The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume], May 10, 1915, Image 1

About The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917

Image provided by: Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT

                
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VOL. 51 NO. Ill
TIT
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James H. Brooks, Bridgeport Salesman, Tells How
He Found Safety in -Collapsible Lif eboat
' Isaac B. TrumbulFs Body is Taken in Charge
By State Department. . :
A collapsible boat, which , was floating near where the .
Lusitania went down, was th e means of saying the life of
James II.. Brooks of this city. , He and three other men, swim
ming; for their lives, came up on the boat, closed, and reran-
aged to useit to keep them afloat. " ! v y " v
That he was sickened, by t he . sight of women;; children
and men "glued to the side of t he ship," as it took the final
and sudden plunge beneath th er - surface, is the statement
"made by ,Mr Brooks in London-twhere he vhas ' gone from
. Queenstown. ' :U"'-' V-'--:"r: ' " . -u '
Brooks stood serenely on the deck of the Lusitania
watching the boats half-lower ed,' filled with women and clftl--.dren,"
and overturning their occupants. into the' water' when
the gear caught. . When he. saw . the ship was doomed, he
dove headforemost into the water, and swam ' far away from
the sinking liner. . . , :" , .
A tremendous roar like the collapse
of a great building gutted by fire pre
ceded the disappearance "of the Lusi
tania according to Mr. - Brooks. Swim
ming around in the hope that he could
last until some ship rescued him. Mr.
Brooks gazed with horror , while the
"great ship plunged beneath the sea.,
with the helpless and struggling pas
sengers clinging to the sloping .side.
He saw them go down In the yortex
caused by the suction. ,: -.;
Mr. Brooks said last night: ':-
"All the boats had been swung out
the day before and , the , work of
launching them was at once; com
menced. . .-' '..
The attempt was a tragic failure.
Women and 'children., were, taken first,
and the boat was filled with thera, ex-cept-for
totv to jow.-.tro. Theboat. was
lowered until within its own length of
the water, ' when be forward tackle
jammed, -and its . occupants, with the,
exception of three, were .thrown intd
the sea. -. . " . i- ' ' '
"I did not notice any . concerted ef
fort to distribute life belts, and I was
unable to obtain one. , ; .
, "The efforts to. lower the bloats had
not apparently met with much suc
cess. Those on the' port - side rhad
swung inward and could: not be used,
" while the collapsible boats, lashed be
neath them, could hot be .got at.
YWometf were standing quite; calm
ly waiting, for ah opportunity to en
ter the boats when they should be re
leased" by the menrom the davits. I
saw that the, list was so great that the
davits pinched the gear, rendering it
impossible for ua to ' get away before
the ship went dawn. So I dived into
the. water. X ' ' -'" ,
"I turned around ; to watch Y the
GOUfMY'S FLAG WRAPS BODY OF
ISAAC B. THUK1BULL AT 10RGUE
State1 department officials at Wash
Ington. through the 'American agents J
in Ireland,- are making arrangements
Tor preparing the body of Isaac Trum-
J bull for shipment to Bridgeport for
ouriaL :; .
It was fhe unpleasant duty jof The
Parmer this morning to inform the
Trumbull family that the death of
their relative had been confirmed.
They had suspected the truth and had
' telegraphed to the. state i department
. to have the' body searched Tor and pre
pared for shipment to. this country. ,
Frank S. Trumbull, vice-president of
the American -Cyclecar Co., was given
PREPARES FOUR MONTHS FOR
ARL1Y AND
rfohn Thurston, who left the Bridge
port hospital-,to go back to fight for
., ais country, has failed -in his mission.
No trace has been found of hirn. and
he has been placed in the list of dead,
Thurston was a .patriot. He was
refused by the English army because
he- was weak from the ravages of an
Illness, so he came to America to get
AWAIT flEWS FROM STRATFORD
COUPLE SAVED FROM STEALER
v
Except for the fact that they have
learned that . Mrs. J. N. MacFarquhar
and her daughter, Grace, have been
saved, relatives , of the .couple in this
country Jcnowllttle .of what is hap
pening - to them, in Ireland. It is
expected Mrs. MacFarquhar and her
daughter will 'communicate as soon,
as possible with this city.
