The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-01-11

Brooks spoke last night before the.
msn.s club of the CONGREGATIONAL
church. STAFFORD, at the hoTns Of sasev.-
r a packard, d. D., the pastor
(sotnfne to the time of the torpedo
ing. Mr.. Brooks told how it. was Just
about q O'Clock, when he came on the
boat deck and met a man ard woman
who perished. They. Wanteo nm 40 70
Dlav shuttle board just before lne
Marconi deck which was between the
foremost tunnels Of the ship Tne sea
was perfectly calm, with almost
CLASSY appearance except for the ZIP
pies created by the motion OF the tOo-
foot leviathans travelling in $50 feet OF
on the starboard side was the open
sea. said .Mr. Brooks. Ireland was on
the port side.
1--WE were just about to make a turn
towards Queenstown harbor instead OF
.zisekl1 barking in tenders as is usual
said he, taking his auditors into the
scene Of the disaster.
mote this one thing. for 1t has a
material bearing on what later hap.
pened: 1t was beautifully warm
day. above, though the water had
tested 81 degrees earlier In the day;
every port hole on all decks to- within
Is feet of the water Inc was open
TT told my friends to wait "a. minute
and that would be back as I wanted
and then would go below for q few
moments and when came up would
bring another couple of players to
complete the, game.
Saw Torpedo's Course.
sI was just stepping behind the
steel sheathed Marconigram station
when i heard my friends say, Brooks,
come back a moment ! turned and
saw about 900 yards distant the course
of a torpedo, coming at approximately
35 miles an hour. I knew it instantly
and noticed that it was going to hit
the vessel well forward. So interested
was I IN the sight-a beautiful one
that I forgot all fear and even went
down to the starboaFTN rail to see it
strike the side of the vessel, believing
that it would explode externally and
that although it might make a hole it
would not sink the vessel renem-
ber even leaning far Outward over the
rail to see its exact point of contact.
IT learned later that torpedoes do
not explode as believed.
.In a few seconds the torpedo had
struck and disappeared. A fraction
of second later there was a dull
roar internally and the forward Sec
tion of the boat between the tunnels
seemed to rise upward with a shower
of coal, sp1inters and debris of all
: kinds, flying should say, about $50
feet in the air.
MY presence OIL nina seemed TO
tell me that should get behind the
steel sheathing of the Marconi house
to prevent being hit by the flying
pieces of deck and other debris. I
had just taken three steps when
was suddenly struck down by a great
weight upon the back and literally
f1attened out upon te deck. was ter
ribIy bruised even beneath the arms,
which were thrown above my head.
Others had the same experience and
later I learned that it was the huge
volume of water which always flies
upward like a geyser when torpedo
exp1odes.,'
The speaker said the couple who
were talking with him were thrown
fiat and, like Brooks. both had coal
dust driven right into their skins. All
looked like coal beavers.
For a moment the boat listed over
to port and seemed to remain there
an indefinite period. It then righted
and continued to sink slowly by the
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