Bisbee daily review., 1917-02-09
.9 LOST 0N CALIFORNIA SUNK BY
 ''SUb'
Attacker Fires at 300 Yards Without Warning, Killing Five; While 36 Drown in the Life Boats.
(By Review Leased wire)

(By Review Leased Wire1 LONDON, Feb. S.-The British passenger steamer California Of
 the Anchor line, bound from New
 York for Glasgow, was torpedoed at 9 o'clock "Wednesday morning off the Irish coast and sank in nine minutes with the loss of II lives. The stricken ship was able to send out sos" calls and help arrived promptly. Nevertheless five persons were killed by the
 explosion and 36 were drowned
 in the launching of the life boats. Outwitted by "Sub"
 News of the sinking of the Caiifor- mia reached London before the sur vivors had landed but publication was not permitted until more than IS hours later The California was an armed liner, carrying single A. gun mounted on the stern. The gunner was just training the weapon on the spot where oil bubbles had revealed the presence of the underwater enc my when a torpedo struck the port side with an explosion so violent that
 most of the people aboard were i thrown off their feet. five being killed
 and score injured
 Two Torpedoes
 A second torpedo followed in an apparent effort 10 accelerate the sink ing. but the seconi shot missed. al though both torpeGoSs were fired from
 q distance of less than 300 yards. American is Safe
 There was only one American citizen aboard the California and he is among the survivors. Mrs.
 Alexander CuthilI of Casper, Wy oming, also was rescued.
 Captain Henderson, commander of the California. declares that the con duct of the passengers and crew was exemplary. Fire drills had been ire quent On the way across and every person had been assigned to posi- ton in a life boat and provided with
 a life belt But. despite the coolness of the passengers and the seaman ship of the crew, the successful launching of the boat was made in
 possible by the shortness of the time
 between the torpedoing of the vessel
 and her disappearance beneath the waves. which did not permit waiting until the ship had lost headway.
 Many Jumped in Water
 While the boats were being low
 cred from the sloping decks. the Cali fornia continued to move forward, lurching like drunken man, and the
 roar of water rushing through the gap ing wound in her side could be heard above the shouts of officers and men. Tn a number of cases it was necessa- " for the passengers to jump into the
 boats after they were in the water
 and il one case a boat with its appor- tioned load was swamped and sank, many of the occupants being swept
 under the ship before the other boats
 could give help.
 Sdnk m r1uTTy
 Some of the life boats in the after part of the ship were actually in the water when released from the davits.
 so rapidly did the ship sink by the
 stern. A considerable number of the crew jumped from their stations into
 the sea and swan to the boats. It was extremely fortunate that the ! weather was calm and the sea glassy, 1 otherwise it probably would have been impossible to launch a single boat The townspeople (name Of port omitted) who crowded the Quays, car
 ried blankets. clothing and food. and
 were eager to be of some assistance
 to the survivors when they were brought ashore Aside from those in
 jured. few of the survivors needed much help. but some were thinly clad
 and gladly accepted gifts of clothing. | Naval and military Red Cross contin- gents were present to care for the in ! jured who were removed to hospitals. According to reports received by i the American embassy, there was on | ly one submarine. which, however.
 fired two torpedoes, one of which
 missed by few yards. the other hit ! ting the California squarely on the port quarter. It was the captain from | the bridge who discovered suspicious
 oil bubbles on the surface of the wat.
 CT 300 yards distant. He instantly (Continued on Page p