The Washington herald., 1916-04-20

The French channel steam Sussex,
employed regularly In passenger serv-
ice between the ports of Folkestone,
England. and Dieppe, France, as 1t
had been for years (French Foreign
ONCE, left Folkestone for Dieppe at
LIS p. m, March a. 1915. with s25
or more passengers and a crew of So
men. Declaration of Captain Mouf-
fett; Rear Admiral Grasset's report.)
The passengers. among whom were
about Is American citizens Telegram
London Embassy. March Is. and
Paris Embassy, March 26 and 20,
were OF several nationalities and
many of them were women and chill
dren and nearly half Of them subjects
Of neutral states. (Report OF COM
mander Sayles and Lieutenant Smith;
Rear Admiral Grasset's report.) The
Sussex carried no armament (Frenoh
Foreign once; report of Commander
Sayles and Lieutenant Smith; affi-
davits Of American passengers), has
never been employed as a troop ship,
and was following a route not used
for transporting troops from Great
Britain to France. British Admiralty
statement; French Foreign OfficeL)
The steamer proceeded on its course
almost due south after passing
Dungeness- Declaration Of Captain
Mouffet) The weather was clear and
the sea smooth. (Afidavits of Edna
Hale, John II. Hearley, Gertrude W.
Warren) At 25o D. NJ, when the
Sussex was about Is miles from
Dungeness declaration OF Captain
MoufreD, the captain of the vessel,
who was on the bridge, saw about
$50 meters from the ship, on the port
side, the wake of torpedo. Declara-
ton Of Captain Mouffet) It was also
seen very clearly by the first officer
and the boatswain who were with the
captain on the bridge. CReport Of
Rear Admiral Grasset) Immediately
the captain gave orders to port the
helm and stop the starboard engine
declaration OF Captain Mourret), the
purpose being to swing the vessel to
starboard so Us to dodge the torpedo
by allowing 1t to pass along the port
bow on line converging with the
altered course of the steamer. Be-
fore, 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, ex-
ploded, destroyed the entire forward
part OF the steamer as far back as
the first water-tight bulkhead, car
ried away the foremast with the
wireless antennae and killed or in
tured about 30 of the persons on board.
Declaration OF Captain Mouffet; re-
port OF Rear Admiral Grasset depo-
sition Of Henry s. Beer) At the
time no other vessel was in sight.
tAffidavits OF Samuel F. Bemis, T.
W. CuIbertson, John H. Hearley, and
others.)
The approach of the torpedo was
witnessed by several other persons on
the vessel. (Afidavits Of Samuel F.
Bemis, Henry S. Beer, Gertrude w.
Warren) One Of these, an American
citizen named Henry s. Beer, was
leaning on the port rail about ten
feet behind the bridge and gazing
seaward when he saw the approach
ing torpedo about 100 yards away and
exclaimed to his wife and compan-
ion: "A torpedoI" Immediately fol-
lowing his exclamation the missile
struck the vessel Dispositions of
Henry S. Beer and Mrs. Henry s.
Beer)
In further corroboration Of the fact,
that the captain saw the torpedo
coming toward the vessel, is the
sworn statement of the engineers on
duty that the order to port the helm
and to stop the starboard engine was
received and obeyed. CReport of Ad-
miral Grasset) No reasonable ex-
PLANTATION can be given for this un-
usual order other that the captain
saw something which caused him to
change his course sharply to star
board.
In addition to this evidence which
would in itself appear to be conclu-
sive that the agent of destruction wss
a torpedo, is that OF Lieut. Smith.
United States Navy. attached to the
American Embassy at Paris, who.
accompanied by Maj. Logan. United
States Army. OF the Embassy, went
to Boulogne, inspected the hull Of
the Sussex and personally found be-
meath the mass of water-soaked deb
ris Of the wreck fifteen pieces of
metal, which they retained in their
possession as they did not believe the
pieces formed part OF the vessel The
inspection OF the hull disclosed that
the vessel was wrecked by an ex-
ternal explosion, the boilers being in
tact, and that a short distance for
ward of the bridge was a large dent
showing that the vessel had received
a heavy blow, the direction Of impact
being from abaft the beam along a
line at an acute angle with the keel Of
the vessel. CReport Of Lieut.. Smith,
cabled April L) This evidence coin
cides with and corroborates the state
ment that the vessel was swinging
to starboard and away from the tor
pedo when struck.
The pieces Of metal, which the
American officers had collected, were
compared by Lieut.. Smith, Lieut..
Commander Sayles and Maj. Logan
with mines and mans Of nninas In