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NUMBER 8527.
WASHINGTON,. FBIDAY EVENING, MAY 7, 1915.
PRICE ONE CENT.
LINER LUSITANI A SUNK
BY GERMAN SUBMARINE
FLEET RUSHES TO AID
PASSENGERS SAVED
EARLY CABLES SAY
, -
Reports Received From Liverpool Are AH Frag
mentary, But AH Agree Steamer Began Calling
For Help at 2:33 Was Said to Be Listing
Badly Fishing Fleet Rushed to Her Aid.
LIVERPOOL, May 7. The Cunard line manager says the Lusitania was sunk
ty a submarine.
He received the following wireless from Old Head of Kinsale, at 5:49:
"The Lusitania was sunk by a submarine at 2:33 this afternoon, eight miles south by
west of Old Head of Kinsale."
hfr authorities declared H was not known how many had been stvd.
LONDON, May 7. The steamer Lusitania, filled with passen
ger, many of whom were Americans, was either torpedoed or blown up
by an infernal machine while off Old Head of Kinsale, at 2:33 this aft
ernoon. The latest reports received here say that all of the passengers were
saved.
Sinking of the Lusitania was the hardest blow of the war to date so
far as neutral commerce was concerned. The reports received here arc
fragmentary, but all agree that the big liner began calling for help by
her wireless at 2:33.
The first to pick her up was the wireless station at Landsend.
The appeal was urgent.
"We have a big list,; rush help," flashed through the air, and imme
diately orders were sent to the nearest points to get every available craft
to the scene.
The German submarine which sunk the Lusitania is believed here
to be the same which yesterday sunk the two 5,000-ton freighters Cen
turian and Candidate, and on Wednesday sunk the sailing ship Earl of
Latham.
The admiralty has sent a flotilla of fast destroyers to search for the
under-sea boat.
The fishing fleet from Kinsale was early on the scene and immedi
ately began the work of taking on board the passengers from the big
liner. It is understood that the Lusitania's own boats were used to care
for her passengers.
On all of her recent trips .these boats have been swung overside and
their covers removed, ready for any eventuality, and it is possible that
to this precaution may be due the salvation of the passengers.
The first word reaching London of the plight of the Lusitania was
an unconfirmed rumor received at the general offices of the Cunard line.
It said that the big steamer was in trouble. The line officials made
it public and promised to keep the public informed of everything that
happened. ,
There was much excitement. There had been grave doubt that
the Germans were in earnest when they threatened to attack the passenger-carrying
liners. I
The sinking of the Falaba had been considered the final act of this
kind, and when it was realize dthat the biggest passenger liner in com
mission had fallen victim to the war London was aghast.
CUNARD LINER LUSITANIA
iv
Wall Street Stunned,
But Reacts at Once
NEW YORK. May 7. Stunned by the sinking of the Lusitania the
stock market this afternoon suffered one of the severest reactions in
its history.
Prices dropped almost instantaneously three and four points. Beth
lehem Steel, a stock which has fluctuated sharply for several weeks,
was sold off 29 points, from the high of the day, to 130.
When the first report of the sinking of the big liner was received
on the floor traders threw large blocks of stock on the market for any
price that they would command. In the railroad issues the international
stocks were the weakest. Canadian Pacific declined more than seven
points. Northern Pacific lost over four points. Southern Pacific went
down three full points.
The selling was general throughout the list, but strange to say
when a confirmation of the disaHter had been received several of the
stocks which had suffered largest losses recovered in part.
U. S. Envoy Verifies
News of Disaster
Confirmation of the torpedoing of the Lusitania off the Irish coast
was received from Ambassador Page of the State Department this
afternoon.
Ambassador Page cabled as follows: "Lusitania torpedoed off the
Irish coast this morning. Sank in half an hour. No report as to
passengers."
Expect Germany Will
Point to Warning 'Ad'
That the German government would repudiate responsibility toward
the United States for the Lusitania disaster was the consensus of opinion
in official circles here this afternoon.
It was believed this expected attitude would be based on the adver
tisement published by the embassy in New York newspapers the day
the vessel sailed.
Of course, this warning, followed by the sinking of the vessel
cuused comment concerning a possible foreknowledge by the embassy of
what was to happen, but this was wholly unofficial.
How News of Disaster
Came Over Wire
Partial Passenger List
of the Lusitania
Times Extras Will Be Issued As Fast As
Additional Details Are Obtained
NEW YOKK, May 7. The full pas
senger list of the Lusitania as an
nounced by the Cunard Company Is as
follows:
Henry Adams,
Mrs. Adams,
A. H. Adams,
Lady Allan and maid.
Miss Anna Allin,
Miss Owen Allen and miild.
N N. A lies,
Julian de Ay.la.
James Baker,
Miss M. A. Baker,
a. n. Barttett.
Mrs. Bartlett.
J. J. Ilattershy,
Oliver Uerrard.
C. p. Bernard, New York.
Albert C. Bllickfi, Ijob Angeles.
Mrs. illlicke, J.os Anceles
l.t'OllKlUB iimiP, AlhlM'.lt, ii"
J J Black, New Yo'k
Thimid BinomHeld, New ork.
Jumea Bohan, Toronto.
U. Uoulton. jr., London.
Mlsa Dorothy Bralthwalte, Montreal.
Miss Josephine Brandell, New York.
Mltg Josephine Brande.l, New York,
C. T. Brodrlck, Boston.
W. Brodrlck-Cloete. San Antonio, Tex.
J. H. Brooks. Nw York.
Mrs. M. C. Brown. New York,
Mrs. J, S. BurnMde, and maid, New
York.
H. A. Bruno. Montclalr, N. J.
.Mrs. Bruno, Montclalr, N. J.
Mlas lvls Burnsldo, New York.
A. J, Bylngton, London.
Michael CJ. flrne, Neu York
B. Campbell-Johnston, London
Mrs. Cumpbell-Johnstoru London.
Alezandor Campbell, London
D. L. Chabot, Montreal.
Mrs, W, Chapman, Toronto.
J. H, ChurleB, Toionto.
Miss Doris Charles. Toionto.
The Hev. Couley Clarke, London.
A. B. Clurkr, Toronto.
M Cohen. New York
H. Q Colebrook, Toronto,
Miss Dorothy Conner. New York,
(Continued on Pica EUvtn.)
The first report of the sinking came from New
York at 1 :17 o'clock, when the Cunard line made the
announcement that it had received an unconfirmed
rumor of an attack on the Lusitania.
This was followed a few minutes later by a re
port that the Cunard line officials had been unable
to confirm the rumor.
A ticker report at 1:25 declared that the Lusi
tania had been sunk off Kinsale, Ireland. The Ca- -nard
officials absolutely refused to comment on this.
At 1 :30 this statement was given out by the Cu
nard line:
"The Cunard Steamship Company has received
an unconfirmed report of the Lusitania having been
torpedoed by a submarine off the coast of Ireland."
The steamship officials declined to state the
source of the rumor other than to say that it had
reached them from London by cable in exactly the
form given out.
Kinsale is about fifteen miles south of the en
trance to Cork Harbor.
As time went by and no further information was
available at the Cunard line offices the crowd which
had collected began to grow skeptical and attention
was called to the fact that since the accident to the
LusHania's turbines last August she has not been do
ing better than 20 knots.
This fact caused considerable skepitcism and
(Continued on Page Eleven.)