1939-09-06 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL SEPTEMBER 6, 1939.

Shell Was Fired By Submarine At Athenia's Radio

DRAMATIC STORIES BY

SURVIVORS OF TORPEDOING: FACTS BEYOND DOUBT

LONDON, TO-DAY.

FURTHER DRAMATIC STORIES HAVE BEEN TOLD BY SURVIVORS OF

THE ATHENIA TORPEDOING.

MANY OF THE PASSENGERS AND CREW WERE KILLED BY THE EX-

PLOSION.

In the second saloon, where the passengers were din-

ing, the ceiling crumpled to the waterline.

A young Jewish couple saw their two young sons

drown when their open boat capsized.

Women

passengers

worked with men for many hours at the oars, the lifeboats being crammed to dan-

ger point.

OFFICIAL U.S. *INQUIRY

Washington, To-day.

The Government has be- gun gathering testimony to

FIRST

CINEMA REOPENS

London, To-day. The first cinema re-d

yesterday In Wales. -opened

Permission has been

granted

to the theatre providing that someone is on duty during all performances to listen to air raid warnings and providing also that there is suffiolent staff always available to prevent any panic.— Router.

LITHUANIA TRAINS BOMBED

London, To-day. The train service between Lithuania

Many of the boats filled with water, in which the pas-fix responsibility for the sink- and Poland has been suspended.

sengers sat waist-deep.

There was a heavy swell and bright moonlight.

One young woman who had been pulled from the water eat quietly for a moment and then plunged overboard "My baby!"

screaming

It is clear from survivors stories that the torpedo exploded abaft of the engine-room.

A Glasgow member of the crow estimated that 25 per cent. of the American passengers wore killed by the explosion..

He added: "There were many child- ren on board, and there were heart- rending scenes as children rushed about helplessly calling for

their parents.

CLOUD OF SMOKE

"I saw there was a great cloud of smoke after the torpedo struck the ship, but soon afterwards the sub- marine came to the surface and be- fore we knew where we were the submarine had turned a gun on us and had fired two shells!"

NO DOUBT

ada, who was one of the survivors of the Athenia tragedy, gave a graphic description of the torpedoing of the ship. His account was recorded and subsequently broadcast all over the world by the B.B.C.

Mr. Bigelow said that he had just gone to the lounge. His wife, and two children, a boy and a girl aged 6 and 5, had gone to their cabin amid- ships, just above the spot where the torpedo struck. The water poured in on them.

ing of the Athenią.

an.

crew

The State Department nounces that the United States Minister in Eire cabled from Gai- way that

ho

Interviewed the Athenia's captain, members of the

and American

pas- sengers, who all stated that the Athenia was sunk by'a submarine.

-Router.

BILLS RECEIVE ROYAL ASSENT

London, To-day. The National Registration Act, and He tried to get down to their aid, Monday and Tuesday by both Houses other bills which were passed on but could make no headway for about of 15 minutes through the milling crowds Royal Assent.-Reuter.

Parliament, have received the pouring up to the boat-decks. The ship meanwhile had taken a bad list

Reuter's correspondent in Kaunas, Lithuania, says that this action was taken because of reliable reports that the trains had been bombed by Ger- man aeroplanes.

There is now no railway tion between Warsaw.-Reuter.

connec-

Kaunas, Vilna and

PRICE CONTROL

IN CANADA

*

London, To-day. The Canadian

Board will have certain powers to Ministry of Labour announces that a prices and trade prevent profiteering in necessities in Canada.--Reuter

to starboard, and all the ship's lights STATEMENT IN PARLIAMENT were out.

RESCUED WIFE

He managed to get hold of a lan- tern and hurried below and found his wife in the water. He dragged her out and up onto the deck, and then returned to the cabin again, fully ex- pecting the ship to sink at any mo-

Robert Gillan, one of the passen- gers, said there was no doubt the Athenia was shelled as well as torment. pedoed.

Mr. Gillan declared he saw one girl lying dead in a deck-chair with her face cut in two, ob- viously by a shell splinter. Reuter..

CAPTAIN'S STORY OF THE DISASTER

London, To-day. Of those in the Athenia when she was sunk, 430 have landed at Galway and 300 at Greenock. Eight other people, who were injured, are being taken straight to New York."

The survivors tell stories of ap- palling disaster.

Desperately, he pulled Mrs. Tay- lor, a stewardess, out of the water and then plunged into the cabin, which was nearly full of water, to find his children.

