The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-07-06
PASSENGERS SAW
OR|SSA TORPEDOED
Freighter, Part of Convoy
of Light Vessels, Sunk in
Sight of Liner
EXPLOSION KILLS
FIVE OF THE CREW

Are Reported to Have Sunk Both
with Depth Bombs-Wreckage Came
to the Surface.
| AN ATLANTIC PORT, July 6.-An
attack upon a convoy of vessels return
ish steamship Orissa were reported by
passengers who arrived on a steamship
During one of three attacks a torpedo
fired by German submarine narrowly
passengers believe the destroyers that
were conveying the merchantmen sue
ceeded in sinking two of the submarines
| by the use of depth bombs. Those on
the liner watched the sinking of the Oris-
sa, saw the explosion that followed the
striking of the torpedo and the men on
the freighter taking to their boats. 1t
was reported unofficially that FIVE of the
crew of the Orissa had been killed by the
explosion.
There were three attempts to sink YES
sells in this convoy One of the largest
and fastest of the eight vessels that had
assembled to make their way through the
dangerous seas under escort was the pas
senger ship tina. got in today. She left
the other side on June "a, with III pas
sengers, including a number of American
soldiers and sailors bound for home on
sick leave
The first attack and the sinking of the
Orissa happened when the steamship had
been out of port hardly one day 1t was
about $3.50 O'Clock in the afternoon when
the first submarine was encountered. The
: second brush was when the passengers
were at dinner, and the third alarm was
: sounded about 9 o'clock the same night
, There is much doubt whether the third
alarm was really caused by the sighting of
: a submarine Whatever the cause, the
danger appeared so great that the steam
ships siren summoned those on board to
their boat stations, and there they re-
NAMED while shots were fired and until
thezxoEd SEas passed that the danger had
tpasscd
1--WE had had the usual first day out
on steamship in war times, and | mean
that we had been told to keep our life
belts on while danger was present, and
we had been told that certain number
of blasts on the siren would be the call
TO take boat positions, said Walter Hast,
a London theatrical man. eve were all
| steaming along when the attack on the
Orissa came. Those who were watching
, knew that something out of the ordinary
had happened. Afterward we learned
!. that the 0rissa had signalled that she
. had sighted a periscope on the port bow
:; The attack came so suddenly that the
= destroyers could not get to her rescue in
!, time. A torpedo struck her and she be
gan to settle in the water"
One of the other passengers who
kept his glasses trained on the 0rissa
said he saw the explosion and watched
the men as they lowered their boats. II
appeared to him that the Orissa remained
afloat about twenty minutes, and that thu
crew had ample time to get away. While
all this was going on two destroyers wer'
70 on the trail of the U-boat Following tn
L possible course of the undersea craft 81,
depth bombs were dropped and, this pas
A senger said, the last one dropped brough
up wreckage and evidences that the bonn
had done its work.
The next alarm came during dinner
!. This time U-boat about 1000 yards OF
" the port bow. The ships continued Their
pace, and the gunners stood by their guns
s. while each vessel manoeuvred so. as t
take a part in repelling the attack Jus
after she was seen the U-boat let 90 tw
>, torpedoes These were evidently Anne
II at the steamship that arrived here as sh
was the largest of the convoy and ha
been used to convey troops to the othe
side. Both torpedoes passed near til
stern.
II Passengers said that the destroyers an
other vessels Of the convoy knew ju,
II what to do, and while some sped to a
tack the U-boat, some of the others pl
II barrage Of bombs between the subm
II rine and its prey. In this work the Bri
III ish steamship also took part ST
II fired depth bombs ahead from her dec
II mortars Later, some of the passenge
II said it was reported that the navy vesse
had succeeded in bringing to the surfa
~ evidence that this second submarine ht
- been destroyed
At y oclock that night the third thr
of an eventful day occurred Many of Il
passengers, wrought up over their previo
= experiences, were on deck, while othe
81 fingered in the darkened saloon, when SUI
denly the siren OF the vessel sounded &
- six short. sharp blasts, the agreed sign
for the passengers to 20 to boat station
This was the first time that this call hi
been sounded, and the passengers as tn
went across the decks feared that a mo
Y pressing danger was upon them TIL
ID remained at the boats for some time VIII
depth bombs were dropped and shots we
fired Later word was passed that tn
could leave their boat stations 1t "
q reported that what had caused the sour
ing of an alarm was the sighting of sol
suspicious wreekage and a ships boat
A large British transport used for
conveying of American troops to Frar
and destroyer sank three U-boats off I
Irish coast recently, according to so
of those who got in yesterday.
The two vessels were travelling in co