New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-24
Captain Says Ship Was
Torpedoed in German
Safety Lane
Illuminated Name
Served as Target
19 Men Perished When
Boat Capsized; Expos
ure Killed One

ROTTERDAM. Mdfcn %. seven Alhell-
cans were drowned when the American
tank steamer Healdton was torpedoed
without warning by a German subma-
rine Off the Dutch coast Wednesday
evening. Twenty lives were lost al
together. Captain Charles Christopher,
who arrived here tonight with all the
survivors, including six other Amerl-
cans, declared that the ship had been
sunk within the safety zone proclaimed
by Germany.
The Americans who perished were:
W. CHANDLER, second mate, Brook
lyn.
IC. F. HUDGINS, third mate. Norfolk,
Va.
WALTER c. JOHNSON, third engineer,
Hoboken.
EMERY LEVEAUX, oiler. Hoboken.
GEORGE HEALEY, second cook, San
Francisco.
S. W. SMITH, able seaman, Chicago.
JOHN W. STEINER, cook, Pittsburgh.
An illuminated sign on the side OF
the American steamer, bearing the
words, "Healdton, New York" was di-
rectly responsible for the torpedolng,
in the opinion of Captain Christopher.
The light served as a target for the
submarine, the first torpedo shatterlng
the sign and penetrating 20 the engine
room before il exploded.
Second Torpedo Ignites Oil
The ships boats were being lowered
when second torpedo struck her aft,
setting the oil tanks ablaze with
terrific explosion. As the stricken ship
lurched under the concussion one of
the lifeboats was cspsized. OF its
twenty occupants only one was ever
seen again.
The submarine rose to the surface
for one instant and Immediately sub
merged again. For twelve hours the
+ survivors drifted in the open boats. in
sufficiently clad and exposed to bitter
hail end snow storms, until they were
picked up by a trawler. One man died
before the survivors were rescued.
They we're landed at Ymuiden and
Terschelling, and later brought to this
( port.
The lifeboat which cspsized when the
/ Healdton went DOWN was brought into
( Ymuiden to-day with a Norwegian, the
sole survivor Of tine twenty men in the
boat. lie was taken 70 the hospital
with botn arms badly injured and his
/ legs frozen. After the boat capsized he
managed to right it and keep alive un-
| til he was picked up by & trawler.
! Ship Captains Story
Captain Christopher said.
"If we had not shown our lights we
might have escaped. At S:l5 o'clock
! Wednesday evening. with a moderate
/ breeze and choppy sea, was in the
cabin when aroused by a terrific con-
cussion. All the lights went out, and
/ ! rushed on deck in my shirtsleeves to
stop tha engines. | found that a tor
pedo had gone through amidships at
the spot where the ships name was
illuminated brightly. wrecking the en-
( gine-room. The light clearly served as
/ a target.
"The lifeboats were made ready and
I equipped for lowering. | rushed back
70 the cabin in the dark and was Just
/ able to grab a coat and the seXtant
/ when a second explosion shook the
ship. This time it had been torpedoed
aft, setting the tanks ablaze. The
burning oil ran in al directions. ne
cessitating a quick getaway. found
that my boat, No. /, apparently hav-
ing been cut from the tow line prema-
turely. had capsized near the ship, and
none of its occupants were seen again.
meanwhile tie Healdton was set
Ting down fast by the stern. One or
two poor fellows in the bunkers never
came up. and expect they were killed
there by the explosion. just had time
to lump into No . boat.
All Over in Twenty Minutes
"The submarine came up once and
i looked at tne SlHhiHE supp -'N
could be seen on the submarine, which
Immediately dived under water again.
I In twenty minutes it was all over.
"Then came twelve hours In open
heats insufficiently clad and exposed
"a hitter hail and snow storms, until
we were picked up by the trawler Java.
There was one Spaniard in my boat
whose clothes had been burned of. lie
died of exposure.
According TO my calculations, we
were well within the so-called safe
channel when the Healdton was tor
pedoed.' IL,
The boat. with thirteen men. includ-
ing the captain. was sighted on Thurs
dav bv the steamer trawler Java, which
returned to Ymuiden with the ship
wrecked men. All were terribly ex-
bausted by fatigue and exposure. Once
on board the trawler some Of the sur
yivors fell to the deck in faint from
exhaustion.
The other Americans. besides Cap
tain Christopher. saved from the
Uealdton were: O. o. Willerup. first
mate. New York: Herman II. Parker,
wireless operator. Philadelphia; j.
Caldwell. chief engineer. New York;
G. ". Embray. first engineer. Philadel-
nhia: Y. Swenson. second engineer; q.
| Ucalv. mess boy. San Francisco.
THE GREENBRIER white sulphur