Evening star., 1916-01-02
FATE OF US. CONSUL
ONPERS|A |ND0UbT
Every Effort Made to Deter
mine Whether Americans !.
Aboard Still Are Living.
COMPLETE PASSENGER. y
LISTS NOT YET ISSUED
All Indications Point to Casualties
Ranking Next to Those on
the Lusitania.

LONDON, January Next to
the Lusitania disaster, the sink
ing of the liner Persia off Crete
Thursday probably means a con-
siderably heavier casualty list
than that of any of the passenger
carrying ships that heretofore
have fallen victims to the tor
pedoes of German or Austrian
submarines. This deduction is
based on the reports that the ves-
sci carried several hundred pas
sengers and crew, and that only
four lifeboats got away from the
vessel as she went down.
Hundreds on Board.
Unofficial figures indicate that there
were about $50 passengers on board
the Persia, a vessel of nearly 5000
tons, and between $50 and 800 members
of the crew. Four boats, each capable
of carrying sixty persons. got away.
and their occupants were picked up
by a steamer bound for Alexandria.
1t has not been established how many
were able to disembark on the small
boats, but the statement is made that
nearly all aboard the ill-fated vessel
perished. --.
Sixty-one first-class passengers and
eighty-three second cabin passengers.
including eight children, boarded the
steamship Persia at London. accord
ing to information obtained fN the
Peninsular and Oriental line. At Mar
seille thirty-fve of the f1rst-class and
thirty-two of the second cabin board
ed the boat. The company estimates
that after deducting the number OF
passengers leaving the ship at her va
rious ports of call about 160 passen-
gers were aboard when the vessel was
McNeely's Fate Not Known.
Every effort is being made by Consul
General Skinner to get some informa-
tfon about Robert McNeely. the Amert-
can consul at Alden, and the two other
Americans known to be on the pas.
senger list The British admiralty in
formed Mr.. Skinner it had no informa-
tion with regard to the fate OF the m
dividual passengers. Mr.. Skinner sent
a cabIegram to the American consulate
at Alexandria requesting the consul to
ascertain the fate of Consul McNeely
and the other Americans.
The Peninsular and Oriental steam
ship Office will issue a list of the ac-
tual passengers as soon as possible. At
present only partial bookings are avail
able.
Graveyard of Ships.
The scene of the catastrophe, the seas
between the Island of Crete and Alex
andria, recently has been the graveyard
of a number of fine ships, and only a
few weeks ago the American tank
steamer Petrolite narrowly escaped the
guns of a submarine there.
The Persia was the first passenger
shin lost by the Peninsular and Oriental
line during the war. Just prior to the
departure of the vessel from London the
company held it's annual meeting. Chair
man InchaDe remarked of the growing
anxiety caused by the enlargement OF
the submarine zone and Indebtedness OF
this company to the British navy for
complete immunity from casualty for
their ships. and added prophetically, of
course we cannot tell when a disaster
may overtake u.s..
The officers on board the Persia, il Is
learned were ordinary booked passen-
gers and were not on active service in
the British army.
The crew of the Persia, numbering
between 250 and 500 men, were vir-
tually all Lasears.
There was not much cargo aboard the
Persia, but she was carrying very
heavy mail.
ConSliI r. N. MCNeeIv