Norwich bulletin., 1916-04-20

tain of the vessel, who was on the bridge, saw about 150 metres from the ship, on the port side, the wake of a torpedo. Declaration of Captain Mouffett) It was also seen very clear ly by the first officer and the boatswain, who were with the captain on the bridge (report of Rear Admiral Gras- set). Immediately the captain gave orders to port the helm and stop the starboard engine declaration of Cap tain MouffCtD, the purpose being to swing the vessel to starboard so as to dodge the torpedo by allowing it to poss along the port bow on a line con- verging with the altered course of the steamer. Before, however, the vessel could be turned far enough to avoid crossing the course of the torpedo, the ! latter struck the hull at an angle a | short distance forward of the bridge, | exploded, destroyed the entire forward | part of the steamer as far back as the | first watertight buIlIhead, carried away | the foremast with the wireless anten- ! nae and killed or injured about so | of the persons on board. Declaration ! of Captain Mouffett; report of Rear | Admiral Grasset; deposition of Henry | s. Beer). At the time no other ves-
 sel was in sight (afidavits of Samuel l F. Bemis T. w. Culbertson, John IL l Hearley and otherS).
 | The approach of the torpedo was wit messed by several other persons on the
 
 Bemis, Henry s. Beer, Gertrude w
 Warren.) One of these, an American
 citizen named Henry $. Beer, was lean.
 ing on the port rail about 10 feet be-
 hind the bridge and gazing seawarC . when he saw the approaching torpedo
 about 100 yards away and exclaimed to his wife and companion: "A torpe'
 dol" Immediately following his eNcla
 nation the missile struck the vessel | Dispositions of Henry S. Beer ant Mrs. Henry s. Beer.)
 Engineers Corroborate Captain.
 In further corroboration of the fac
 that the captain saw the torpedo com
 ing toward the vessel is the sworl statement of the engineers on dut, , that the order to port the helm an to stop the starboard engine was re
 ceived and obeyed. (Report of Admira . GrassetO No reasonable explanation
 can be given for this unusual orde , other than that the captain saw some 4 thing which caused him to change nj . course sharply to starbCard.
 . What Naval Officer Found. . In addition to this evidence. which 1 . itself would appear to be concluslv : that the agent of destruction was a tor pedo, is that of Lieutenant Smitf 2 United States navy, attached to tn American embassy at Paris, who, ac . companied by Major Logan, Unite ! States army, of the embassy, went [ y Boulogne, inspected the hull of tn : Sussex and personally found beneat ] the mass of watersoaked debris of tn wreck IS pieces of metal, which the Q retained in their possession, as the . did not believe the pieces formed paI = of the vessel. The inspection Of tn 1 hull disclosed that the vessel wa 2 wrecked by an external explosion, tn boilers being intact, and that a shoI s distance forward of the bridge was n large dent, showing that the vessel ha n received a heavy blow, the direction ( s impact being from abaft the bear E along a line at an acute angie with tn n keel of the vessel. (Report of Lieu a tenant Smith, cabled April 1.) Thi a evidence coincides with and corroh ' crates the statement that the vess,
 was swinging to starboard and ava
 from the torpedo when struck.
 s The pieces of metal which tn = American officers had collected wei - compared by Lieutenant Smith, LieJ