-------
American Newspaper Man Describes
in 3 parts Sinking of Laconia by Sub .^one
. ----- ... ^
An American newspaperman,
Floyd P. Gibbons, was the first cor
respondent to experience the crash of
war as the result of the submarine
blockade. He was a passenger aboard
the Cunard liner Laconia when it was
torpedoed, resulting in the death of
several Americans, and his story of
the rush for the boats is intense and
thrilling. It will be printed in three
parts.
QU EENSTOWN. Feb. 26.—(via
London, Feb. 27.—I have serious
doubts whether this is a real story- I
am not entirely certain that it is not
all a dream and that in a few minutes i
1 will wake up back in stateroom B-l‘d
on the promenade deck of the Ounard
er Laconia and hear my cockney stew
ard informing: me with an abundance
of “and sirs” that it is a fine morning:.
It is now a little over thirty hours
since I stood on the slanting: decks of
the big: liner, listened to the lowering:
of the lifeboats, heard the hiss ol es
caping: steam and the roar of ascend-1
inter rockets as they tore lurid rents
in the black sky and cast their red*
jrlare over the roaring: sea.
I am writing: this within thirty min-,
utes after stepping: on the dock here j
in Queenstown from the British mine
sweeper which picked up our open j
lifeboat after an eventful six hours of j
(Lifting: and darkness, and bailing: and
pulling: on the oars, and ot straining:
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Seattle Washington
aching eyes toward that empty,
meaningless horizon in search of help;
but, dream or fact, here it is:
The Cunnrd liner Laconia, 18,000
tons burden, carrying seventy-three
passengers, men, women and child
ren—of whom six were American citi
zens—manned by a mixed crew of
216, bound from New York to Liver
pool, *and loaded with foodstuffs, cot
ton and war material, was torpedoed
without w’aming by a German sub-!
marine last night on the Irish coast.
The vessel sank in about forty min
utes.
American* Lo*t
Two American citizens, mother and
daughter, listed from Chicago, and
former risdents there, are among the
dead. They were Mrs. Mary E. Hoy
ami Miss Elizabeth Hoy. I have talk- j
ed with a seaman who was in the'
same lifeboat with the two Chicago j
women, and he has told me that he
saw their lifelevss bodies washed out
of the sinking boat.
The American survivors are Mrs. F.
K. Harris of Philadelphia, who was
the last woman to leave the Laconia;
the Rev Father Wareing of St. Joseph
Seminary, Baltimore; Arthur T.
Kirby of New York and myself.
A former Chicago woman, now the
wife of a British subject, was among
the survivors. She is Mrs. Henry
George Boston, the daughter of Gran
ger Harwell of Lake Forest.
After leaving New York passengers;
and crew had had three drills with the
lifeboats. All were supplied with life
belts and assigned to places in the
twelve big lifeboats poised over the
side from davits of the top deck.
Submarines had been a chief part
of the conversation during the entire,
trip, but the subject had been treated
lightly, although all ordered precau-,
tions were strictly in force. After the
first explanatory drill on the second
day out from New'. York from which,
we sailed on Saturday, February 17,’
the “abandon ship" signal five quick
blasts on the whistle—had summoned
us twice to our life belts and heavy j
I
wraps, among which I included a flask J
und a flashlight, and to a roll call in
front of our assigned boats on the}
top deck.
The Danger Zone
On Sunday we knew generally we
were in the danger zone, though w’e
SEATTLE
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SEWARD DRUG COMPANY
did not know definitely where we
were, or at least the passengers did
not. In the afternoon, during a short
chat with Captain W. R. D. Irvine, the
ship’s commander, I had mentioned I
would like to see a chart and note op
position on the ocean. He replied,
“Oh, would you?” with a smiling,
rising inflection that meant, “It is
jolly well none of your business.”
Prior to this, my cheery, early
mom steward had told us that we
would make Liverpool by Monday
night, and I used this information in
another question to the captain.
“When do we land?” I asked.
"I don’t know'," replied Captain
Irvine, but my steward told me later
! it would be Tuesday after dinner.
The first-cabin passengers were
gathered in the lounge Sunday even
ing, with the exception of the bridge
fiends in the smokeroom.
"Poor Butterfly" was dying wearily
on the talking machine and several
couples w’ere dancing.
About the tables in the smokeroom
the conversation w'as limited to the
announcement of bids and orders to
the stewards. Before the fireplace
was a little gathering, w’hich had been
dubbed as the Hyde Park comer—-an
allusion I don’t quite fully under
stand. This group had about exhaust
ed available discussion, when I pro
jected a new’ bone of contention.
"What do you say are our chances
of being torpedoed ?’’ I asked.
*Weil," drawled the deliberative
Mr. Henry Chatham, a I^ondon solici
tor, "I should say four thousand to
one."
Lucien J. Jerome of the Ilntish dip
lomatic service, returning with an
Ecuadorean valet from South
America, interjected: “Considering
the zone and the class of this ship, I
should put it down at two hundred
and fifty to one that we don’t meet a
submarine."
At this moment the ship gave a
sudden lurch sidew'ays and forward.
There was a muffled noise like the
slamming of some large door at a
good distance away. The slightness
of the shock and the meekness of the
report compared with my imagination
was disappointing. Every man in the
stateroom was on his feet in an in
stant.
“ We’re hit," shouted Mr. Chatham.
“That’s what werire waiting for,”
said Mr. Jerome.
“What a lousy torpedo," said Mr.
Kirby in typical New Yorkese. “It
must have been a fizzer."
