The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-25
Channel Steamer Sussex
is Torn by Explosion
and Many of Crew Are
Reported KiIIed--TOw-
ed to BouIogne in
Sinking Condition.
Cause of Disaster is I'm
determined, but French
Report Says That Ship
w a S TOrpedoed
American Girl is Bad
II Hurt in Explosion.

London, March SO-lnfOrma-
tion obtained from passengers
on the channel steamship Sus-
sex, damaged by an explosion
yesterday afternoon on the.
way from FoIkestone to Dieppe,.
indicates there may have been
. considerable loss of life.
One American is missing and
is supposed to have been lost
Another was seriously injured.
Several Americans were res
cued.
Opinion of passengers of the
Sussex is divided as to whether
the vessel was damaged by a
mine or a torpedo; The explo-s
sion occurred just ahead of the
captains bridge and tore the.
front part of the steamer to
pieces killing or injuring a.
number of persons. Many were
wounded severely by flying
spIinters.
The Admiralty states that
25O survivors have been land
ed in France and between 90
and 100 at Dover. AS there
were 386 passengers and about
SO men in the~crew, 75 or more
persons are still MISSING.
Miss Baldwin, daughter of a prom
fnent American resident of Paris, was
injured seriously on the Sussex.
Miss RaIdwip's father and mother
also were on board the vessel. All
have been taken to Bolougne. In
wins leg was broken Miss Alice
Ruis, of Colorado. and Wilder G. Pen-}
field. Of Merton College, Oxford, are
other Americans who were saved.
Edward Huxley. president Of the
United States Rubber Export Co.. and
Francis 2. Drake, European manager
of the company, are among the Ameri
cans rescued, from the Sussex. They.
report that there was a heavy loss of
life, including probably several
Americans.
The chief engineer of the Sussex
was killed by the explosion and that
the purser was wounded seriously
An American whose name is not
known to survivors who have reach
ed London, was talking with the
Baldwin family, close to ofhhe captain
of the ship on the bridge when the
seen since that time and is supposed,
Z to have been lost.
The explosion occurred at about
3 p. m, when the Sussex was an hour
and a half out of Ffolkestone.
A number of Am ericans scross tn
4, channel by almost every passenger
steamer most of them on business
Bookings are not made in advance
for particular steamers. Passengers
having passports entrain at London
and their names are taken when they
go aboard steamers A large num-
her of Americans obtained permits to
go to France during the last week
and it is a virtual certainty that a
number of them were on the Sussex
The Sussex carried 2 Iifeboats and
several RATS. The 1ifeboats were load
ed quickly after the explosion.
Cool discipline was maintained, al
though there was some scrambHng
for the boats.
The second boat which was lowered
containing 40 persons, was overturn-
ed. Passengers state that 80 of those
In this boat were drowned.
number of the passengers jumped
overheard. Gratings and pieces offur-
niture were thrown to them from the
decks. More than half of those who
sIeaped into the water are believed to
= nave 4O<SI LAAe1I AIN6S. 11b0ES were q ~
! women and children on the vessel.
The foremast and wireless appa-
ratus were blown away by the exp1o-
sion- The wireless operator attempted
unsuccessfully to rig a substitute.
A sailing vessel appeared on the
horizon soon after the explosion, but
failed to answer signals Of distress.
For some time the Sussex drifted
about- Her pumps were kept working
and little water was taken. A man
named Edward Marshall, believed to
be the well known syndicate writer
Continued on Page %