New-York tribune., 1918-02-28
Glenart Castle, orr Way to
France for Wounded, Sunk
in Bristol Channel
Many Leap Into Sea
Red Gross Lights Made YES
sci Easy Target, Says
Officer

SW WANSEA, Feb. 2I.-lhc British
hospital ship Glcnart Castle, which
went down yesterday in the Bristol
Channel, WAS torpedoed, according t.
survivors, thirty four of whom were
landed here. Nothing so far has been
learned of the fate OF the others. in
Guiding Red Cross doctors, nurses and
ordcrlies. There were approximately
two hundred persons aboard the hos
pltal ship, one hundred and fifty of
whom were members of the crew
QUartermastcr Shitler, who was the
last man to leave the ship, describing
the disaster, said:
- was Oh deck at the time. A few
minutes before the torpcdoinp. tho
Itmsman called attention to a dim
night fhckcring on the surface of the
water some distance of. It disan-
pcared an instant later but tho oniccr
O. 'hc deck was instantly suspicious
and ordered the course changed. Ic
tfcn ordered the alarm sounded for
'''cboat drill as a precautionary meas
urc. '''N"'
Red Cross Lights a Target
he order was scarcely given, when
came the mufllcd sound OF IN cyplod;nr
torpedo far below the watorlinc foi7
iGwed by shock, which told us that
the boat was done for.
CUR action in changing the course
awaited httlc, because all of our rcpnIa-
s IONS Ked Cross lights were burning
~ =, 'eh''y ana we We're as plain target
IN the black night as the Cow, ne
could wish. '''e "e''''"hS
Almost everybody aboard was asleen
at inc time. and most of tho mon
eun'oied TO the deck in the scantiest
AZURE; row saved more than trousers
ana Shlrt, and probably nine mon o,t
Oh every ten were barcfootcd. Tho mon
aassiGned to the starboard lifcboats
.ouhd them useless, either the boats or
enc oaV1ts being smashed by the shock
OF the explosion '''''
40 Meanwh'le, great difficulty was OK
IT, ~ 'encea IN launching the lifcboats on
80 tHt port side, owing to the peculiar
.'iC the vessel was taking as il nro.
pared to 20 down stern foremost In
seven minutes we launched seven boats.
solnc WIN only few persons aboard
otners oVercroWGe0. W
Many Jumped Into Sea
"A large number of mon roro
pciled to jump into the sea VIII IGf,,- I;fa
nelts, and few Of these survived for
ehe sea was so rough that it was i'm
possible to rescue them from the l;fe
poa's: .Sa $: Nor was it possible even to keep
'hc ,, ilfeboats altogether
aVes twenty feet high. churncd
up by the nasty cross current. dashed
over our boat continuously. and we
halled for our lives We made the best
course we could for a large island
which we knew was about fifteen niles miles;
OH, but had made only slight progres, ,
"nen French schooner. seven hours
aftcrward, picked us up. We would all
nave pcrshed from exposure had no,
our rcscucr Appeared"
The survivors said that no sub
marine was sighted at any time, cxcept
10 Tor the lights seen by the helmsman.
The Glcnart Castle, which had been un-
der repair since her return from the
Mediterranean three weeks ago, was
on her way to France for wounded.
Tho Glenart Castle, G,8O7 tons gross
and 44O feet long, was built at Belfast
IN 1906. She was owned in Southamp-
ton.
The Bristol Channel is an arm Of the
Atlantic extending into the southwest
ern part of Great Britain, between
England and Wales. -