The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1918-10-11
300 L|VESLOST
IN SINKINGS BY
ENEMY U-B0ATS
Mail Steamer. Leinster. Tor
pedoed in Irish Sea
ONLY FEW SURVIVORS
No Mercy Was Shown Helpless
Americans to Escape-Try to
Drown Them
ONLY FEW SURVIVORS

Dublin. Oct. lit is be. e.ieyed that
six hundred lives were lost IN the
sinking of the mail steamer, Leinster
by torpedo in the Irish Sea yesterday,
il is stated at the owners ONCE. only
about one hundred and fifty were
saved, il was added.
London, Oct. 1.-THE sinking ol
the Japanese steamship, Hirano
Maru. and the Dublin mail boat, Lem
ster are incidents of the new sub
marine campaign which the Germans
launched about ten days ago, accord
ing TO The Mail 1t adds that at that
time submarine activity became evi-
dent in various directions, notably
along routes followed by steamers
carrying American troops. II IS re-
ported that U-Boats are much larger
and more heavily armed than any
sent out previously by Germany.
An Atlantic Port Oct. lo.--Ih ne
steamship Ticonderoga, formerly the
German steamship Camilla Rickmers,
has been torpedoed while on her wav
TO France This fact became known
today when seventeen Survivors
wounded and suffering from exposure
were brought into port by a Britisi
vessel to which they had heen trans
ferred four days ago by another YES
sci that picked them ua. While con
firming the sinking of tire vessel nc
authorities would no. allow I'M
rescued men to talk to reporters.
The seventeen who arrived are sale
TO be a / that were saved OF the z5O
men on board, most Of the others hay
ing been deliberately and systema. j
cally killed By shell fire at close range
They are all men of the United States
army part of detail Of l91 that were
in charge OF horses on board. The
tod their rescuers they had heard
that another vessel of the convoy hat
been torpedoed.
The Ticonderoga left an Atlantic
port as part of a convoy. She was
handicapped by bad coal, and engine
trouble developed and she fell behin(
the other vessels. She was discov
cred by q U-boat at daybreak in longi
tude 81 west, about ZOO miles from
the American coast. The first the
men on board knew that they hat
fallen prey to an andersen boat wa'
when q torpedo struck their vessel
). It did not hit vital spot however
and the Captain crowded on steam ir
hopes of getting away The gun crews
went to their stations.
Said one survivor who told the
story:
Our guns did not fire more thar
FIVE or six shots, so quickly did the
shells from the submarine STRIKE
down both guns and their crews. The
forward gun was shot away nearly at
once, as the submarine was not more
than a mile away and kept cominf
nearer, and the after gun and IT.
crew were as quickly done for Th'
men went TO the boats, but it was NJ
use, as the flying shrapnel was spray
ing the decks and men fell by scere'
either killed or badly wounded.
'All OF the eight boats were riddle(
with the flying fragments of shell will
the exception Of one, and this, the on
ly one fit to put over. was filed witt
men. Some of these were XII led al
they attempted to lower themselve'
over the ships side. One raft alsl
was got away and all the time .th'
Hun commander did not slacken hi
shell fire
"Finally, in desperation, one mar
overheard swarm to the side of thu
I'll, ..tt.t hon ,
quarter of a mile away firing poin
blank at us, and hailed an officer ask
ing him in Gods name to stop TIL
Lieutenant who answered. pointed
revolver at him saying that II he di
not swim back he would shoot him
when our boat had only seventeen
I'm Il we were ordered alongside an
made to tie up while the sheIling O
tho dead and dying on the sinkin
ship kept up. Questions were nut Il
the leader of our boat which he r,
fused to answer and suddenly IN
submarine submerged and only ,th
parting of the rope with which W
we're tide fast to the U.boat preyente
our going down with t.
Then. after the submarine LETT ii
we had battle for life for four day
and nights, until we were picked ~
Heavy seas swept over the boat, an
those men who were not at the oaI
were busy bailing out the water \
first we found the raft which had bee
put over with five wounded men on
and we attempted TO tow It, despii
the breaking waves, bul during II
night It got away from us and, d
though we seached for Il all the ne
u day. we could not find e.
q Finally, when We we're exhaust'