The MasFarquhars' relatives, in this,
country declared today that they will
not act until they receive word from
Queenstown as to the condition of the
purvivors.
tDTlMTDTP
MEIM
great ship heel over. The monster took
a sudden plunge, and I saw a crowd
stiU on her decks and boats filled with
helpless women and children glued: to ,
her side. , I sickened with horror at
the sight, j
7 "There was a thunderous roar, .as
of the collapse of a great building on'
fire ' 'Then she.disappeared, dragging
with her hundreds of fellow creatures
into the vortex - Many never" rose
to the surface, but the sea. rapidly
grew black with the figures of strug
gling men ahd women and children' .
"Charles liaurlat, . Jr a publisher
of Boston, well known in Bridgeport,
through hia visits here with publica
Uons, was , near j Broois when ' they
came upon the 'collapsible boat- They
and two other .men boarded it. I
.Mr Jauriat - received a cablegram
from her husband,- describing his ex
periences, at her home in Cambridge
today. Itwas sent from London, at
9:55 yesterday. ItfollowsV
,"I arrived from Queenstown yester
day safe and sound and suffering,, aft
er the shock, only muscular lameness
We were ..struck at eight minutes after
two. After doing all I could on the
ship, I Jumped and swam "at 2:2,5. I
found and got into a collapsible life
boat, X .opened her up and' took
charge. "We -got in 32 in all. . Then
we rowed -for shore. We were picked
up in- about two hours' and reached
Queenstown at 9:30 p. m.
"The town was wide open with hos
pitality. We brought through four
slightly- Injured. 1 The women show
ed wonderful courage. -
"I saved the baby's pictures. They
were my mascot.' I also saved my
passport and all . drafts." :
the confirmation by The Farmer. The
brothers had become almost certain of
the death of Isaac B. Trumbull and
they received the news , resignedly. "
. Nothing but a cheap, Drown coffin
housed the body of I. B. Trumbull
when - it was identified this morning.
It lay-at the side of a similar coffin
containing the body of Alfred Van
derbilt. . ' '' . '.' . .
Partial "identification , of the body
had been -made, last night when it was
announced to be that of I. B. Turnbill.
Locally, it was taken for granted that
the . body was that of the Bridgeport
man.
DIES IN WRECKAGE
back to health. He worked on a farm
in Trumbull, but was taken ill. . In
the hospital his health was restored
and so delighted was he that, disre
garding the warning of tne Germans,!
he boarded "the Lusitania, to try once
more to fight for England.
That he died before he was given
the chance to fight, is believed to be
certain., - ' -
IIKIJJ FOR. BTJRGLAET
" . OF STRATFORD STATION
Robbery of the Stratford railroad
station by a gang alleged by the rail
road police to have committed similar
depredations all the way from Mount
Vernon to -New Haven, resulted in th,
captured in the local freight yards of'
George It. Curtis, giving his address
as New Haven, as a trespasser -on Sat
urday night .by railroad policeman,
Herbert Teller.- Entrance to the sta
tion was made by tearing off the win
dow bars and 44 cents in pennies an4
quantity of chewing gum stolen.
BRfDG-EF
(C?TTTHDl7nW7fl
weeping mm
DEMAND -GRAND
RAPIDS" MONEY
Lawyers Unable to Proceed
With Hearing Until Quiet
Is Restored.
PUBLIC SALE OF .v
' ASSETS IS PLANNED
Financial Affairs of Bank
rupt Instalment. House
Hearing Settlement.
! " r
A crowd of 100 women from New
Haven, Waterbury, Meriden and this,
city ;wept ' as they . demanded their
money back at a hearing of the Grand
Rapids Furniture Co.. creditors before
Kief eree in Bankruptcy John W. Banks
this morning. The women refused to
be consoled when told they couldn't
have their .money. They will . get a
dividend when the stock of the Grand
Rapids Co. is sold: at public sale by
Trustee A. L. Teljaney. JJawyers ex
plained to the women that the notices
stated it, would not be necessary for
them to come to today's hearing. The
women continued to cry aloud and the
hearing could hot be resumed , until
they had been quieted. ' -
The appraisers are still at work, tak
ing inventory of the stock. If they
have the task completed toy late this
afternoon Referee Banks said he
would order Trustee DeLianey to hold
the' public sale next Monday morning
at: 11 o'clock. .- If the "inventory is not
completed in time the sale will lg May
IS 'or May 19. Xh any event- the' safe
will ' take-place at the company's Fair
field aveaue store; The appraisers are
E. W. Dunning, Frank S. Cohen and
John A. Spafford.
TSeferee . Banks said : notices, will be
sent to out of town firms who deal in
large lots of furniture. ;Thre unable
to be present at the sale can .send bids
by mail, which must be ' accompanied
by certified checks for one-tenth of the
amount bid. '
There was no objection to the mo
tion allowing the trustee to sell the
stock. Attorneys R. C Mallette, rep
resenting merchandise creditors, and
J.--B. Klein, for Secretary Badesch of
the company, were in court.
