SINKING OF MARQUETTE.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 December 1915, Page 7

SINKING OF MARQUETTE.

BUNGLING AT THE DAVITS,

NURSES KILLED OUTRIGHT.

MAJOR WYLIE'S STORY. "

A statement of the sinking of the transport Marquette, drawn up bv Major Wylie (of New Plymouth), New Zealand Medical Corps, reads as follows: "At 9.15 a.m. on Saturday, October 23, the Marquette was torpedoed by a submarine. The torpedo struck the vessel on the starboard side, and well forward, and the vessel almost at once dipped at the bow and developed a marked list to port, which increased very much as time went on. Finally, after lying so much to port as to be almost on her side, the vessel righted lierself and gradually sank bow first the time occupied being from 7 to la minutes according to different observers. Immediately the accident happened everyone proceeded to their individual stations and put on the lifebelt which was there waiting. I had oharge of the New Zealand stationary hospital men, who were assembled on the mule deck forward, with instructions to wait there until they could be marshalled on the promenade deck. Shortly after I reached my station I saw it would be impossible for the men to get into the boats, and with Major Acland ordered them to take any piece of woodwork, grating, etc.. that they could lay their hand on to, and told them to get into the water from the port side of the ship, which was now under water, together r with about a quarter of the deck. This they did, and shortly after I followed them. We floated about in the water for nearly seven hours, at the end of which time we were picked up by two French tor-pedo-boats and one English mine-sweeper —the Lynn—and taken Salonika on the Grantully Castle and the Canada. A,s regards the nurses—they assembled at their stations in charge of LieutenantColonel McGavin and three officers, and were soon into the boats. Owing, however, to unfortunate bungling in the lowering of these boats, a series of catastrophes, occurred on each side of the vessel. On the port side one boat descended heavily on top of one alreadv in the water, and thereby killed several of the nurses outright or so seriously injured them as to make their subsequent existence in the water impossible. On the starboard side one boat after being filled with nurses, assumed'a perpendicular position and emptied many of them into the water. Only one boat with nurses in it left the ship, and that boat was in a water-logged submerged state. Most of the rescued nurses spent all their time in the water, on raits or clinging to bits of wreckage. At no time did I see any signs of panic or any sign of fear on the part of anyone, and I cannot find words to, adequately express my appreciation of the magnificent way in which the nurses behaved, not only on the vessel, but afterwards in the water. Their behaviour had to be seen to be believed possible. LieutenantColonel McGavin was one of the last to leave the vessel, and managed to get into a boat just as the vessel sank. He picked up injured men from the water and manv exhausted ones, and made his ■way to shore, whence he went inland for help. While he was away the men on shore \vcr e picked up by a French boat, and he_ and his party had to proceed via Lariasa to Volo, whence he came on •by passenger boat to Salonika."