Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-04-06

"dSA1llS COI, April "a STdpLIS
account Of the wreck on the British
channel steamer Sussex. with the as
sertion that the vessel was torpedoed
deliberately and without warning by
an enemy submarine is contained in a
report by Rear Admiral Grasset to the
French general staff, made public here
tonight by the French embassy.
The report dated at Boulogne,
March 80, says:
"Boulogne, March 80, 1916: In con-
formity with your instructions, 1 pro-
ceeded to BOulogne, where conducted
an inquiry relative to the attack on
the Sussex. On March "a, the Sussex,
belonging to the State Railway Co.
and running the regular service be-
tween England and France. left
Folkestown at 1.25 P. M. for Dieppe.
This boat carried about 1926 passengers
these being women and children as
we'll as the Indian mails. This approx
innate figure is given by the captain;
according to the captain there were
3s3 passengers; the officer in charge OF
the control Of tickets was severely
wounded and taken - Dover. He Is not
in fit state to furnish particulars.
Was Unarmed
She was not possessed of any arma-
ment. The crew consisted of So men.
From the start the speed was set at 16
knots, after having passed at one mile
distance from Dungeress the captain
headed south, three degrees east; the
weather was very fine, sea almost calm,
most of the passengers were on deck.
Captain Sees Torpedo Track
Suddenly. without the slightest warm
ing. tho captain, who was on the bridge,
saw before the port beam some $50 me-
tres away the track of a torpedo. 1t was
now ESQ P. NJ, the time of the disaster
being exactly registered by the stopping
of the clocks on board the vessel. The
second officer and deck officer, who were
on the bridge, also distinctly saw the
torpedo.
with great presence of mind the cap
tain ordered the helm hard a port and
stopped the starboard engine in order to
avoid the torpedo by turning to star
board. These two orders were executed
as is proved by the statements of the
engineers of the watch.
1.-The ship was beginning to swing off.
Then, eight seconds after the torpedo
had been seen, terrific explosion took
place. throwing up an enormous column
of water. Calculating from the distance
at which the torpedo had first been seen
and the time which passed before the
explosion, the speed Of the torpedo must
have been Sc knots, the normal speed Of
q torpedo). The ship was cut in two
opposite the bridge, the after part,
thanks to the soldity Of the bulkheads,
continuing to float
Seen by Passengers
ION deck several passengers who hap
torpedo when quite close to the ship. one
Of them even telling his neighbor to
look at that great fish swimming to-
wards the ship Everybody who happen
ed to be In tn. bows disappeared with
that portion of the ship, which was en-
quilted, among others the passengers on
the fore deck and the first class saloon.
The men of the crew who were in the
foreeastle. the lookout in the bows and
the lookout in the crows nest on the
foremost, also disappeared.
1.-THE captain. who had been knock
90 OUWu Wy tuV SOIuAul VI WdtST re-.
sulting from the explosion, ordered the
crew to 60 to their emergency stations.
The firemen and engineers went to
their stations after having stopped the
BORT engine and closed the draught
Plates of the furnaces. At the same
time the wireless operator tried to send
out distress signals, but without sue
cess, the antennae having fallen with
the foremost. The crew proceeded to
their stations to launch the lifeboats
and RATS There were six lifeboats,
icapable of carrying 1S4 persons. %
rats capable Of carrying 264 persons.
and In addition SIG life belts; it ap-
pears from dispositions made that these
1isebelts were on the spar deck and
that q number Of them were in bad
condition; but the crowding on deck
at the time made it very difficult to
move about.
"A number of pieces Of the torpedo
were found on board the Sussex. Some
.of them have been handed over to the
American delegation which had proceed
ed to Boulogne, the others will be for
warded to the ministry Of marine by the
maeatams authorities.
The submarine which torpedoed the
sussex could not have been ignorant Of
the tact that she was attacking the mail
packet q the regular cross-channel ser
vacs between England and France. Not
only are the outlines Of these boats well
known to all sailors. but the course Of