I looked at my watch. It was 10:30
o’clock.
Then came the five blasts on the
whistle. We rushed down the corri
dor leading from the smoking-room at
the stern to the lounge, which was
amidship. We were running, but
there was no panic. The occupants of
the lounge were just leaving by the
forward doors as we entered.
It was dark on the landing leading
down to the promenade deck, where
the first-class staterooms were lo
cated. My pocket flashlight, built
like a fountain pen, came in handy on
j the landing.
We reached the lower deck. I rush
ed into my stateroom, B-19, grabbed
| life preservers and overcoat, and
made my way to the uper deck on
(that same dark landing.
I saw the chief steward opening an
electric switchbox in the wall and
turning on the switch. Instantly the
boat decks were illuminated. That
illumination saved our lives.
i
The torpedo had hit us well astern
on the starboard side and had missed
the engines and the dynamos. I had
not noticed the deck lights before.
Throughout the voyage our decks had
remained dark at night, and all cabin
portholes were clamped down and all
windows covered with opaque paint, i
The illumination of the upper deck,
ion which I stood, made the darkness
»of the water, sixty feet below, appear
j all the blacker when I peered over the
edge at my station boat, No. 10.
Already the boat was loading up
and men were busy with the ropes. I
started to help near a davit that
seemed to be giving trouble, but was
stoutly ordered to get out of the way
and get into the boat.
We were on the port side, practi
cally opposite the engine well. Up
and beyond the deck passengers andj
0
crew were donning life belts, throw
ing on overcoats and taking positions]
in the boats. There were a number
of women, but only one appeared
hysterical—little Miss Titsie Siklosi,
a Krcnch-Polish actress, who was be-j
ing cared for by her manager, Cedric
P. Ivatt, appearing on the passenger
list as from New York.
Steam began to hiss somewhere
from the giant gray funnels that tow-'
3 sn.w o-xatfl Xjuappng -aAoqn poaa
roaring swish as a rocket soared up
ward from the captain’s bridge, leav
ing a comet’s tail of fire.| l wratched
it as it described a graceful arc in
the black void overhead, and then, |
with an audible pop, it burst in a flare
of brilliant white light.
There was a tilt to the dK’ks. It!
was listing starboard at just the angle*
that would make it necessary to reach ;
for support to enable one to stand up-j
right. In the meantime electric flood!
lights—large white-enameled funnels
containing clusters of bulbs—hadj
been suspended from the promenade
deck and illuminated the dark water
that rose and fell on the slanting side
of the ship.
“i/ower away.
Some one gave the order and we
started downward with a jerk towards
the seemingly hungry, rising and
falling swells.
(To be continued tomorrow.)
i
U-to-date printing at the Gateway.
IN THE DISTRICT COURT FOR
THE TERRITORY OF ALASKA,
THIRD JUDICIAL DIVISION.
The town of Seward, Alaska, Plaintiff (
V8.
George Turner, 0. G. Labaree and
Alexander H. Bradford, Defendants.
Cause No. S-104
Summons by publication.
IN THE NAME OF THE PRESI
DENT OF THE UNITED STATES:
To the defendants in the above en
titled cause, Geore Turner, 0. G. Lab
aree and Alexander Bradford,
GREETING:
You, and each of you, are nereoy
summoned and required to appear in
the District Court for the Territory of
Alaska, Third Judicial Division, with-'
in thirty days after the completion of
the period of publication of this sum
mons, to-wit: within thirty days after
the fourth day of May A. D. 1917, and,
answer the complaint of the above
named plaintiff, which has been fijed
in the above entitled court, by which
plaintiff seeks an order and judgment
of the court for the condemnation of!
Lots numbered One (1), Two (2),;
Three (3), Four (4), Five (5), Six
(6), and Seven (7), in Block Six (6),
in the Town of Seward, in Kenai Re
cording District, Third Judicial Divi
sion of the Territory of Alaska, as
shown by and according to the map
and plat of the Frank L. Ballaine
Townsite of the Town of Seward, Al
aska, and appropriate 6aid Lots to a
public use, as a public park with
street and drive-way therein, for the
town of Seward, and to continue Rail-j
road Avenue from its intersection
fith the south end of the Alley in said
Block Six, in a northeasterly direction
to intersect with Adams Street in said
Town of Seward at the East end of
said Street;
That unless you so appear and an
swer the complaint of plaintiff, with
in the time above stated and show
cause why such order should not be
made, plaintiff will take judgment
against you, and apply to the court
for an order of the court, condemning
the above named lots to be appropri
ated by the plaintiff for the uses and
purposes above stated, and for a
further order of the court, ap
pointing tnree appraisers, »»
provided by law, to appraise,
the said lots, and each of them,
and to assess the benefits and dam
ages, to each of you and report to the
court their findings, and that Upon the
payment of the amount or amounts
found to be due each of you by said
appraisers, into the above entitled
court to be paid to you and each of
you as therein provided that an order
be made by the court directing you
and each or you to execute to plaintiff
a deed conveying any and all interest
you and each of you or any one of you
may have in any one or more or all of
said lots, as the case may be, and will
apply to the court for such other and
further order or orders in the prem
ises as to the oourt may seem meet
and proper.
Witness the Honorable FRED M,
BROWN, Judge of the above entitled
court, this, the 26th day of February,
A. D. 1917.
ARTHUR LANG,
Clerk.
By ROBEJTT L WEVER,
Deputy.
Date of first publication, March 6,
j 1917.
I (SEAL)
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