TORPEDOING OF THE TRANSYLVANIA.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 24 August 1917, Page 1

TORPEDOING OF THE TRANSYLVANIA.

* A GRAPHIC STOET , OF HUNNISH CRUELTY. . New stories are told to-day of the loss on May 4, in the Mediterranean, of the great transport Transylvania—sunk by a German torpedo. All the world Jias Heard how 400 lives were lost on that tragic day. But not' the whole story of the Transylvania's sinking has been told. On board was one—Private Ervin-Geddes, A.S.C., whose home is in Hampton row, Bathwick Bath; and here is his narrative v of the noble ship's last hour — the first account in complete detail that has yet been givtfn:-—"Some thousands of souls were on board,"' he says, "'for she was conveying troops,, and also 'British Red Cross . nurses. After leaving dock about 7 a.m. all went well until about 4 o'clock next morning, when we were all aroused and paraded on deck. There was some sort of aa alarm, but it proved false; and after a while the troops were dismissed to sleep again." "TO THE BOATS'. WOMEN FIRST"' "Later came breakfast; then I went on deck, lay down, and watched the beautiful scenery, and the destroyers ploughing thenway through the water, which by this time was becoming a bit choppy, owing to the ■ wind' freshening to half a gale. About 10 o'clock, as I strolled along the starboard promenade deck, came a terrible crash somewhere beneath where I was standing. Ab once the cry went up: 'We're torpedoed! They've got us! ! At once there was a hor-, rible list to port, and T thought the ship was going to turn turtle. Then came the order: 'Take to the boats! Women first!' Nurses came swarming round where T was standing, and were ab once lifted into the nearest boat. It was .soon filled with 50 or 60 of them, and was being lowered away when someone shouted: 'There's no crew in the boat!' Poor, helpless women being lowered into the Sea with not a man to help them! But lowering was stopped, and I, two other soldiers, and two of the ship's crew were; slung overboard. At once our troubles commenced, for the men on the ship begun to lower us from one davit only, with the result that we were soon all hanging on for our very lives, and it was only bv an act of Providence .we were not all pitched into the sea. We were immediately drenched by the huge waves that were then rolliug. But with a struggle we managed to case off, and as we passed along the ship's we escaped only by a fraction of a lecoud being crushed and sunk by other boats coming down upon vs." ••MOBITURI SALUTANT," ''All the boys left on deck gave us a cheer as we got away.' It was the last I shall ever 'see of a great many of them on this side of the border. Getting out the oars as best we'could, we pulled away from th<i ship for the shore, only two or three miles away. But from the first it was hopeless. There we were, juet five men (three quite inexperienced in handling a big boat in a rough sea), trying our best to keep her head on to the seas. She began shipping water, and, to add to our misfortunes, began leaking badly. ■ Those dear nurses were the bravest lot of women I have, ever. seen. Not a cry was heard from, them—or, to be eorrecb, there was only one gird who did screanij and that

was when a huge rat came-out from underneath where I was sitting and began swimming about. But lie 60011 drowned. One of the nurses started a. hymn, • while : others helped lis at the oars. It soon became apparent -flint tne boat was filling rapidly; so we all took our hats and boots off and started baling with them. But our labors had very little effect. She got lower and lower in the water; and all the while the seas were getting rougher and rougher, and we soon saw that it was just a matter of minutes before, we sank. Just, then we spied one of the destroyers coming, as we thought, to our rescue. But no, it was not our luck, for she altered her course and went alongside tha sinking ship. Hardly had she got alongside before crash came another torpedo, exploding in the liner's side, and missing the destroyer only by a few yards. This second blow proved fatal, for within a. few minutes the great ship's' stem was perpendicular in the water, and, amid a cloud of smoke and steam, she dived to the bottom, taking with her hundreds of poor fellows who had been unable to get away. • One could see tiny specks of drab color falling away from her sides, while other specks were rusiiing to the highest point as the doomed boat slid from under their' feet. I think the sinking of the ship settled the fate of our boat, for immediately after she had gone' from sight a great wave surged towards us, and, being so heavily laden and half full of water, tke boat, instead of rising on the wave, went through it. 'ln a moment she filled, and we all were struggling in the water. Luokily, she did not sink outright, but just kept on a level with the water. Thus we were able to oling to her sides. In this plight we drifted for about five hours, when a destroyer sighted us. > NUBSKS SAVED; CAPTAIN LOST. "How I got on board I don't know. I was practically at my last gasp. All I remember is someone putting a rope round the two women who tod been hanging to my legs for a long time, and then finding myself on the deck of the destroyer. On recovering somewhat I found myself lying beside Sharp, from Bath, who was badly injured. He went down with the ship, and was picked up nearly dead. After reaching hospital I remember very little luitil I found inyself next day hi bed, suffering badly from shock. They tell me I' had to be strapped to the bed the previous night. All of us were treated by the authorities with every consideration, everybody going out of their way to be very kind to us. They ' lionised' the boys who were able to get about. On the following Sunday the captain of the ehip and 13 of our men were -buried. All the city turned out to the funeral. A sergeant-major in the bed next to me was hi a boat which had just reached the water when the second torpedo exploded right underneath it. Boat and its occupants were blown sky-high, and he remembered nothing more until he found himself clinging to a piece of wreckage. Many were, injured; .by jumping overboard to the destroyers' decks. All the nurses were saved, including the matron, who, I should say, is well on the way to 60.years. She was in the water all the time. Our captain, one of our lieutenants, and our went down with the ship. Two men were still practically insane when I left the hospital. A soldier managed to bring ashore a little dog belonging to the ship. Two- of the nurses came and dug me out before th»y

left. One of them! gave ma one of hoe medals as a memento for a little service ] had been able to render her."