Evening star., 1939-10-21
81 Are Known Dead
In 7 British Ship
5inkings tuesday
81 Lost With Yorkshire,
6 or J With MondoIoy,
Torpedoed by Sub
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BORDEAUX, France, Oct. 2l.-
At least 81 persons lost their lives
IN the sinking of two British steam
ers in the Atlantic Tuesday, au-
thorities estimated today as they
checked the stories of some 300 sur
vivors landed here LAST night by
rescue ship.
Officials said that 81 apparently
had gone down with the Yorkshire
and six or seven with the City of
Mandalay. The two vessels were
sunk by submarine within a half
hour about 500 miles of the Span
iSh coast.
Tales of hardship and terror were
told by the survivors. many of whom
were taken to hospitals suffering Sc
verely from exposure. All those res
cued were English or East Indians
en- route to England.
Ambulances at Dock.
Long lines of ambulances and
corps of nurses were waiting on
the dock when the rescue ship, the
American treighter Independence
Hall, commanded by Capt. D. j. Nc
kenzie, reached port. Scores of the
survivors were carried off the ship
OH StretcherS.
Survivors said the Yorkshire and
the City of Mandalay were in a con-
voy OF 10 other vessels under the
guard of British warships, but be-
came separated from the convoy
one day out from Gibraltar.
The 10000-ton Yorkshire was the
hrst to go down, torpedoed. passen-
gers said, by submarine which they
Identified as German. The CITY of
Mandalay was struck short time
later.
Some survivors of the Yorkshire
said torpedo exploded in the boiler
room, killing some Indian stokers.
French newspapers quoted uni
Identified British soldiers aboard the
ship as saying she stopped at the
nrst cannon shot. Some passengers
jumped overheard at once. The In
dependence Hall arrived at the mo-
ment the ship was disappearing be-
meath the sea, it was said.
No official list of the survivors has
yet been given out.
SOS Received From Both,
The westbound Independence Hall
received SOS calls from the two
vessels between 3 and 4 pm. and
Immediately changed its course to
go to the rescue.
The Mandalay, first to be reached,
was breaking in two when the In
Hall hove in sight. Two
of the vessels lifeboats, heavily
loaded, were aWash. Scores of other
were floating in the sea
in lifebelts.
Because of the heavy seas more
than two hours was required to
complete the rescue work. Tons of
oil were spread on the water.
Some of the so passengers aboard
the Independence Hall said that
while the survivors of the City of
Mandalay were being picked up
submarine suddenly came to the
surface, causing those already
aboard the rescue ship to scream
with terror.
The submarine merely signaled,
How many have you saved?" and
then submerged after remaining
alongside short time.
The independence Hall reached
the spot where the Yorkshire sank
about 10 pm. The survivors, all of
whom were in lifeboats, said the YES
sci went down in about nine minutes.
One of those rescued, an unidenti-
fled Englishman, died aboard the
Independence Hall.
Already crowded with its own
the independence Hall
found its facilities taxed by the 300
survivors. The regular passengers
gave up their own accommodations,
but many of those rescued had to
sleep on the floors.
Some of the survivors were bare
foot when they came ashore here,
many were wrapped in blankets and
almost all were inadequately clad.
Those suffering most severely from
exposure told of floating for hours
in the icy seas, kept afloat by life
belts. Among them was a 4-year-
old baby, whose mother was re-
ported drowned.
A few of the more hardy pas
sengers bravely sang God Save
the King" to the thin notes of q
violin as the rescue ship docked.
Passengers not requiring hospital
care were expected to remain here