On the Sea

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 75, 31 March 1915, Page 5

On the Sea

THE BLOCKADE.

U 36 and THE FALABA.

SCENE AT THE SINKING OF THE LATTER. United Press Association. London, March 30. The Falaba sighted the U 36 at noon on Sunday. The steamer was going at thirteen knots, and the submarine followed like a greyhound. She sent up a rocket signal to stop, and also a wireless message, and came within hailing distance after three-quarters of an hour’s chase. She trained a gun on the Falaba. Captain Davis, seeing there was no chance of escape, stoplied, and was given ten minutes to launch the boats. Life-belts were distributed, and the' passengers were getitng into the boats in orderly fashion, when the submarine, a hundred yards away, with her nose pointing amidships, launched a torpedo. One boat was half-way down from the davits and full of passengers. The davits broke and the boat fell into the water. Many aboard the Falaba, seeing the torpedo coming, ran forward and escaped.

Throughout, the crew of the Falaba were under perfect discipline. The captain remained on the bridge, and gave three blasts of the syren as a farewell the vessel sank. Later he was picked np, still grasping the ship’s papers, but he did hot survive the exposure. The wireless operator stayed at his post to the end, endeavouring to communicate with Land’s End. He succeeded, and reported to the captain that two destroyers were coming to the rescue. The submarine watched the ship sinking, and circled amid the drowning people. Sailors on her deck waved their hands and jeered at them. When the drowning people came np in the choppy sea, they tried to grasp boats and wreckage. When the Falaba sank, the submarine was submerged, and disappeared, going towards Ireland.

Some of the passengers were swimming for. an hour before they were picked up. The torpedo struck between the third and fourth hatches, exploding a quantity of ammunition. Bundles of mails were blown into the air, and a stewardess was killed outright. Fifty people standing on the poop were unable to escape, and many must have been killed. Terrible scenes followed, many of the crew being still below. Out of seven boats which were in the water before the torpedo struck, one was launched safely, the others being swamped and smashed against the sides, and, leaking badly, sank in twenty minutes, drowning twenty out of thirty occupants. Of nine women aboard' the Falaba, six were saved. The others,, despite entreaties, refused to get in to the boats before they were lowered into the sea, and thus were drowned. The Falaba’s survivors were in the boats for three hours. The fact that the Eileen Emma had been following the submarine alone enabled 135 to be saved. The Eileen Emma picked up 110, and- another trawler twenty-five survivors. Later she transferred to a destroyer one hundred and forty passengers, chiefly traders and merchants, and Government officials. The passengers state that they owe their lives to the self-sacrifice of officers and crew. The outward-bound boat may have picked up a few of the'survivors. The total deaths are unknown, but are at present believed to be a hundred.

USE OF WIRELESS IN SEEKING HELP FORBIDDEN.

United Press Association. (Received 9.15 a.m.) London’ March 30.

A survivor states that the wireless operator sent a message to Lands End stating, that the Falabar had been torpedoed and that the occupants had taken to the boats. The submarine then interrupted with her wireless and forbade them to send any more messages.

LIFE IN A SUBMARINE.

London, March 30,

Hansen, commander of the Ul6, interviewed at Kiel, said each German submarine had a definite area. He had been out for twenty-one days, but he declined to say that this was a record. The Germans, he said, were gradually learning that the methods ot submarine warfare were very trying to the nerves. As the air was heated it became poor and mixed with odors of oil. The atmosphere was fearful. Overpowering sleepiness often attacked the new men, requiring the utmost will power to keep awake. Sometimes newcomers do not eat for three days, because they do not want to lose' a moment’s sleep. The bad air also pro--1 duces sea-sickness. There are no fires 'aboard the submarines, because they burn oxygen, and'there is always cold 'food to avoid waste of electricity.” Hansen continued; “I. sometimes 'stood for eight hours with eyes gued |to the periscope. When the crew was 'worked out we submerged and had a long sleep. Before ascending I always Ordered silence for several minutes to

determine whether there were propellers in the vicinity. The* shell-like sides of the submarine act as a sounding board.”

BOSPHOROUS OPERATIONS.

WATERPLANES DIRECT RUSSIAN FIRE ON THE FORTS.

(Received 9.10 n.m.) Petrograd, March ‘it)

The Russian bombardment is forcing the Turks to divide’ their fortress

engineers, among the ships. For several miles on the sea, waterplanes are directing the Russian fire on the forts. These are armed mostly with six-inch guns, which are too near the water to be very effective, and the Germahs are constructing new batteries on higher ground. I The Russians are specially shelling two forts on the Asiatic shore and one on the European side, which have large guns. SHIPS ELEVEN MILES or-r. (Received 9.3.5 a.in.) Paris, March 30. The Russians are bombarding the Bosphorus at a distance of eleven miles.

MINE-SWEEPING OPERATIONS

(Received 8.55 a.m.) Rome, March 30. Except for twenty-four hours’ bombardment, commencing on tbe night of the 27th, to which several of the forts did not reply and in which the warships were not damaged, the operations in the Dardanelles .have been chiefly confined to mine-sweeping.

TURKISH COMMAND AT tHE

DARDANELLES.

(Received 9.15 a.m.) Constantinople ..March 30. The Sultan has issued a decree stating that Von Sanders . commands the forces at the Dardanelles.

RIGID BRITISH CENSORSHIP. Times and Sydney Stop Service.; •' London, March 30. A rigid censorship has been established regarding the Dardanelles, at the request of the British Admiral. No news will be permitted after this. The Admiralty has arranged for three accredited correspondents to accompany the forces, Barlett representing the London papers, Lawrence the provincial and probably Bean the Dominion papers-

THE AUSTRALIAN NAVY.

ALL WELL ON THE SYDNEY.

ONE DEATH ON THE AUSTRALIA.

(Received 9.35 a.m.)

Melbourne, March 31

A message which has been received from the Navy Office reports that all is well aboard the cruiser Sydney and that one death from pneumonia occurred aboard the Australia.