The Lusitania.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 9, 11 May 1915, Page 5

The Lusitania.

"METHOD IN THEIR MADNESS.” (Received 9.0 a.m.) London, May 10. Mr Bonar Law, speaking in London, said: “What did the sinking of the Lusitania mean? It might mean the Germans Mere simply running amok, and their deeds were ■ those of desperate men. hut he thought there was a method in their madness. Germany, having failed to secure sympathy from neutrals, was determined to terrorise them. The Lusitania outrage will convince us that not only soldiers but the whole nation is at war, and every ounce of strength must he directed to bringing the war to an end.” INTENSE ANGER IN ITALY. (Received 9.15 a.m.) Rome, May 10. The news of the sinking of the Lusitania aroused intense anger in Italy. The Corriere D’ltalia and other Catholic organs deplore the shameful methods of warfare. The newspapers state that the Pope is convinced the Germans proved utterly regardless of every law of humanity and morality. COUNT BERNSTOFF CORNERED. (Received 11.30' a. m.) Xew York, May 10. When newspaper reporters asked Count Bernstoff whether he had considered what Americans would think, he replied: “Let them think!” and with an oath he told the chaffeur to drive on. AMERICAN RESPONSIBILITY. “ISHMAELITE, AMONG NATIONS.” Times and Sydney Sun Sehvioe. London, May 10. The Times, in a leader, says: “There can be nc division of the guilty purpose of the German Kaiser, Government, and people, It was wholesale murder, nothing else. Those on b'.arti were not only non-combatants, but Germany knew full well that then were many citizens of friendly neutral nations. There was the presumption that the ship would not receive special naval protection, anti, doubtless, Germany is gloating over the appalling deed after due advertisement. It is not for us to speculate as to the course America should adept when confronted with this monstrous crime, which concerns them as closely as ourselves, ami we shall not seek to accentuate their heavy responsibility. The act is in the same category as the wanton murderous outrages of sacking, the cold-blooded slaughter of innocents, the outraging of thousands of helpless women and girls, the unnumbered acts of bestiality, robbery, anti torture, without protest from the neutrals. The grievous act will assuredly hasten the day when every civilised power will be constrained to join in and brand with eternal infamy this Ishmaciite among nations, “A HOMICIDAL MANIAC.” “DEATHS OF AMERICANS SHALL BE* AVENGED. The Daily Mail says: “There is one werd (cr such in-

famy. It is not an act of war, but sheer ccwardly murder. The Americans and ourselves have still to learn that the German foe is free from all restraints of humanity, and is a stabbing, slashing, trampling, homicidal manias, who does not respect the laws of Cod or man. He is a wild cunning beast, which has broken loose, and must be caught and killed before there is peace and security in the world. The premeditation cf this latest atrocity merely adds to the fiendish madness. The Americans offer the profeundest sympathy, and at such times English-speaking kinship is unmistakably manifest. Wo share their indignation, loathing, and contempt for the assassins, and promise, so far as lies in cur power, that the deaths of the Americans shall be avenged. We shall suffer much, we shall lose thousands of men, and, possibly, scores of ships, in crushing the blood-fires into impotence, but in the end, please Cod, we shall 1 have cleaned the world of a venemous pest.” THE SUBMARINE ATTACK. London, Alay 10. The general opinion of the passengers is that the liner was steaming eighteen knots at the time of the disaster. Several passengers saw a submarine three hundred yards away, and discussed the object. Some thought it was a whale, while another suggested a, porpoise. It kept pace with the Lusitania for fully a minute before it fired a torpedo. A second torpedo struck the Lusitania four minutes later. The vessel toppled over as though when in dry dock some underpinning on the starboard side had been knocked away. The boats on the port side were full of women and children, but the list prevented them being launched and the occupants were practically all drowned. There was little suction when the ship made a downward slide into the water like a diver. Otherwise many would have been drowned.

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM. One hundred and five first-class passengers wore saved, 93 second-class, and eight third-class. 3 he only officers saved were the first and second. The second and third engineers were also saved. .Mr Hugh Lane, Mr'Klein, and Mr Stackhouse are still missing. There was a harrowing sight when at least thirty babies were laid out on the floor of the temporary morgue at Queenstown. 'Though tiie quickness ol the disaster gave some justification, people pushed into the crowded boats despite fthe cries of women and children first. IA boat was lowered which contained mails and steerage passengers, and capsized. Most of the collapsible boats remained fastened. When the boats on the starboard side were safely launched, there was a terrible danger owing to the superstructure slowly descending. The funnels and the davits killed many persons, and also fouled several boats. The captain, when the water was nearly (lush with the bridge, turned to the man at the wheel and said: “Now try and save yourself. You have no further business here. Good-bye. ’ The captain remained on the bridge. There were some instances ol women recovering consciousness alter ■they wore rescued by boats, who asked ■ for their children, and, not finding (them, went almost mad. j The crowded boats moved over the . sea among hundreds ol persons clinging

to wreckage. It was horrifying to see hands slip off the wreckage and the victims disappear with despairing cries. Lady Allan, wife of Sir Montague Allan,' head of the Allan Line, was rescued, but her daughters, aged fourteen years and one year, were drowned. ! M r Cassieler, a leading wine merchant. was rescued. He lost £400,00 ) in securities.

