White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1916-01-07
BRITISH LINER PERSIA TORPE-
DOED NEAR ISLAND OF CRETE
-AMERIcANs ABOARD.
PROMINENT PEOPLE DROWN
Four Life Boats Succeeded in Getting
Away-Steamer Carried Small Car
go but Heavy MaiI-Washing-
ton Awaits Official Details.

near the island of Crete Thursday aft.
ernoon. The Persia carried more than
200 passengers and crew of between
200 and 300.
rise to fear that a majority of the
passengers were lost, which, If true,
makes the most disastrous result of
the submarine campaign since the
sinking of the Lusitania
Among the passengers were three
Americans, Robert McNeely, American
consul at Alden; Charles Grant of Bos-
ton, and Edward Rose, of Denver
There were also 80 British officers on
board the Persia bound for India, in
Guiding Lord Montagu.
A majority of the Persia's passen-
gers were British, bound for India, in
Guiding many women.
Four Boats Escaped.
| Four boats got away from the sink
ing vessel. Each was capable of car
rying go persons, but it is not known
if the boats were full.
The officers on board the Persia, it
is learned, were ordinary booked pas
sengers, and were not in active service
in the British army.
The crew of the Persia were virtu-
ally all Lascars
There was not much cargo aboard
the Persia, but she was carrying very
heavy mail.
Graveyard of Other Ships.
The scene of the catastrophe, the
seas between the island of Crete and
Alexandria, recently has been the
graveyard of a number of fine ships.
Officials of the Peninsular and ORR
entail Steamship company announce
that the Persia carried no war mate.
rial.
Lord Montagu Aboard.
i The P. & o. steamship office will is
sue list of the actual passengers as
soon as possible. At present only par
tial bookings are available. These
show that among those on board was
Colonel Lord Montagu of Beaulieu
who is known in America Lord Mon
tagu was born in 1866. He was prom
inent in athletics and has travelled ex
tensively.
Lord Montague was proceeding to
India to assume the post of inspector
of mechanical transport vehicles.
Vessel Was Torpedoed.
| A message from the admiralty to the
Peninsular and Orient company makes
the definite announcement that the
Persia was torpedoed.
The Peninsular and Orient Steam
ship company state officially that the
Persia had left London December Is
and Marseilles December 26, carrying
British mails bound for Bombay an6
that she was sunk off the island ~o1
Crete. Only four boats got away from
the ship These boats were picked uI
by steamer bound for Alexandria.
Carried Many Passengers.
Sixty-one first-class and 83 second
cabin passengers, including eight chill
dren, boarded the steampship Persia
at London. At Marseilles 35 Of the
in boarded the boat.
The company estimates that after
ldeducting the number of passengers
leaving the ship at her various ports
of call about 100 passengers were or
board when the vessel was sunk.
Americans Aboard.
In addition to Dr. McNeely, two 9th
er Americans are known to have been
passengers on the Persia when she
left London. Charles H. Grant of Bos
ton, Mass, was on his way to Bonn
bay. Edward Rose, schoolboy, was
on his way from Denver to Gibraltar
Rose probably landed at Gibraltar and
was not on board the boat at the time
she was sunk
As Viewed in Washington.
| Washington.-Off Washington
anxiously awaits details Of the tor
pedoing of the steamship Persia, on
which American citirens were known
to have embarked.
\ While it was realized that reports
expected from consular and diplomatic
representatives might show that the
submarine commander was justified in
sinkig the vessel, officials were not
inclined to minimize the gravity Of the
situation confronting the United States
should it develop that there has been
a violation of American rights. New
dangers, it was admitted, threaten the
relations between the United States
and the central powers, which seem.
ingly had just been placed on the road
to satisfactory adjustment by the as
surances contained in Austria's reply
to the second Ancona note.
| Should it develop that the subma.
rine was of Austrian nationality, as
there apparently is ground for believ
ing, the Vienna government will be
given every opportunity to explain
eMantime, the state department de-