The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1916-06-09

ing to Russia aboard the cruiser
Hampshire, were lost off the Orkney
islands last night, was the most stun
ming blow Great Britain has received
since the war began. This is the
second shock the country has sus-
tanned within a week. The other was
when the newspapers appeared Fri
day evening with the first intelligence
of the naval battle in the North sea
in the form of list of the ships lost,
with virtually no intimation that there
was any compensation in the way of
enemy losses. The bulletin telling of
the death of Kitchener gave the coun.
try an even greater shock.
Kitchener was the one outstanding
personality whom the people talked of
and believed in a great man, notwith-
standing newspaper attacks which at
former period of the war threatened
to undermine his popularity and the
public confidence in him.
RumOrs Spread Fast.
A telegram from Admiral Sir John
Jellicoe, commander of the fleet, CIV
ing the bare facts, was received at
the admiralty about II o'clock in the
morning. The first official announce
ment was issued at about 1:3O in the
afternoon. Before noon, however,
rumors were spreading.
Admiral Jellicoe's report to the ad-
miralty was as follows:
81 have to report with deep regret
that his majesty's ship Hampshire,
Capt. Herbert j. Savill, R. NJ, with
Lord Kitchener and his staff on board,
was sunk last night at about 8 p. M
to the west of the Orkneys, either by
a mine or torpedo.
-Four boats were seen by observers
on shore to leave the ship. The wind
was north-northwest, and heavy seas
were running. Patrol vessels and de-
stroyers at once proceeded to the spot
and party was sent along the coast
to search, but only some bodies and a
capsized boat have been found up to
the present. AS the whole shore has
been searched from the seaward, I
greatly fear that there is little hope
of there being any survivors.
"No report has yet been received
from the searching party on shore.
III. M. S. Hampshire was on her
way to Russia.
beat the newspapers.
When the official announcement
finally was issued the fact spread
about London some time before the
newspapers could get into the streets
There was crowd about the stock
exchange which it required police re-
serves to deal with. The police told
every one to move on; that there was
no truth in the report.
At the same time another mass of
people was assembling about the gov
ernment offices in Whitehall. The
closed windows of the war office con-
firmed the rumor beyond doubt Other
crowds gathered around the newspa-
per offices and fought for the papers.
In the course of the afternoon the
flags on all buildings were flown at
half mast.
The English undoubtedly are
stoical people, but no one could have
walked the London streets today with
out percieving that something which
common people took as calamity had
befallen them.
The foreign Office was saddened by
the loss of one of its most valued
members, Hugh James O'Bierne;
while Sir Frederick Donaldson and
Brig. Gen. Ellershaw of the ministry
of munitions were known to be men
whom the nation could little afford to
lose.
The fact that the cruiser Hamp-
shire, with between 200 and 800 men
had sunk, was generally accepted SIM
ply as an unfortunate detail of these
days.
Talk of Successor.
The king came from Windsor and
sent for Premier Asquith when he
heard the news. The war council held
long session. Naturally, speculation
regarding Kitchener's successor began
Immediately. Among those discussed
were David Lloyd George, Lord Derby
and the chief of the imperial staff, Sir
William Robertson.
Earl Kitchener met death at mo-
ment which will insure his position
in British history. He was almost the
only member of the government who
from the beginning confidently assert
ed that this would be long war-his
low estimate was three years-and he
insisted that the government should
make it's plans accordingly. The or
ganization which he began of the
enormous new British army is well
under way.
There is no evidence to show wheth-
er the Hampshire was torpedoed by a
submarine or struck mine.
The official news was a greater sur
prise than it would otherwise have
been, because no one knew that Earl
Kitchener had left England. A me-
mortal service will be held in ST.
Pauls.
Stepped into Breach.
Earl Kitchener was appointed sec