The Oskaloosa herald., 1916-01-06
Liner PERSIA
SUAk;u. S. consul
AMONG THE DEAD
Three Hundred and Hinety-Two
Persons Drowned.
1853 PASSENGERS ARE SAVED
r. N. MeNeeiy Of North Carolina
Loses Life While on Way TO Post
Survivor Says No Warn
ing Was Given.

Washington, Jan. 3.-United States
Consul McNeely is among those lost
on the torpedoed liner Persia, says a
cablegram to the state department
from Consul Garrels at, Alexandria.
3s2 Lost on Liner.
London, Jan. 3.-Lord Inchcape,
chairman of the board of directors OF
the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navi-
cation company, has received the fol-
lowing telegram from Col. Give Big
ham, one OF the rescued passengers Of
the Persia Colonel Brigham is. a SON
in-law Of Lord Mersey, and with 1877
other survivors of the torpedoed liner
is now at Alexandria. The telegram
says;
The sinking Of the Persia was
caused by t., pedo which struck the
ship on the port bow on, December 80
at 1905 p. m. The Persia at the time
was 40 miles south of the eastern end
of the Island OF Crete.
No Warning Given.
No previous warning was given.
Neither was an attempt made at as.
sistance. Within FIVE minutes after
she was torpedoed the vessel sank.
1t was impossible to lower the star
board lifeboats owing to the heavy
list to port. Five or six boats from the
port side were able to be lowered.
did not see this myself, as | was
washed overheard when the steamer
capsized.
No Panic on Board.
The conduct of the passengers and
crew was splendid. There was no
struggling nor panic.
Four boats, after being thirty hours
at sea, were picked up by H. M. S.
(name deleted by CENSOR. and re-
ceived every kindness and attention
from the captain and officers. Search
is being made for the remaining boats
in the neighborhood Of the disaster.
One hundred and ifty.eight persons
have been landed at Alexandria out of
total of $50 aboard
(Reports to Lloyds' and the British
admiralty have said the four boats
mentioned by Colonel Bigham were
the only ones launched. If this is true
Colonel Bigham's telegram indicates
that 392 persons lost their lives on the
Persia)
Lansing Orders Testimony.
Washington, Jan, 3-Secretary OF
State Lansing cabIed Arthur Garrelg
American consul at Alexandria, Egypt
to take dispositions of all survivors OF
the British liner Persia, sunk in the
Mediterranean with the loss of several
American lives, to determine If pos
sible whether 1t was destroyed by a
torpedo or a mine
Consul Gives Details.
The first report to give details oil
the disaster came from Consul Gar
rels. The state department gave out
the following paraphrase of the Off
cial message:
Persia sunk 300 miles northwest OF
Alexandria at Ave minutes after one
on the afternoon of December 30
Steamer sank in five minutes. No
submarine was seen, but an off1cer
saw its wake. One huadred and fifty
five out of 400 passengers and crew
were landed at Alexandria January
Charles H. Grant among survivors
but McNeely probably lost, as he was
last seen in the water"
New Consul on Way to Post.
Charles N. McNeely, believed r.
havo been lost, was the newly appoint
ed American consul at Alden, Arabia
and was en- route to his post. His
brother, -Dowd McNeely of Waxhaw
N. c., of whom nothing has beer
heard, was believed to have accom-
panied him. Grant, who was the only
other American known to be on the