Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-05-12
DEAD AND RESCUED
At QUEENSTOWN
Survivors Describe Scenes on
the LuSitania.
TWO TORPEDOES WERE FIRED
Victims Unable to Reach Lifeboats
Before Vessel Went Beneath the
Waves-Corpses of Mothers
and Babes Recovered.

Queenstown, Ireland, May 1O.-In
four morgues pitiful bodies of victims
of the L~usitania wreck are gathered,
their limbs drawn and on their faces
expressions of fright, of agony, and,
strange to say, sometimes of perfect
peace.
In various places of refuge are 9TH
ers, more fortunate, alive, but in near
ly every instance dazed by an expert
ence that has brought many Of their
number to the point of insanity.
PitifuI Scenes in Morque.
Germany's war toll has fallen heav-
lily not only on it's admitted enemies
but on many subjects Of neutral ma
lions. There are many scenes that
would try the fortitude of the sternest
individual. In the morgue are two lit
tie children, babies, clasped tightly
in each others arms, united in death.
There are mothers clasping tightly
to their still forms their babies
nursing babies-that they chung de-
spairingly to as the undertow from
the sinking liner carried them down
to a death in the cold waters of the
ocean at the very entrance of st.
Georges channel at a time when they
felt certain that in a few hours they
would greet their loved ones.
Town Cares for Survivors.
There are pitiful scenes also among
the survivors, who are in great suffer
inc and loft without n1oth0r ~. faol 0v
cept on the charity of the Irish sea-
port.
Clad in rough garments loaned by
the townfolk, Mrs. J. S. Burnside, sis
ter of j. c. Eaton of Toronto, Ont, one
of the leading merchants of Canada,
sat sobbing pitifully in the crowded
office of the Cunard company. She
went down with the L~usitania, but was
~miraculously saved.
Lost All She Had.
Mrs. Burnside, who had left New
York with her daughter and a maid,
lost everything she had. When she
was brought ashore her garments
were torn and soaked.
i am afraid that | am the only one
OF u party to survive. l went down
and thought the world had come to an
end. Soon l found myself on the sur.
face again clinging to a rope. l cannot
swim and vas only partially on
scious. Finally l grasped the side of q
capsized boat and later-I don't know
how much later-I was picked up and
brought ashore"
Two Saw Torpedo Coming.
Robert Rankin of 116 Schuyler
place, Ithaca, N. Y, a mining engi-
neer, said:
Il was standing on the deck talking
to Thomas Bloomfield of New York. a
New York insurance agent, and Isaac
Lehman, a Canadian, when | saw part
of a coming tower and periscope of
a submarine. l exclaimed: That looks
like a torpedo Bloomfield said: My
God! 1t is a torpedo Almost before
he had the words out Of his mouth an
explosion followed.
THE vessel was deluged with black
smoke and a rain of debris fell about
US. l jumped overheard and swan to
starboard. There | was picked up"
The youngest survivor is Billy
D~ougherty, a two-months-old baby, who
was brought here. His parents are be-
lieved to have been drowned. He was
picked up floating on the sea by a
woman, who later was rescued.
One of the most dramatic stories
told was that of Fred j.. Gauntless of
Washington. He was bitter because
of the lack of warning given the vic
Tins.
L saw the first boat launched over
the port side of the sinking Lusitania.
1t was filled with women and little
children. 1t was dashed to pieces
against the listing side of the ship just
before the davits could be cast loose.
These women and little children we're
drowned before my very eyes.
when the first explosion took place
[ was in the saloon. Dishes ratified to
the floor. | rushed to the port boat
deck. After seeing the first boat over
the side, which capsized, | helped line
Up the women in that vicinity to be
loaded in the mex boat. | then ran to
my cabin and, kicking off my shoes,
attached the life belt to my body. BY
the time l was able to get back on the
deck the Lusitania YEAS in it's death
throes.
81 jumped into the water. The ship
seemed to be literally falling on me. |
swan rapidly while | watched the final :
plunge. The liner seemed to shudder
for a minute, and then its bow disap-
peared and, slowly turning over to
starboard, it went down bow first.
Il grabbed some of the wreckage
and held on for a time. Finally | was
able to get into one of the collapsible
boats. With the aid of two men whom
{ picked up, ! rowed around and col
lected 80 persons, including Charles
e. Lauriat of Boston and several won
en-. We stayed afloat until we were
picked up by a fishing boat"