MANY MISSING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20035, 6 September 1939, Page 5

MANY MISSING

TORPEDOED SHIP SUBMARINE SEEN FIRING TWO SHELLS STORIES OF SURVIVORS GALLANT RESCUE WORK - FLARES DOTTING SEA (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (R'ecd. Sept. 6. 10 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 5. The Washington correspondent of the Associated Press of America says that the American Government has .commenced gathering testimony to fix the responsibility for the sinking of th e At h end a. The American Minister, Mr. Cudahy, who in Ireland interviewed survivors, cabled that all had confirmed the report of the sinking of the vessel 'by, a submarine.

The London correspondent of the United Press of ' America says that approximately 500 of the Athenia’s passengers were still to-day unaccounted for, according to a survey of British and Irish ports. An earlier wireless message to the United Press of America from the yacht Southern Cross, one of the rescue vessels, stated that 300 passengers from the Atbenia were missing, A message 1, from Greenock,- Scotland! states that two of the Athenia rescue ships qrrived there. Many injured survivors were sent to the hospital. A seaman survivor stated that the vessel was torpedoed without warning. He added: “After the explosion, the submarine came to the surface 100 yards off.” 1 Heard Beneath Boats - , Another survivor told the representative at Greenock of the American Associated Press: “We put on lifebelts, and went t<s the boat stations. The submarine ■ then dived out of sight. Several times during the night ■we heard it passing below the i lifeboats.” Another- survivor declared that the submarine fired , two shells as the ; survivors were taking to the-lifeboats. An eye-witness aboard the Southern Cross gave a graphic story of the rescue: “We received the SOS at 9 p.m.,” he said. “We reached the Athenia at about 2.3 ff a.m. The merchantman, Knud Nelson, was already standing toy. We rescued -all we could with -lifeboats. Flares dotted the sea. . Desperate shouts for help came from all directions. “There was a heavy swell. We * saved around 100 under great diffi- r culties. "A lifeboat turned turtle when it was nearing us and a man sitting on .t0p..,0f; the keel dragged others from the water. Lifeboat Swamped v “Another , lifeboat was swamped near our bow. All hands were engaged in hauling aboard the survivors from another boat, and we were helpless to save its occupants.

"The lifeboats were crammed and many were filling with water. People sat waist deep. “The members of the crew were marvellous and the passengers heroic. “The Knud Nelson saved about 800 and a destroyer a couple of hundred, making probably 300 missing. "A large school of whales plunged round the boats. Many women pulled the oars along with men for eight to 10 hours. .Some were black with grease. Many of the survivors were penniless, but were still able to smile.” A Washington message says that the State Department advises that at least TOO survivors of the Athenia landed at Glasgow seriously injured, and were immediately taken to hos* pital Mr. John Biglo'.y, an . Alberta, Canada, business man who was travelling home with his wife and two children said he was on deck when the torpedo .struck, and the heavy explosion threw the passengers into a panic. He could ’ not make his way against the rush of people from 'tween-decks, \as they fought their way to the decks: Struggle in Stateroom After 15 minutes, he managed to.get down to the stateroom where his wife and children were. He-found his wife struggling almost out of her depth to save the children, aided by a' stewardess who herself was 1 in extreme danger. The children had only heir heads above water when he arrived on the scene. “It was only by the grace of, God that I was . able to secure my own children, after helping' the stewardess to comparative safety,” he said. “I sent my wife up on deck, and followed with the children. The coats were so over-crowded that it was impossible to row, and we got nvay from the ship by pushing the boat off with oars. “We were 10 hours in the boat, and most of us were lightly clad. The children only had pyjamas on, and of course were wet through. The boat was bailed constantly, but we were not so badly off as people in other boats, which were almost full of water.”