Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-02-28
OF THE all ON BOARD
ONLY ESQ ARE SAVED
Believed That Loss of Num-
ber of Ships During the
Past Few Days I 5 the Re
suit of Sowing of Mines by
Germans.

London, Feb 2s.-Of a total compile
Lent of All passengers a nd crew on
the Penninsular and Oriental Line
steamship Maloj4, which struck a
mine and sank within a ha II hour two
miles out of Dover yesterday. only 260
are known to have been saved.
The British press is unanimous in
assuming that the Maloja and other
vessels sunk by mines during the week
end were victims of the fresh sowing
of German mines. There is much spec
ulation as to how these mines could
have been laid. The theory most fire.
quently advanced Is that Tcertain
class of neutral ships was employed.
The Maloja left Tilbury only Satur-
day for Bombay. with mailB ). 119 pas
sengers of all classes aboard, and
crew numbering about 200, most of
them Lascars. Other passengers we're
to join the ship at Marseilles.
The steamer had just passed Ad-
miralty pier at Dover and was op-
posite Shakespeare cliff. when an ex-
plosion shook her from end to end.
She listed Immediately to ort High
seas were running, and the captain,
realizing that great damage had been
done to the after part of The vessel.
tried to run her aground, but the en-
gine room was swamped and the ship
became unmanageable.
Many Ships to Rese ue.
The plight OF the vessel was OBJ
served and dozens OF craft went at
full speed to her rescue One of
them, the British tanker Empress of
-
another mine and sank nearby.
Aboard the Maloja everything pos
sible was done to get the passengers
and crew off. All the boats had al
ready been swung out before she
struck, as a precaution against acci-
dent. and all those aboard had suffi-
cient time to put on life belts, instruc-
tion in the use OF which had been given
the previous evening.
Boat after boat and a number OF
RATS were sent away, but several per-
sons leaped into the water and were
picked up by the surrounding craft
1t was at first thought that all had
been saved. but later bodies were
washed ashore and their number was
gradually added to during the day.
Passengers Mostly Offic ais.
The passengers were for the most
part British officials in the Indian
service, the most prominent being
Judge Oldfield of the Indian high
court.
Only one OF the crew OF the hm-
press OF Fort William was drowned.
1t was about 1890 in the morning
that the disaster occurred, The Ma
LOLA was steaming down the channel.
children playing on the deck and most
of the passengers carrying lifebelts in
their hands. Suddenly a terrific ex-
plosion blew in the side of the second
salon and 20 minutes later the Maloja
sank
Just before she went to the bottom
the vessel turned turtle and in few
seconds the keel was visible above the
surface. According to eyewilnesses
there was n second explosion and while
under the water the vessel righted her
self, the masts became visible and then
she went down.
The captain and officers stuck by
the ship to the last. Though all were
saved. not one Of them left the ship
in the boats; they were all picked
out of the water.
Directed Lowering of Boats.
The captain from the bridge directed
the lowering OF the boats and called TO
everybody to keep calm, and every
body kept calm wonderfully for the
scene Immediately after the explosion
was one sufficiently terrifying to
cause a panic.
Several children were blown to
pieces and the deck was covered with
wreckage and wounded. but there was
no sign OF panic.
Only n few boats could be lowered
and the heavy sea made the rescue
work difficult The majority of those
saved were on RATS, of which the ship
carried a large number. Most 0t the
CONTINUED on page Three.)