MISS WHEELER TO
CROSS CONTINENT
WITH COWL PARTY
Fiancee of Millionaire Who
Took His Life Is Guest of
His Parents.
A
'. Mr." and. Mrs. E. Clarkson Cowl of
Go-eat Neck, L.-1., and Mr: and " Mrs.
Arthur DeForest Wheeler of Academy
Hill, Stratford, with, Miss .Emily
Wheeler, left' New York late yester
day on a private far chartered by Mr."
Cowl for a transcontinental tour. They
plan to visit the exposition at San
Francisco, and. to spend some time in
' the Xosemite valley. In, the party,
also,, is Miss Lillian Bggleston, of 'New
Jersey, a cousin of Miss Wheeler.
The trip was arranged by the Cowls
hoping that through . it ; they and the
Wheelers will have an opportunity -to
forget the tragic circumstances of the
death , of their ' young son, Arthur
Hearn Cowl, the millionaire suitor if
Miss Wheeler, who, while suffering
from nervous ' trouble, erided . his life
in a sensational manenr at the Wheel
er doorstep. He was to have been
Miss Wheeler's husband.
Coroner Ftielan declared that Miss
Wheeler could, not have . contributed
to Cowl's death, though . the latter
gave her a ribbon CQnnected to a trig
ger of a pistol with, which he was shot.
He instructed hr to twitch the rib
bon, and she, ignorant of the na
ture of the device, did so. ' On her sec
ond .attempt a shot was - fired, but
when Coroner 'Phelan attempted to
dlsoharge the pistol in the same way.
the ribbon1 snapped -'asunder. x. .
Favor Slawson For
Deane's Place As
' ' Head of Our Schools
The committee which has been
charged with the duty of recommend
ing a superintendent of- schools is ex
pected to report to . the Board of education-
to-night. .
Two names may be offered for con
sideration, that of S. J. Slawson, su
perintendent of schools ' of Stamford
and that of Supt. Chapman, head of
the South Norwalk school system,
" It is said that the preference in the
board is somewhat for the Stamford
man, whose Salary requirement, how
ever, is high. , '
WEATHER FORECAST
.' Fair tonight and Tuesday,
wannpr in interior. Moderate
northwest winds, becoming vari
able. - '
ORT, CONN;, MONDAY, MAY 10, 1915
LUSITANIA CARRIED 1
MORE THAN $200,000
WORTH OF MUNITIONS.
. One of the Items 6f the I.usi
tania's cargo was ammunition, val
ued at $200,024. The ship carried
5,471 cases of cartridges and am
munition, according to the. ship's
manifest. Such a passenger ship,
it was explained would not carry
high explosives, for those articles
are shipped, on the British cargo
ships. . : ,
. The Iusitania had a cargo of
1,200 tons, which is practically all
she could carry. Its value was put
at $850,000. Including In her mani
fest are the following items:
Sheet brass, 260,000 pounds, val
ued at $46,565. : ,
Copper, 11,762 pounds, valued at
$20,955. t ,
. . Copper, wire, 58,465 pounds, val
ued at $11,000.
349 packages of furs, valued at
$119,220.
Military goods, 189 packages,
value $66,221. '
89 cases of leather, valued at
$31,517. -,'; r.
342,165 pounds of beef, valued
at $36,995. .: V 1 v -
ENGLISHMEN;
HEED NOTICE
NOTpSAIL
Military Agents, Working
As Grinders in Locomobile
, Factory, - Cancelled Pas
sage on Ijusitania To Go
Saturday. ;
Engjand, may, "have been robbed, of
some - valuable information concern
ing what a going, -on in Bridgeport
in the,, manufacture of war materials,
had not the German Embassy's warn
ing deterred two men here .from sail
ing; on the' Lusitania. ,:" ' . , . '
James Hitchenis and Fred Brown
Englishmen, well-bred, of military
bearing and of forceful . personality,
are working in the grinding depart
ment of the Locomobile Co., and liv
ing at 615 Main,; street They were
going back to England on the Cunard-
er when they were startled by the Ger
man warning. They cancelled their
passage booking the 'night before the
Lusitania sailed. . " .
Hitchenis was asked this afternoon
why he wanted to go back, He said
his father is dead. Brown said his
mother is dead. ; ...
