The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1916-01-04
SUBMARINE SINKS
BRITISH LINER
Over 400 Believed to Have
Perished When the Persia
Sank in Mediterranean.
ONE NORTH CAROLINIAN
Every Effort Being Made to Find
Out IL the Two Americans
Are Among Survivors.

Persia carrying approximately 2"O
passengers, and crew Of betw cen
ESQ and SEQ men was sunk by an
unidentified submarine at l o'clock
Thursday afternoon OF the tsland IF
Crete, in the Eastern Ne ;iterrap aan,
Reports to the Peninsular and rrinn-
tai Steam Navigation Compang said
Robert McNeely, OF Monroe, n. -.
that nearly all on board were lost.
American consul at Alden, Arabia,
and Robert Grant, of Boston. were
on the liner,
Four boats are known to have got
away from the sinking vessel, each
capable of carrying sixty persons, but
is is not known if the boats were full.
The rescued were picked up by a
steamer bound for Alexandria, where
they were expected to arrive to-day.
Pcninsular and Oriental Line Of
ficials said they had received no de
tails concerning the disaster, and did
not know whether the Persia received
warming. They also were unable to
give any information concerning
Americans on the ship.
CONSUL SKINNER BUSY.
Every effort is being made by Con-
sui General Robert p. Skinner at
London to get some information "a
bout Robert N. McNeely and Rober.
Grant The British admiralty inform
ed Mr.. Skinner that 1t had no in
formation with regard to the fact OF
individual passengers. A cablegram
has been sent to Alexandria request
ing any news available regarding
the survivors.
The Persia sailed from London on
December is, for Bombay, with sixty.
one first class passengers and eighty
three cabin passengers including
eight children. Some OF these, in
Guiding Edward Rose, a Denver
school boy, were landed at Gibraltar.
Marseilles and Malta. At Marseilles
231 passengers including eighty
rem were taken aboard, but line
officials say that after deductinS
those leaving the ship at various
ports of call approximately 200 pas
sengers were on the vessel.
Mr.. McNeely sailed from New
York for England on November 27,
on the steamer Ryndam, being fell
low passenger of Consul General
Skinner, who advised him to sail for
the east by the Dutch Line, but the
young man already had engaged pas
sage on the Persia. He was appoint
ed consul to Alden in October.
The Persia was a steamer OF 1874
tons gross. She was owned by the
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navi-
CATION Company, Of London. She
sailed from Bombay November II
for London, and was last reported
as leaving Gibraltar on December 2.
The Persia was one of several yes
sells recently sunk by submarines in
the Eastern Mediterranean, through
which her course to the SueZ Canal
would take her from Malta. On De,
cember "a the French Liner Vile Dc
La Ciotat was sent to the bottom Oft
the Island of Crete by a submarine.
which, according to unofficial British
advices, flew the Austrian flag.
No .advices have been received in
New York as to the date on which the
Persia sailed from London. They voy-
age from London to Malta ordinarily
requires nine days.
The Persia was built in 1900 at
Greenock. She has been in the Bonn
bay service since that time.
On account of the danger from sub
marines to vessels which pass
through the Suez Canal and the Medi-
terranean this route has been aban-
doned by the Japanese Mail Steam
ship Company, which Is dcspatehing
rs steamships arourn the Cape Of
aocd Hope. Insurance. rates for. YES
sells passing through the Suez have
been increased by English underwri-
ters to three or four times the normal
figure.
Lord Charles Mohtagu, who book
ed passage on the Persia, is a IHn-
don stock holder broker. He was horn
In 1850 and served with the yeo-
n9anry cavalry
sse.xet sax nsosher. "