The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-07-03


1T is TO be noted" says an ad-
miralty announcement. that the sub
| marine had the right 10 stop and
| search the vessel under The Hague
| convention. The G-boat' commander
| preferred to torpedo the hospital ship
without investigation
| Once more Great Britain-~and the
world-~Stands aghast tonight before
an act of ruthlessness, the very bar
| barity Of which mocks description.
There were no wounded or sick board
! the Llandovery Castle. The vessel
was homeward bound from Canada
| Not the slightest warning was given
| No one saw the wake of the torpedo
/ The first intimatton OF the disaster
was a terrific Jar from an explosion
| in No. hold, The after section OF
/ the ship was blown in and the vessel
was unable TO remain af1oat
/ The Llandovery Castle was going a.
! a rate OF fourteen knots when the crash
l came All lights went out immediately
i and desperate cropping Ia the dark
| ensured, during which many were cast
| spurles versenkt"
Right after the explosion the cap
| tain, falling to get and answer from
/ the engine room, order abandon shin
! The number killed by the explosion Is
/ undetermined The captain was the
/ last 10 leave the ship. The lifeboat in
| which he and twenty-toar others got
/ away IL the only one Of which any
/ trace has been reported 50 far.
| While picking up eleven drowning
/ men. the captains boat was hailed By
| the. sub-sea monsters master. who
/ ordered the life boats occupants to
( desist from their rescue work and PAY
/ attention adding some threatening re
! marks about the submarines big gun
! The t-host. by the way, bore no mum
| Der or other marks Of distinction
/ order Him ON I-Boat.
( When the Llaudovery Castles 60 o.
/ tain said his vessel had been carving
/ Canadian medical corps men. the T.
/ boat commander promptly asked II any
/ OF these were In the captains boat.
Upon the captains affirmative answer
/ tho war crafts master ordered him 10
! board the U-boat
While the submarine commander was
I engaged in his examination. aC-
/ cusatlon and excuses. the Llandovery
/ Castles captain was worrying about
| the fate OF his ships human cargo.
/ Where are orr other boats he
/ shouted. his voice vibrating with i'm
potent scorn.
The U-boat commander ignored the
I question, keeping p keen eye on the
! Canadian medical officer. Major r
Lyon. who was then boarding the
= submarine, a couple OF burly Ger
man sailors stood ready 10 receive
/ him and seemed bent on furnishing
I him for being alive. They showed
| him about roughly, causing him 10
| break a foot. After cross eXamjna-
I ton by the commander Major Lyon
! was ordered back into the lifehoat.
/ Then the submarine circled the
, wreckage Of the big ship at fun
/ speed shaved the lifehoat stopped il
again and took off the second and
/ fourth officers.
When the U-boat commander tried
to give a new excuse by charging that
/ the hospital vessel carried munitions
the second officer explained that the
! wash In the ships after section was
caused by the boiler explosin. Evil
IDENTIFY the German officer desired &c
get rid OF one who offered the irrefu-
table explanation. for he allowed him
to return to the llfeboat
\ little later the submarine opened
fire on some unseen target Twelve
shells were fred. II Is believed pos
sIble that target or targets were 9TH
er -lifeboats OF the Llandovery Castle