A Farmer reporter visited the apart
ments of the couple this aftetrnoon
under the impression that they are
agents of the British, government, offi
cers in the English army and very in
telligent men. He found ' nothing
about them or their actions to dis
prove the assumption.
Brown was asked if he was here
getting information for the British
War Department.; He only smiled
and didn't answer. , Hitchenis, walked
away. .'. .
. No ' grinder in the Locomobile Co.,
has a wardrobe like the: Englishmen
have. It was too extensive and ex
pensive. It is safe to- say no grinder
in the firm's employ Is a-s highly edu
cated as they are. In short, they didn't
look like grinders. t :
Brown . .walked about the yard of
the house with .the 36-inch military.
step,1 which is unmistakable. He has
seen service under the colors.
Both men. "have the, unmistakable
military bearing and precision about
their actions. They haven't been
working long on grinding machines.
Brown and Hitchenis have been in
this -country several, months,.; they
said. They came here to "see -what
America looks like,"; so they took the
first train from New York to Bridge
port and got a job In the- Locomobile
factory. No, they never worked
anywhere in . this country before.
"Why did you cancel your passage
bookings," they were asked.
"Oh, we just did, that's all," one
replied.
"Why were you going hack?" . .
''My mother's dead," said Brown.
"My father's dead," said the oth
er. ' .
Both will sail on the St. Louis Sat
urday,, May IB, they intimated. They
will work tonight, they said, as they
are on the night shift. .
LEO FRANK
MUST DIE
Atlanta, 6a., May 10. Leo M.
Frank was resentenced to-day to be
hanged on June 22, for the murder, of
Mary Phagan. When brought be
fore Judge Hill, he made a -plea for
clemency. The basis of his appeal
was that the trial judge had express
ed doubt as to his guilt. He reiterat
ed he was innocent of the murder.
DR. WORDIN, WHO
WROTE GRANT'S
ORDERS, IS DEAD
Bridgeport Physician Wide
ly Known Succumbs To
Shock of Paralysis.
HAD BOMANTIC AND
EVENTJFUL CAREER
Served . With Distinction In
Civil War Came of Old
Family Here.
Dr. Nathaniel E. Wordin, the man
who penned . General Grant's .order
concerning disposition of troops and
occupation by. the Federal forces of
Richmond, Va., at the close of the
Civil War, -and who for many years
has been one of - the ,f oremost prac
titfons of medicine In .Connecticut,
died today at his home, 213 Court-
land street. - - : 1
His death was rather unexpected
and followed a second shock, of par
alysis,' the first of which he suffered
several years ago. The 'death of Dr.
Wordin removes one of : Bridgeport's
foremost citizens,- a man -widely
known for his kindly nature and in
terest in the putrtic welfare, beloved
toy all who knew him. Dr. .Wordin
was of that serene . temperament
which drew respect for his opinions
from even., those who differed with
him. - Like many of the bid school
physicians he gave much of his time
and service to alleviating pain and
suffering, with no ; hope of recom
pense. . 1- 'i'.-" .5 , " '"
The early days 'of his life were
eventful and romantic. - Born in
Bridgeport as were his fathers to. the
third generation, he was the son of
Nathaniel S. Wordin and Augusta
Leavenworth. He attended Cschool
in this city until 1860 w.hen he went
to - Petersburg, Va., to attend the
school conducted by Rev. i Abrarrt
Leavenworth, a Presbyterian clergy
man. . The latter was his un
cle. He was at the. school when
the Civil War began. He boarded
the steamer ' Northern Star,' the last
to run the blockade from Richmond,
Va. which the Confederates had "es
tablished for all ships going north. .
A.s he was one of v the last north
erners to leave ' Petersburg he was
also one of the first to enter it; at the
close of x the war for he went." into
the city with the victorious Army of
the Potomac when the shifting for
tunes of--. Grant's '-vigorous- campaign
broke the back of the Confederate
resistance. '
Returning to his home . in Bridge
port in 1861, Dr. Wordin then a young
man of 18, decided that his country
required his services so he . enlisted
from Bridgeport in Company I, 6th
Conn. Vols. He , soon was detailed
as clerk and orderly to Col. Chatfleld,
the commandent of the regiment and
served in that capacity with ' the- col
onel until the latter came home to
die at Waterbury of his wounds. Dr.
Wordin was with the colonel until
close to the hour of hfy- death.
He returned to the service and re
mained until his regiment - was mus
tered out in 1865. During the closing
hours of the war he drew many papers
and orders in connection with the oc
cupation of Petersburg ' and Rich
mond; Va. Judge A. B. Beers was a
captain in his .regiment and the late
Maj. Thomas fBoudren v also was an
officer in it.
