The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1918-05-02
SIXTY SIX PERSONS LOST THEIR
LIVES ON THE STEAMER CITY
OF ATHENS.
MANY OF THOSE KILLED
TRAPPED IN THEIR BERTHS
Cruiser Struck the Steamer in the
Side and Sunk Her in a Few Min
utes, There Being No Chance for the
Lifeboats to Be Lowered.

An Atlantic Port, May 1.-Stxty-slx
persons lost their lives when the
steamship City of Athens bound from
New York to Savannah was rammel
and sunk by French cruiser off the
Delaware coast at one o'clock this
morning. The mIsaing, including ten
men, and two women of the passen-
gers, out Of forty-two United States
marines, who were ON board, fourteen
out OF twenty French sailors and
| thirty three members of the crew.
All the passengers and many Of the
crew were in their berths when the
bow of the warship plunged into the
side of the 1900 ton coastwise vessel.
Fire broke out almost Immediately
afterwar1 in hold number one. but 1t
had no hearing on the fate OF the
ship for the flames were quickly
Qoenched by the rush of water which
poured IN Captain J. Forward, one
OF the veteran commanders in the ser.
vice Of the Ocean Steamship com
pany, owners OF the vessel, did his
best to avert panic and man the life
boats.
So quickly did the doomed vessel
sink, however, that there was no time
to get the boats away and many Of
those who perished were trapped in
their berths.
Those Of the passengers ard crew
who were able TO reach the deck. all
OF them thinly clad and many without
life preeervers, plunged into the sea.
The cruiser launched lifeboats i'm
Imediately after the crash and turned
! its searchlights upon the waters in
which men and women were strug-
Cling for their lives.
Sixty eight persons were picked up
and brought back to this port by the
warshiP. which was not seriously
damaged
Both ships were carrying running
lights because of the heavy fog which
hung over the sea.
F. J. Dougherty, the wireless opera
tor, was able to send out only one
IS. O. S" after The warship's bow
plunged into the City of Athens side
near the bow. There was no response
10 the appeal for aid and the vessel
sank so quickly Doherty had no op-
portunity TO repeat the call He is
believed to have drowned at his post.
Many heroic deeds were reoounted
tonight by the survivors. One of the
heroes Of the sea tragedy was Harry
A. Kelly, of New York, an oiler. who
swan % an overturned lifeboat and
dragged upon the bottom of it four
persons who were struggling in the
sea. He held them there until they
were taken off by a beat from the
cruiser.
The following passengers are be-
lieved to have been lost:
NJ. Greene, Astoria. ~ Y: !. J..
Kastl, Morristown, n. j.; Richard Bon
zeiner, Mobile. Ala: Miss Il. G. Styles,
Miss Jean Carbon. New oYrk City:
rcv. J. r. Reynolds. New York City:
Isaac Dalzell, Paterson. N. J.: Mrs. F
d. Holthan, Hyde Park, Mass; Ed.
ward Clug, Savannah. Ga; Cav Donk,
Brootlyn. n Y; r. A. Young, Brook
lyn. n. Y.
The following United States mar
ines we reerported drowned: r. r.
Dixon; p. Van Hanegan. s. II. Tinge,
II. Rosenfeld, w j. Mack S. Gins
berg, II. +. Wetmore.
The known survivors among the
passengers are Mrs r. Harrison and
baby, New York City: DR.. A. ]. Kemp
New York City, Mrs Richard Bon
zeiner, Mobile, Ala. Alden McClas- =
lie, New York City DR. e. l.. Brooks,
Atlanta. Ga John Greene. Paterson.
y. j.: J. r. O13rien. Jr.. Savannah.
Ga Mrs Eta Levy. Bridgeport,
Conn. Mr.. and Mrs Gewahr and
CONTINUED ON PAGE SEVEN.