The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-02-09
NO WARNING WAS GIVEN
London Message Describes
Sinking of British Steam
err California.

London, Feb. s.--The British passen-
ger steamer California of the American
line, bound from New York for Glas-
gov. was torpedocd at 9 O'Clock
Wednesday morning, off the Irish
coast and sank in nine minutes. with
the loss of Al lives. The stricken ship
was able To send out IS. O. s." calls
and help arrived promptly Neverthe-
less, five persons We're killed by the
explosion and sc We're drowned in the
launching Of the life boats.
rhe news of the sinking of the Cali
fornta reached London yesterday aft
ernoon, before the survivors had yet
arrived on land. but publication was
not permitted until more than "a
hours later
The California, was an armed liner,
carrying a Al gun mounted on the
stern. The gunner was just training
the weapon on the spot where oil bub-
bles had revealed the presence of the
under water enemy, when a torpedo
struck the port side with an explosion
so violent that most of the people
aboard We're thrown off ,ncir feet, five
being killed and a score injured.
The submarine fired n second tor
pedo. but the second shot missed. Both
torpedoes We're fired from Il distance
of less than 800 yards.
There was only one American
aboard the California and he is among
the survivors.
Captain Henderson, commander of
the California declares that the con-
duct of the passengers and the crew
was exemplary. There had been a care
full drill on the ship on the way across
and every person aboard had been as
signed 4 place in n life boat and pro-
vided with a life belt. Yet the success
full launching of the boats was made
impossible by the shortness of the
time between the torpedoing of the
vessel and her disappearance beneath
the waves, which did not permit wait
ing until the ship had lost Roadway.
While the boats were being lowered
| from the slopins decks the Califor-
MIA continued to move forward, lurch-
| ing like a drunken man, and the roar
of the water rushing through the gap
| ing wound in her side could be heard
| above ,thc shouts of the officers and
men. In Il number of cases it was
necessary for the passengers to jump
into the boats after they We're in the
| water and in one case boat with its
apportioncd load was swamped and
sank, many of the occupants being
swept under the ship before the other
boats could give help
| Some of the lfcboats in the after
| part of the ship were actually in the
water when released from the davits,
so rapidly did the ship settle by the
| stern. A. considerable number of the
| crew jumped from their stations into
extremely fortunate that the weather
| was calm and the sea CLASSY; other
wise it would probably have been i'm
possible to launch II single boat.
| According to the reports received
by the American embassy from some
of the survivors, there was only one
submarine, which. however, fired two
torpedoes, one of which missed by u
few yards. the other hitting the Cal
ifornia squarely on the port quarter
1t was the captain from the bridge
who discemed the suspicious oil bub-
bles on the surface of the water, 300
yards distant. He ordered the gunner
to fire. Before this could be done the
ship was torpedoed. The track of the
torpedoes and the periscope of the
submarine could be seen, but no warn
ing was given and the submarine did
not speak TO the boats after the sur
vivors were in the water.
Captain Henderson and the other Of
ficers remained aboard the Californ-
Ia until the ship went down. Among
the officers missing are Chief Eng
ineer Smith, Engineer Cunningham
Iard Third Officer Gimr4Cn