An American family named Gardner, the father, mother, and two sons, who intended to settle in England, were on hoard. AV hen the torpedo struck the vessel, the mother fainted and went down with the vessel, the father and sons being thrown into the sea. A hoy of sixteen was sucked down, and when ho came to the surface he was pulled into a boat, and found his father lying prostrate on the bottom. The father did not recover. When the lad reached Queenstown there was a dramatic meeting with a brother aged twelve, who was rescued by another boat. Their tickets were lost, and they are penniless and friendless. A steward who was on the Lusitania stated that Air Vanderbilt was on deck when the torpedo struck. He afterwards gave a lifebelt to a lady passenger. t Air George Hesse], the so-called Champagne King, was host at a freak (dinner at the Hotel Savoy. He states ihe saw the trail of a torpedo thirty |foet away, and then felt a thud, but he did not believe at the moment that the ship would sink. He was in a boat on the opposite side to the list, and a minute afterwards reached the water. The Lusitania, which wa s almost upright a few seconds before, gave a lurch away and the keel of the vessel caught the bottom of his boat. Thirty people were thrown into the water. T sank and thought I was gone, but I rose and floated for ten minutes. I managed to clamber into a small collapsible lifeboat, but this overturned eight times through people scrambling in. Before we were picked up six out of nine in the boat were dead.” London, Alay 10. Af. Kessler said he considered the Lusitania’s speed ought to have been greater. It was expected that destroyers would protect the vessel when, she reached the war zone. It was the greatest murder the world had ever known, but what could America do? How would going to war mend matters? With the exception of Mrs Learoyd and maid all the Niagara’s list cabled on Saturday are missing. Air and Mrs J. C. Macky (of Auckland) are missing). The Cunard Company states that the survivors of the Lusitania comprise 487 passengers and 274 of the crew. The number of persons on board was 210, thus making the number of lives lost 1399. The Rev. Air Harrison, a young minister who was returning to enlist, twice gave up his lifebelt to a young woman with a child. He narrates that ho saw a foreigner with lifebelts, and when another man seized one the foreigner cried like a child. Air Harrison, when thrown into the sea, swam to an upturned boat which was supporting forty-eight others. All around there were many who had lifebelts, and forty-nine clung to the boat for two hours. Passengers state that during the latter part of the voyage the Lusitania’s course was frequently changed. A member of the crew told a passenger that the vessel had dodged three submarines. The Daily Chronicle’s New York correspondent opines that President Wilson will not ask Congress to go to war with Germany. He may notify that upon the recurrence of attacks on non-combatants America will withdraw every restriction hitherto placed on tiie supply of arms and ammunition, and will even facilitate it, or may withdraw the hospitality afforded to Germany’s shipping. The Cologne Gazette says the news of the sinking of the Lusitania was received with unreserved satisfaction. It proves to the whole world that Germany is in earnest with her submarine war. The American public hitherto treated the dangers of a journey to England with arrogant frivolity, and' have only themselves to blame, 1 The paper concludes by recalling that the Lusitania, which was built to recover tne blue ribbon of the Atlantic from the Deutschland, has gone to her death through a German torpedo.

AMERICAN OPINION. New York, May 10. Germany is generally described as the madman of Europe. It is suggested that the neutrals should combine to bring him to Ids bearings, j The Tribune demands that Germany should renounce the policy of assassination, otherwise she must be forced to do so. They should not need to 'avenge the dead, but to defend tho ’living. j Mr. Wicker,sham, ex-Attorney-Gen-eral, appeals to the people of the United States to abandon the present 'soulless policy and cancel relations with Germany. j An extra session of Congress will appropriate an extra 250,000,000 dollars to put tho country in a condition 1 to protect her rights as a neutral, civilised Power. | The Herald says the gravity of the situation is not matched in American history since the Civil War. The colossal cold-blooded outrage will cause such a blinding white-light of indignation in the neutral world that there cannot conceivably be any thought of Washington turning its back from the Note of February 10th.

another threat. i i New York, May IU. The Canard steamer Transylvania is sailing with 879 passengers. Onlytwelve cancelled their passages. A German advertisement warning passengers reappeared in the newspapers. PREMIERS’ CONFERENCE. Sydney. May 10. The Premiers’ Conference adopted resolutions expressing detestation at the Lusitania outrage and pledging the several states to do everything to assist the military authorities in increasing the number of men for the front. Another suggestion was made that every effort should be made to send skilled workers to England to assist in accelerating the production of munitions. Mr. Holman, who presided. declared there could be no termination of the war without a settlement which provided for the handing over to Great 'Britain of the officers of the German Admiralty who promulgate the orders for the destruction of innocent merchantmen and her passengers. The fiends would have to be tried by British juries on charges of murder on the high seas. If_ guilty the fully penalty of the law should be insisted upon.