New-York tribune., 1916-01-03
U=BOat Grew Gave
No Aid, Declares
Col. Bigham.
GRAVE CRISIS
SEEN IN LONDON
No Heed for Life Shown,
British View of Facts
on Sinking.

London, Jan. 2.-The British
steamship Persia, sunk in the
Mediterranean on Thursday, got no
warning and went down in five
minutes, according to dispatches
from Cairo. Of the passengers and
crew-estimated at 430--l5S have
been landed at Alexandria, making
the number Of those still missing
272. Robert n. McNeely American
consul at Alden. is believed to have
been lost. Charles II. Grant, os
Boston, is among those saved.
The Peninsular & Oriental Steam-
ship Company tonight received the
following telegram from Colonel C..
c. Bigham. who was among the sur
vivors:
"A torpedo struck the ship on the
port bow at 1905 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 made TO assist. Within
five minutes the ship had sunk. lt
was impossible to lower the star
board boats owing to the heavy list
Five or six boats were lowered on
the port side. | didn't see this my
self. as was washed o.erboard
when the boat capslzed.
No Panic on Board.
The conduct Of the passengers
and crew was splendid; there was no
struggling and no panic. Four boats.
after thirty hours at sea, were
picked up by a warship.'
A dispatch to The Times from
Cairo says that two boatloads Of people
were drawn down with The steamer
when she sank. as there was no tins
TO cat the ropes. -Four boats got away
but it was thirty hours before a trawl"r
ricked them up. Several ships passed
by without assisting the refugee,
being afraid, presumably, Of decoys'
Many passengers were thrown into to
water when the vessel keeled over.
The sinking Of the Persia. with the
death Of an American consular officer.
brings I'D in the European capitals mo J
familiar query as 20 what the triteP
States will do now. Dispatches fro1
English correspondents picture
sinking Of the Persia as a particus
aggravated case. owing 20 the fact
the ship was not only hit without Wa
ing or opportunity for the passengei
10 escape. but was also hit In a most
vital part. so that she sank immedI-
ately, the whole time from the launch
ing Of the torpedo 90 the disappearance
Of the liner being only five minutes.
Details Of the sinking came in slowly
to-day, but such information as was re-
ceiyed made 1t appear that the number
ot persons who escaped in the four
boats which were put OF was larger
than was feared when the first news
vas received yesterday. The Peninsular
and Oriental Company, which owned the
Persia, announced this morning that
1853 survivors had arrived at Alexan-
dria
The survivors comprised the chief
officer, second officer seven engineers,
twenty-seven seamen, sixty-three Las
cars and ffty-nine passengers.
A Lloyds dispatch gives the number
as 1853. made up OF 50 passengers, OF
whom II are women, and 20 members
Of the crew, including 50 Lasoars.
The survivors include ten military
officers and eight persons who are not
British subjects
Struck Amidships.
The ship was struck amidshlps On
the port side az 1910 p. m.." says Reu-
ter's correspondent az Cairo. "She had
disappeared completely by 1918.
Survivors say IL was little short Of