FULL STORY OF THE BRITANNIC

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2939, 27 November 1916, Page 5

FULL STORY OF THE BRITANNIC

THREE BOATS CUT UP BY TEE PROPELLERS GERMAN ATTEMPT TO TRICK RELIEF SHIPS instrallan-New Zealand Cable Association. Athens, November 24. A hundred and fifty survivors from the Britannic have been landed at the Piraeus. The vessel was torpedoed while the Royal Army Medical Officers and nurses were at breakfast. The boats were quickly swung out, but after twenty minutes the work became difficult owing to the steamer's heavy list, in spite of the special appliances. The three first boats launched were, caught I by. the screws and cut to pieces, most | of those in' them perishing. Some of the crew were caught by the explosion, and egress from the forward part of the vessel was cut off. Two of the navigating officers on the deck state that they saw the wakes of two torpedoes, and the captain is also convinced that the explosion was due to torpedoes. | A Dastardly Trick. 'After the disaster the Britaiinic's wireless sent out S.O.S. call. A neighbouring destroyer received the signal and replied that she was hastening to the rescue, but the destroyer received a countermanding distress signal. This was given out by a German submarine, in a dastardly attempt to stop help reaching the victims. The destroyer momentarily turned back, but discovered the cowardly itrick when further urgent calls were received. The Britannic was making her sixth voyage as a hospital ship. At the time of the explosion she was steaming at twelve knots. The explosion accounted for many deaths. The engines were unharmed, and the captain tried to beach the Britannic, but the forward dip became too pronounced. ' Thirty boats were pnt afloat before the list prevented the proper launching of the rest. Two hundred men who i remained on the decks were ordered to break their ranks and advised to jump into the water. Instead they went to the upper deck and threw rafts overboard. A Shocking Tragedy. Meanwhile a shocking tragedy occurred. The propellers were at the water level, and several boats and rafts were drawn into the whirlpool created by them. It was an awful sight to see the poor fellows struggle against the inevitable. When they saw their boats were doomed to encounter the propeller blades most of them tried to escape by jumping into the water ._ The screws caught the boats with a ripping, smashing sound, and flung human bodies into the air and .cut and mutilated a hundred. The Britannic went down with a slow and gradual movement. Probably the engines shifted to starboard, as the vessel lurched to starboard before goiDg down. As each of the great funnels touched the water, it ripped off like a piece of brown paper ana fell to port. A MYSTERIOUS WOMAN Ausfcrplian-Now Zealand Cable Association. (Rec. November 26, 5.5 p.m.) London, November 25. The "Daily Chronicle's" Athens cor- j respondent states that the Britannic ) was struck well forward of the starboard hatches. No. 2 hold was blown fifty feet into the air. It is reported that a German submarine recently visited Lauriom, opposite Zea. An officer landed and took on board a woman, who is believed to have been concerned in the provisioning of supplies for the submarines. GERMAN COMMENT CONTRADICTORY AND PLAUSIBLE ARGUMENT. Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. London, November 24. A German wireless message comments on the extraordinary number of persons aboard the Britannic, which was voyaging to Salonika, justifying the forcible suspicion of the misuse of hospital ships for the purposes of transport. The message declares that, inasmuch as the ship bore the Red Cross, there is naturally no question of a German submarine having been concerned in sinking her. THE ADMIRALTY'S REJOINDER. (Ausl.—Jf.Z. Cable Assn. and Renter.) (Rec. November 26, 5.5 p.m.) London, November 24. The Admiralty's reply to the German allegation that there was an extraordinary number of people on board the Britannic states the total number on board was 1125, consisting of 625 of the crew, and five hundred of the medical staff. The German Admiralty denies that the Britannic was sunk by a submarine. Außtralian-New Zealand Cablo Association, (Rec. November 26, 5.5 p.m.} London, November 25. It is officially suggested in Berlin that a Turkish submarine, which was recently sold by Germany, was responsible for the sinking of the Britannic. A CONTRAST IN ASSEVERATIONi (Reuter's Telpfrrain.) (Rec. Novelsbor, 27, 1.15 a.m.) . London, November 26. There is a contrast between the Ger.

man statement that the Britannic was not t-orpedoed and the "Kieler Zeitung," a well-informed naval paper, which says she was torpedoed because she carried troops. " CONSXRIJCTIVE MURDER ON THE HIGH SEAS" MYSTERY OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK. (Aust.—N.Z. Cable Assn. and Bcuter.) (Rec. November 26, 5,5 p.m.) London, November 25. The British Admiralty states that no further news has been received of the steamer Rappahannock, which, a report from Berlin stated, had been sunk on November 8. Unless her crow of thirtyseven wero taken on board the submarine, or ' transferred to another vessel —and of this there has been no indication —we can no longer Hope for their safety.: If the crew were forced to take to the boats far from land, in bad weather, Germany has again been guilty of constructive murder on the high seas. THE PIRATE WAR ON NEUTRALS - NORWAY'S HEAVY. LOSSES. Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. (Rec. November 26, 5.5 p.m.) Paris, November 25. Illustrating Germany's sharpened submarine war on neutrals, "Le Journal" shows that Norway during the first two years of the war lost 79 steamers, aggregating 125,225 tons, as compared with the last three months, in which she has lost 77,- aggregating : 110,879 tons, and also sailing vessels aggregating 42,000 tons. THE LOST RUSSIAN BATTLESHIP , HOPES OP REFLOATING HER, ; Australian-New Zealand Cable Association.. (Rec. November 26, 5.5 p.m.) Petrograd, November 24. It is hoped that the Russian Dreadnought Imperatri Maria will be refloated. [An accidental explosion in the. battleship's magazine crippled her so , badly that she sank.]