Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-11
6O0ON T0RPED0ED
MAIL SHIP KILLED
U-Boat Sinks British Craft
Leinster; Women and Chill
dren Aboard.
NO AMERICANS ON LIST

By the Associated Press.
DUBLIN, October lit is believed
that 500 lives were lost in the sinking
of the mail steamer Leinster by tor
pedo in the Irish sea yesterday. it was
stated today at the office Of her own
ers. Only about $50 persons. it was
added, were saved.
A passenger on board the Leinster
who saw the fatal torpedo approaching
the ship, Informed the captain, but the
torpedo was so near that escape was
impossible. The projecti1e struck the
side of the boat between the fore
castle and the compartment set aside
for postal clerks.
The weather was fine. bnt the sea
was rough. following a recent storm
According to figures reported here
there were on board 6s7 passengers and
crew Of about 20.
Explodes Ships Boilers.
After the Leinster had been struck
by the first torpedo and in her dis
abled condition was an easy prey,
the submarine fred second torpedo.
This missile struck the vessel amid
ships. entered the engine room and
caused an explosion Of the ships
boilers.
There was some confusion as the
passengers tried to enter the boats
and many persons were thrown into
the sea-
AS soon as information regarding
the Leinsters plight reached Kings
town tugs and destroyers to the num-
Survivors say that the submarine
fired the two torpedoes without
warning from a range Of about $50
yards.
Details Of the lost and saved have
not been obtained. Capt. Birch, the
Leinster's commander, was among
those lost. 1t is known that two
Engineer Jones said that If the sec
ond torpedo had not struck the Lem
ster all on board except those who
had been directly killed by the first
torpedo probably would have been
saved. as there was plenty of time to
the second torpedo, however. he said.
blew the ship up like matchw God.
Jones saved himself by Jumping. He
was in the water one hour and was
clinging to a raft when rescued by a
destroyer.
The rescuing ships picked up
scores Of persons from the, water.
upturned boats, RATS and broken
timbers. The survivors were brought
to Kingstown. All were in a des-
perate state as a result of their
hours of exposure in the rough sea.
Several dead bodies also were landed
Thrown Into Sea-.
A member Of the crew said the ex-
plosion Of the second torpedo blew
the tunnels to pieces. Some Of the
wreckage fell on the deck and killed
passengers who were on the forward
deck were thrown into the sea, ac-
cording to the same witness, who
added that some OF the boats were
smashed in being launched and that
others capsized.
Francis Osborne. Judge Of the high
court Of the Sudan. one of the pas
sengers, said he saw the first torpedo
approaching. When it struck the ship
the vessel began to settle by the head.
He went over the side and slid down
tered boat. While the lifeboat was
tossing close to the ship the second
torpedo was fired.
The Leinster was the nth channel
boat sunk by submarines.
Many Women; Some Children.
BELFAST, October 10.-The Leinster
passengers included many women and
some children. An incoming mail
steamer reports that she passed
permitted to stop to do any rescue
work, in accordance with the orders
Of the British admiralty. Her pas
sengers counted forty dead bodies
floating in the water.
OF the twenty-one mail clerks on
board the Leinster twenty were killed
outright by the explosion and the
|twenty-first was blown through the
side of the ship. being picked up at
sea later.
No Americans on Ship.
LONDON, October 11.-so far as re-
ported there were no Americans on
board the mail steamer Leinster when
she was torpedoed. Among the MISS
ing is Lady Alexandra Phyllis HAM
ilton, daughter of the dowager duch-
ess of Abercorn.
The sinking of the Japanese steam
ship Hirano Maru and the Dublin mail
boat Leinster marks incidents of a
new submarine campaign which the
Germans launched about ten days ago,
according to the Mail. 1t adds that
at that time renewed submarine activ-
ity became evident in various direc-
tions, notably along the routes fol-
lowed by steamers carrying American
troops.
1t is reported that the new U-boats
are much larger and more heavily
armed than any which have been sent
out previously by Germany.
The reported torpedoing Of the Lem
ster on her regular voyage from Dub
lin to Holyhead would indicate that
the German U-boats have again sue
ceeded in getting into ST. Georges
channel Nothing has been reported of
C-boat operations In that water for q
long time, and it was reported that
extraordinary precautions had been
taken with respect to this channel, as
well as the English channel.
The gross tonnage of the Leinster is
2,646. Her owners are the City of
Dublin Steam Packet Company. She
was built at Birkenhead in 1895.
NAMED To. SUCCEED TALBOT.