone:
May IL, 1915.
! Following is sworn statement of
, Smith, formerly chief officer now
master of the steamship Gulnight:
IL am Ralph T.. Smith. now master
Of the steamship Gulfight AT the
commencement of the voyage I was
chief officer. The ship left Port Arthur
on the 10th day OF April. 1915. about
! 4 +. NJ, laden with a tank cargo Of
gasoline ana wooden barrels of luhri
eating oil The voyage was unevent-
| full When about halfway across tho
Atlantic the wireless operator told me
there was Il British cruiser in our viciu
ity. and that he had heard message,
! from this ship the whole time since
leaving Port Arthur. but she made no
direct communication with or Ia our
! snip. From the sound of the wireless
| messages given out by tho British shin
! she seemed to maintain the same dis
lance from us until about three DAYS
before we reached the mouth OF tho
Encli Channel.
ORDERED TO FOLLOW
BRITISH PATROL nOATs
On the first day of May, about II
O'Clock in the forenoon, we smoke to
wv" British patrol vessels named Iaro
an" flieN We were then about twenty
! tw" miles west Of the Bishon Iiph,
house The patrol vessels asked whero
we were bound After informing tb.,,
"" were bound for RoueE. they ordered
us TO follow them to the Rishon Tho
fiieE took IN position of a half-mile
o'Stah' on our port bow; the Iago off
our s'arooard quarter close TO us We
s'eered as directed. and at about 1922
inc second officer. being on watch.
sighted suhma rine on our mort h,u
slightly on the port bow-steam;n. =.
risht angles TO our course. The sinh
marine was in sight for abou, l,o
minutes. when she submerged ohout
right ahead of us. saw her bu, co,,Id
not distinguish or see any nar e,,,,
on her.
The Gulhicht was then ..oar;,-
ABOUT true east. steaminy about c,sh,
hlics an hour. flying a large Aneri,a,
ensign size feet by 10 feet. Th.
W'hu was about south, about aieh: .ni!a.
IN force. personally observed our
mas was standing out well To ,b.
breeze. Immediately after saci,e n.
submarine. ] went art and no,in.d ~,
crew and came back and w.rr 90. H.
hrl"Se and heard the captain m,kc
me remark that that must be a Eri.
sh submarine as the patrol bcats took
no ho''cc OF 1t. About 1853 an .x
p'oa'o" TOOK place in the GuInight on
the biuH o; the starboard bow ecp3ino
-
ar coming down on the h-idpc M,
shutting everything off fro., o..
After the water cleared ayav our s,;,
mad sunk by the head so thu. rho en-
was washing over the for. deck ana
the ship appeared TO be sinking
BOATS ARE LOWERED
MD CREW GETS AWAY
immediately after I went AFT "a
see see 10 the boats, On my way saw
side The water at that tine vos So,
with oil. The boats were loworaL 80
me crew got into them without do,aI
or damage. After ascertaininc ,bnra
was no one left on board the shin. !
got In my boat. and we wer. njcL'oa
up by the patrol vessel Iago. and 49,.
ADVISED ny her crew to leave tho ,,o,,o
We proceeded toward 81, Mary,e M,
the dense fog which then came on NC
vented us getting into the harbor ina,
nj
lowing. I saw Captain Alfred Gun,cr
master OF the GulfiSht. who had bnen
sleeping in the room OF the skinner 90
the lago, standing in the room with -,
queer look IN his face | asked him
what his trouble was and he mad no
reply. Then he reached for tho side
OF the berth with his hands. but ala
not take hold ! went in tho room
but he fell before | reached him Hr
was taken OH deck. AS the cabin was
fnn
deck he seemed to revive, and said
i am cold After that he had an
parently two fainting attacks. and then
expired in third one-this being about
$40.
We arrived at st. Marys. Scillv
about 10 o'clock on the morning %
May the I'd. The Guliiight was t0wcd
10 Crow Sound. Sicily, on the I'd OF
May by British patrol vessels. and Com
mander Oliver, senior naval oficcr or
the port OF Sicily, sent for some one
, To come on board the Gulnight. and /
went, and the ship was anchored about
6 +. NJ. I again left the ship that
evening-she being then in the charge
OF the admiralty. l visited the ship on
Monday. | went out again on Tues
day, hut it was too rough to get on
board. To the best of my KNOWLEDGE
there was no examination made by
divers until Wednesday about 3 r. NJ,
when members from the American en-
| time made an external examination
! only OF the ships bottom, and left the
ship with me at $40 i. NJ"
FAMOUS TENNIS PLAYER
IS KILLED IN BAI"II.F r;
LONDON, May 1.-THE Times states
| that y. +. Wilding, the famous tennis
| player, was killed in Il recent action
at the Dardanellcs.
Wilding was q member OF the British