Evening journal., 1922-03-16
BY DAVID L. BLUMENFELD.
lUnited Press star Correspondent

Omitted Press Staff Correspondent.
CHAPTER II.
LONDON. March 16 CUnitod
Press) The true story Of how
Kitchener died has never yet been
fully told. but now that the full
light Of publicity has been allowed
through access to official documents
at the wars end, the last hours. so
tense and dramatic. Of the great
soldier can be portrayed.
Kitchener left London on tho
evening OF a murky foggy day. June
4. 1916. lie was going on a hurried
mission 10 Russia to stop the rot. "
as he put &C. a friend who saw
him leaving the War Office on that
evening elected the curt statement:
II am going to Russit for three
weeks. I'm going by time table
like Jules Verne character. must
he back on the 21st (of July).
He walked stinly down the steps
and gave me a curt goodbye. So I
saw him for the last time" said this
friend.
The following evening Kitchener
" as MNaM ~ nt NAMNAf rlAWNNAN MNAfN
eight in the evening. June 8, 1916.
Kitchener. who had arrived a
Scapa Flow at noon. June 8. after
mnching on board Jeilicoe's flag
ship. the Iron Duke. boarded H. NJ.
S. Hampshire with his personal STAFF
in the afternoon. AT hve-thirty In
the evening the engine room tele-
graphs Of the cruiser rang out and
the grey ship steamed down Scapa
Flow harbor. increasing her speed
20 eighteen knots. Kitchener stood
on the bridge watching the two es-
corting destroycrs on either quarter
~ the ship Towards seven o'clock
n gale came up. black clouds raced
across the sky. the wind turned to a
roaring tempest and az seven o'clock
he captain Of the Hampshire or
dered the two cscorting destroyers
10 turn about and make for harbar.
owing 20 the heavy seas At the same
time the speed Of the Hampshire was
reduced to fifteen knots. Kitchener.
so survivors declare, was at this
time in tho wardroom talking with
ihe ships officers before dinner
Probably he was having a rather
formal Introductory talk TO the
senior officers OF the ship and max
ing them known 20 his staff At 1.3O
The officers call for dinner was
sounded by the marine bugler OF tho
watch and hardly had the bugle s
notes ceased TO echo. when the dul
reverberating crash OF an explosion
shook the vessel. Bugles hlared
hosuns pipes twlttered shrilly
Quickly the word must have gone
round: Were hit just forward OF
the port boiler room"
officers dashed 20 their stations
forgetting In their rush the impor-
tant man in their midst The en-
rineer commander asked the cap
tain 20 order the flooding valves
opened. In order TO trim the ship &C
rieidlty. No sooner had the captain
ordered the valves opened when two
more explosions rocked the shiI
from stem 10 stern. The vessel
bows began 20 dip deep into the sea
Tho Hampshire was sinking by the
head.
The valves could not be reached
and the nluN NIhEhfAN hA AiAN "tNt+"'tt
in the boiler-room were drowned a
their posts.
on deck the gale whistled In the
rigging. the list on the vessel wa
such that the boats on the starboar'
side were rendered useless. Kitchen
ar was seen on deck at this time by
several OF the survivors. we saw
him standing quietly, a little groul
Of his staff round him, on the quar-
ter deck. We think that he was pu
i'm the sea boat" Ga life boat KEEP
always swung outboard IN British
men-of-war at seal, but we neve
saw him after that. His boat un
doubtedly capsized,' said the sur
wvor.
And what OF Kitchener?
The Hampshire sank at S.l5 2
NJ Kitchener undoubtedly me
death a few minutes later In th'
capsizing Of the sea boat into which
survivors say he was taken.
Kitchener. people said. was slali