"They just had their heads above water," he said. He grabbed hold of them and managed to carry them both up onto deck to his wife, who waiting anxiously, not knowing what was

to expect.

When they got to the lifeboats, they found them all full. There was a cry of "women and children only."

IMPOSSIBLE YET TO ESTIMATE CASUALTIES

London, To-day.

LORD STANHOPE, replying to a question on the Athenia torpedoing, said it was impossible to estimate the num- ber of casualties until the various ships had landed sur- vivors in different ports.

cular lifeboat rowed hours before it was rescued. It was

about for ten |

He saw a number of people swim- fully loaded and partly full of water.

ming about, but they eventually were all picked up by other lifeboats.

He could ace the submarine about half a mile away.

TEN HOURS IN BOAT They threw the children into one of

PROPELLOR TRAGEDY "There is no doubt about it. My the packed boats and at the last mo-

An A. B. said there were no less ship was torpedoed," said Captain ment managed to get in as well. There the Norwegian steamer came along

than 52 women in his lifeboat. When Cook, the master, on his arrival. "The were so many people they could not side to pick them up the lifeboat was torpedo went straight through to the row at first, and each time they push-struck by the propellor and holed. engine-room and wrecked the galley." ed away from the sinking Athenia, the Only 7 or 8 people were saved.

seas-pushed them back again.

He also said that the shell fired by the submarine was aimed at the ship's-wireless: Other surviv- ors corroborate the story of the shell having been fired. ́. Most of the casualties were caused by the torpedo, while others lost their lives in the sea.

The survivors spent 10 or 12 in life-boats, baling out the most of the time...

Finally, they got clear, and with 12 men at the six oars, struggled about In the seas for ten hours before be- ing rescued.

Mr. Bigelow said that actually their boat was lucky; it was only ankle- deep with water.

hours

. It was 4 a.m. before they were pick- watered up, and they had no blankets. His

two children were in pyjamas. ›› CHIEF OFFICER'S STATEMENT Mr. Bigelow ended by paying a tri- Captain Cook called forward eye-bute to his companions and to their witnesses of the torpedoing, who said gallant rescuers.-Reuter. that the submarine from a range of between 1,000 yards.”

fired its missile

800 and

The first officer saw the sub- marine's periscope and a trail of smoke following in the path of the torpedo as it sped towards the ill-fated liner-Heuter,

GRAPHIÓ DESCRIPTION

London, To-day.

Mr. John Bigelow, of Alberta, Can-

STRETCHER CASES.

London, To-day.

that he saw the submarine about a A member of the ship's crew said quarter of a mile away. A passen- ger saw it when it was only some 300

feet away.

A member of the crew of one of the rescuing ships sold that they picked up 309, passengers from the Athenla in six or seven Ilfeboats. Three died later.

A large number of stretcher cases were landed from the ren- cuing vessels. Reuter.

STORY CONFIRMED

London, To-day, Captain Cook's account of the tor- Passengers Interviewed yesterdaypedoing of the Athenia is confirmed gave graphic stories of the sinking of by other witnesses Reuter the Athenin.

MINISTER'S REPORT One woman said she was in bed when the life-bont signal was given.

London, To-day.. The U. S. Minister to She rushed up on deck and got into cabled to Washington, saying that he Eire has her lifeboat. She saw many people has. Interviewed the survivors, in, the water; some of them drowned. all say that the Athenia was

A Glasgow man said that his parti- by a submarine.--Reuter.

Some were returning to this coun- try, and some going to the United States.

Lord Stanhope added: "Acoord- ing to witnesses, the submarine fired the torpedo without 'warn- ing and then broke surface, so thore is no question: whatever re- garding the cause of the sinking.” The Admiralty were anxious await the return of the captain, so as to be quite certain of the facts be- were rumours that shots were fired. fore making a statement, but there

to

MINE FABRICATION Replying to Lord Strabolgi, Lord Stanhope said the questiöner was quite correct in suggesting that that part of the sea was too deep for minelaying, "and besides, case, it would have been absurd to in any

place them there at all

"This countrý, is

Is anxious to keep the trade routes going, and therefore to place mines in the area would be entirely contrary to the whole polloy, not only of the Admiralty but of the Gov.

ernment.

"Therefore the mere suggestion that mines had been laid there by this country is obviously ridiculous and absurd.". Reuter.

GERMAN-TURKEY TREATY LAPSES

London, To-day. The commercial treaty between and Germany and Turkey, which sunk on August 31, has not

BSYS À MEDIOge from Ankara.”