The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-01-05
Liner TORPEDOED
PASSENGER STEAMER WAS GO
ING TO BOMBAY WHEN Hit
MANY lives were LOST

Persons-Passenge Aboard Mum
bered 16O While Crew Totallet
3oO-American Consul is Onl!
American Citizen Drowned.
The British liner Persia carrying
approximately two hundred passcn
gers, and a crew Of between two hun
dred and fifty and three hundred men
was sunk by an unidentified subma,
rine at one o'clock Thursday after
noon off the Island of Crete, in the
Eastern Mediterranean.
Unofficial dispatches from Cairo
state that the British steamship
Persia was torpedoeG without warn.
ing and sank in five minutes. Be
tween one hundred and fifty and one
hundred and sixty survivors have
been landed at Alexandria, Egypt.
Robert \. McNeely, American con-
sui at Alden. Arabia, is believed to
have been drowned Reuters Cairo
correspondent makes the unreserved
statement that Mr.. McNeely lost his
life. Charles H. Grant Of Boston was
saved.
Details of the sinking of the Persia
came in slowly, but they Indicated
that the number of persons who es-
capped in the four boats which were
put Off was larger than was hoped
when the first news was received.
The Peninsula and Oriental COM
pany, which owned the Persia, an
nounced that one hundred and fifty
eight survivors had arrived ct Alex
andria.
The survivors comprise the chief
officer, second officer, seven engi-
neers. twenty-Seveu seamsn, sixty
three Lascars and ffty-nine passen-
gers. A Lloyd dispatch gives the num-
Der as one hundred and ffty-three,
made up of fifty-riEe passengers of
whom seventeen are women and
ninety-four members Of the crew, in
cluding ffty-nine Lascars. The sur
vivors include ten military officers
and eight persons who arc not Brit
ish subjects.
t'The ship was struck amidships on
the port side at ope-ten a. n" says
Reuters correspondent at Cairo.
''She had disappeared completely by
one-ffteen.
Survivors say it was little short
Of a miracle that any ore was saved.
There was no panic Four boats
were launched with the utmost
promptitude.
'The captain was drowned When
last seen he was swimming after the
liner had plunged beneath the sur
face.
= Only one dispatch concerning the
sinking of the Persia has been re-
ceiVed by the state department. It
came from Consul Garrels at Alex
andria. Egypt, and indicated that
: Consul McNesly, On, his way to his
post, had been lost. He was last
seen in the water; before the steam
ship went down.
Consul Garrels asso reported that
Charles H. Grant of Boston, another
American aboard tee Persia, was
among the survivors.
No submarine was seen by the sur
yivors, according to the consul's re-
port, but an officer Of the ship says
he saw the wake of torpedo. The
Persia went down in five minutes.
Gable communication with the East
is so slow that details OF the disaster
are not expected for Gay or two.
The Persia sailed frco London on
December Is for Bombay, with sixty
one first class passengers and eighty
three second cabin passengers, in
cluding eight children. Some OF these,
including Edward Rose, Denver
80
MarSeilleS and Malta. At Mcrseilles
two hundred and thirty-oce passen-
gers, including eighty-scven women
and twenty-five children, were taken
aboard but line officials say that
after deducting those leaving the
ship at various ports Ct call, some
thing more thin two hundred pas
sengers werc on the vessel.
a majority of the Persia's passen-
gers were British. bound for India,
including many women. Her cargo
was small but she carried a heavy
consignment of mail. The crew was
made up principally Of Lascars.
Sxty-one first class passengers and
eighty-three cabin passengers, includ-
ing eight children, boarded the
steamship at London, according to
information obtained from the PENN
sular and Oriental line.
At MarseilleS thirty-fve of the first
class and thirty-two of the second
cabin boarded the boat. The COM
pany estimates that after deducting
the number of passengers leaving the
one hundred and sixty passengers
ho
sunk.
The crew of the Persia numbered
between two hundred and fifty and
three hundred men. They were near
ly all Lascars. There was not much
cargo aboard the Persia, but she was
carrying very heavy mail. The YES
sci carried no war materials.
The Peninsular and Orienta!
Steamship company Sunday night re-
ceived the following telegram from
Col. c. C. Bigham, who was among
the survivors of the Persia disaster:
"a torpedo struck the ship on the
port bow at one-fve o'clock in the
afternoon when about forty miles
south of the east end of the island Of
Crete. No warning was given nor any
attempt to assist. Within FIVE min
utes the ship had sunk.
''It was impossible to lower the
starboard boats, owing to the heavy
list. Five or six boats were lowered
on the port side. ! did not see this
myself as I was washed overheard
when the boat capsiZed
The conduct Of the passenger
and crew was splendid, there was no
struggling and no panic. Four boats
after thirty hours at sea were pick
ed up by a warship."