TRANSPORT TORPEDOED

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2598, 21 October 1915, Page 7

TRANSPORT TORPEDOED

SOME FURTHER DETAILS. (Bf Telegraph.—Press Association.! Dunedin, October 20. Gunner Webb (Dunedin), of No. 2 Howitzer Battery, was on the torpedoed transport. In a letter to his father, he says he was in a boat which capsized. There were 57 men in tlie boat, eight above the full complement. "The snip was torpedoed at 9.45 a.nt. We were picked up by a French torpedo boat at 2.15. Two torpedoes -were fired, One hit the ship, and the deck on which we were sleeping, was blown to matchwood. Several men wero killed. The troops wero orderly, but one of the crew in the boat was unnerved, and cut ono of the falls, and so capsized the lot of us into the-water. Only three of our crowd'arc missing, and the whole ship's death-roll did not reach thirty." 'Ilio.. Dunedin man drowned by tho torpedoing of the transport was James Taine, of the Sth Reinforcements. 13e was on tho Headquarters Staff as a specialist, and was a son of Mr. Taine, of Taine's chemical stores. ANOTHER, ACCOUNT. Dannevirke, October 20. Regarding the of the transport-, a Dannevirko resident has received a letter stating: "I was on tho troopship Southland, which loft Alexandria on August 30, and was torpedoed 30 miles from Mudros, at 9.30 at night. Two torpedoes wero fired. The first missed, tho second struck us below tho water lino near the bow. Brigadier-General Lyton died from exposure and shock, and about 50 inon were drowned or killed. Tho hospital ship Neuralia pickcd up many. Tho troopship was carrying tho 2nd Australian Division, also General Legge and the Headquarters Staff. Sho was eventually beached at Mudros." SOME FURTHER- DETAILS. Auckland, October 20. Further details of the sinking of an Australian transport are contained in a letter received to-day by Mr. R. W. Ga-llaugher, of Auckland, from his son, Private Neil M. Gallaugher, dispatch rider attached to t'he. Headquarters Staff, Now Zealand Field Artillery, sth Jloinforcenicnts:—"I have been through tho event of my life since my last letter," says tho writer. "I ant not allowed to mention names, places, or dates, or you would not receivo this letter. Wo left for —— ten days ago, and when we were within three hours' sail of our destination, wc were torpedoed by a submarine. Wc had a large number of troops on our transport, and you can quite imagine what' the scene was like when we wore hit. The first torpedo hit us forward, and blew. that, part of the ship to atoms, the second ono was fired at us, and missed —very luckily for us. We all stood to t)he lifeboats and the troops were very orderly. Our boat tipped up with all of us in it, as it was being lowered, and it landed in the water upside down on top of us. I ended up underneath the boat. I am very lucky indeed to be here writing to you today. lam perfectly well, and have quite recovered from the shock, and have only a few cuts and bruises, which will be well in a few days. A lot of men were killed and drowned, but I cannot toll you oxactly tho number. The headquarters of the N.Z.F.A. wero the only New Zealandcrs who were on board, and we lost several men. I was in tho sea for over an hour and a quarter, and it was only due to the fact that I could swim that I was saved. I was eventually" pickcd up by a raft, and after two hours or more was on a French torpedo boat destroyer. The French who rescued us treated us royally. Of course we .lost everything but what we stood up in."