The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-02-08
2296 of the Survivors CHARTERED at
Irish Homes, Hotels and Hos
pitfalls
TWO GROUPS GO TO BELFAST
Names of the Saved and Lost Un-
ADMINISTRATIONS Eager to
Reach England.

An Irish Port, Feb. S.-A mas!
Of wreckage on the calm face Of
the sea along the Irish coast marks
the grave Of the Tuscania, the first
American troop transport sunk by
a German submarine. A few
bodies Of the one hundred men
who persisted have been washed
ashore and some of the injured
now in hospitals are expected to
succumb. The survivors, numbering
1926, are CHARTERED in hotels, homes
and hospitals along the north Irish
coast.
Two groups left today clad in mis-.
fit clothing for Belfast by rail and
thence by boat to England. The sur.
vivors are agreed that no one saw the
wake of foam as the torpedo came to-.
ward the vessel
1t was a black night and no alarm
came from any one Of the fifteen look.
outs
Torpedoing Discussed
The possibility Of being torpedoel
was discussed daily since the vessel
left the American shores Several hun:
dred young lumberjacks from the
southwest and Pacific coast states
were eating their evening meal at the
time the disaster occurred. Hundreds
of other American troops were wait
ing for theirs when the alarm sound.
3D. 3D.
False alarms had been sounded for
boat drill every day of the trip, but
al new thisk one was genuine. officers
shouted instructions to the men. Many
of them were husky youths, and, de-
spite their brief military training they
displayed wonderful GOODNESS as they
marched to their boat stations.
Nothing Resembling Panic
There was no running about, moth.
ing resembling panic. In few is0.
lated cases there were signs of ner.
vousness on the part of some of the
youngsters as the ship took heavy
tilt to starboard, and they slid to the
railing, to which they chung for dear
life. But that was all. Veteran British
officers in the crew, who had been
torpedoed several times, marvelled at
their GOODNESS.
Survivors do not agree as to wheth-
er the submarine emerged after tor.
pedoing the steamer. Several of the
ships officers said they saw the peri
scope and coming tower once.
A white bearded member Of the
crew who was one OF the last to leave
the vessel, told Lieut. A. X. Chamber.
lain, of washington, D. c., that he had
floated off in a life boat. ~. ~
A Cry of Anguish ,,.. rs
:. Il heard, he said, "a single cry of
anguish come from the hold as the
waters closed over the vessel. |l.+
"A tiny trawler. which remained
with the Tuscania to the last, saw a
small fire break out. amidships as the
vessels back appeared to break in
two. With kissing sound, she disap-
peared beneath the waves. ri
Most of the crew who lost their
lives were killed in the explosion in
the boiler room. One of the survivors
Of the engine room force said the Sec
ond engineer checked the speed Of
the vessel after the impact by throw.
ing the engine levers over to "full."
Explosions Kill Many
He probably saved many lives, as
the vessel would have
plowed on smashing the life boats
lavits, as happened in the case of the
Lusitana One of the remarkable es.
capes was that of a fireman who had
walked to the upper deck to get a
drink of water. He never saw his fel'
low firemen again. ~
Survivors who were not taken on
by the plucky British destroyers which
risked meeting the Tuscania's fate
we're later picked up by the trawlers