New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-02
Americans in Banks Crew
Tossed Into Sea When
Craft Lurched.
ANOTHER SHIP SUNK
20 MINUTES BEFORE
Survivor from Deck Saw Flash
Which Ended LOuisiane-Ihen
Own Vessel Went.

The Norwegian bark Silius, which
was sunk in Havre Roads on the night
Of March 9. was the victim OF tor
pedo. according to three American
bows who we're members Of the crew at
the time. They are the first survivors
70 reach this country, and told their
story last night after coming ashore
from the British freighter Texandrier,
on which they worked their way home.
The Texandrier lay at anchor In the
BAY all day Friday.
Henry Monahan and John van Galen,
both Of Boston, and Daniel Novak, OF
South Norwalk, are the three boys who
brought the first direct word OF the
disaster which may have a serious
bearing on the governments relations
with Germany. They were taken ashore
in the morning and paid of at the Brit
ish Consulate. They returned to their
shin for their sailors kits when she
locked late in the afternoon at the
French Line pier.
Saw Louisiana Sihk.
The Silius was a steel bark. carrying
grain from New York to the french
government. After stormy trip from
here she was lying off Havre with the
freighter Louisiana when both snlps
were sunk within twenty minutes.
Daniel Novak was one of the few
members of the crew awake when the
explosion occurred. This is how he de-
scrbed the disaster:
81 was doing the 6 TO 10 trick on
watch on the night OF March 2. A
couple of minutes before it was time
for me to go below ] heard an ex-
plosion astern. II was the Louisiana
blowing up. A, first we thought II was
| Just a shore gun. II was so dark that
we couldn't see anything IN the water,
but in a minute we heard what sound
ed like crazy people shouting: Then
We saw a couple of bright lights, put
that was all. We couldn't see life
boats and couldn't see the Louisiana
sink
John Hartman, OF Philadelphia. one
Of the other Americans on board, re-
lieved me ~ 10. There wasn't any
thing we could do. so went below to
turn in. | hadn't been in my bunk
I al
was still wideawake, when a red fash
lit things up through the open fo'castle
door At the same time | heard a big
explosion, and the ship keeled over to
port. Something seemed TO have hit
US about 'midships.
Thrown Into the Sea.
81 jumped out Of my bunk and ran
aft, yelling All hands on deck and
made for lfeboat. saw Hartman
living under the fore hatch that had
been blown off. He was hurt and
couldn't move. He was yelling for
help. ! got into lifeboat on the star
board side and was just lowering away
when the ship lurched over TO star
board, and | was thrown into the sea.
Somebody picked me up in q lIfeboat
later.
"The Silius didn't stay ahost more
than five minutes. ! am sure 1t was
torpedoed, because all three Of the
matches were blown of. The mate, r.
Stanglund, thought an aeroplane
dropped bomb aboard. He was on
watch at the time and said he heard
Zeppln overhead just before the ex-
plosion Most OF us were sure he must
have been wrong, because a bomb would
have started fire on board. There
was no blaze
Young Monahan did not even have
time to get 10 a lifeboat. With most of
the crew, the rush of waters As the
boat sank caught him on deck. He add
ed few details TO his shipmate's story.