' Continued on Page 2.-
London, . May 10. Two Zeppelin air
ships are i, reported to have dropped
bobs" on WestGliff -On-Sea, near South
End, but no fatalities have been re
ported. . ' " "
Warning of the approach of hositle
air raft was given South End at 2:52
o'clock (this morning. Several ma
chines took part in the raid but wheth
er they were Zeppelins or aeropfanes
the residents were unable to state as
the weather was cloudy.
Bombs struck houses in various
parts of the town buit no deaths have
been reported. One man and his wife
were badly burned in a fire started by
an incendiary bomb. One resident
told of three bombs dropping near his
home none of which caused damage.
It Is reported that several shops
were burned at Leig-h, a town near
South End. ( Four Zeppelins are said
to have dropped 40 or 50 bombs there.
London, May 10. Incoming passen
ger trains from South End, a seaside
resort in Essex, reported an air raid
there, in which serious property dam
age was 'done and which caused sorha
loss of life. '
ZEPPELINS v
E f Pjl 1
German Ambassador Has Conference With Secre
tary Bryan and Tells of Sorrow Over Loss of
American Lives Refuses to Answer Re
porters Seeking Interviews.
Washington, May 10 Count Bernstorff, the Gerrnan am
bassador, called on Secretary Bryan today " and expressed
"deep regrets that thet events o f the War had led to the' loss' of
so many American lives." .
After a "half hour's conference between the Ambassador
and Secretary Bryan this statement, was, by mutual agree
ment, given out by the secret
V 'The Ambassador called at the state department and ex
pressed his deep regret that the events of the war had led to
the" loss of so( many American lives." v
While neither the ambassador nor Secretary Bryan's state
ment mentioned the Lusitania disaster by name, it was known
that the two officials talked'of it specif icially. It was the
ambassador's first visit to the departmentsince the." disaster.
The" secretary received him immediately and greeted him cor
dially. . ' ' . v . , . -
When Ambassador Bernstorff came
from Secretary Bryan's office he par
ried all questions by saying, he could
not talk, being under promise to Sec
retary Bryan that ' anything said
should come from the secretary. His
only real response was that he had
made no appointment,, with President
Wilson. i v
; Secretary Bryan and Count Bern
storff steadfastly refused -to comment
upon or interpret the state depart
ment's announcement but it was in
terpreted as meaning "that the ambas
sador had, ' .for his government, ex
pressed deep regret- not only for the
loss of life o;t, the Lusitania but for the
Americans lost in the torpedoing "of
the American steamer Gulflight and
for the one American lost on the Fala
ba. ' :
"President Wilson continued his con
sideration of the Lusitania disaster in
seclusion at the rWhite House but it
was indicated that before the day
passes he will let the public know
what ' steps he had .decided on. Whife
CORONER'S JURY HOLDS KAISER
GUILTY OF "WHOLESALE L1URDER"
Kinsale, Ireland, May 10. The cor
oner's jury which has been investigat
the deaths attendant upon the loss of
the. Lusitania, returned the following
verdict today v .
"The jury, find that this appalling
crime ' .was contrary to international
law and the conventions of all civil
ized nations and we therefore charge
the officers of the submarine,- and the
German Emperor and the government
of Giermany, under whose orders they
adted, . with the crime of , wilful and
ADMIRALTY WARNED LUSITAI
OF DANGER AHEAD, SAYS CHURCHILL
London,- May 10. The first lord of
the admiralty, , Winston Spencer
Churchill, stated in the House of
Commons this afternoon,, that Captain
Turner, of the Lusitania had acknowl
edged receipt' of messages from" the
Admiralty giving him warning and di
rections for the course he was to take.
Mr. Churchill said that a board of
CUNARDER, BOUND
FACES FATE
' New York, 'May 10. Announcement
was made 'today at the Cunard offices
that the Anchor line steamer Tuscan
ia, with 341 passengers, sailed from
Glasgow on Saturday (and from Liver
pool Sunday for New York.
This is ,the first passenger steamer
ENGLISH RELATIVES WILL CARE
FOR MRS. ANDERSON AND CHILD
The mother and father of Mrs.
Roule Anderson of 142 Wheeler ave
nue, this city, will go to Queenstown
from Darlington, England, either to
night or tomorrow to care for Mrs.
Anderson and her two-year-old daugh
ter, Barbara, who were saved from the
wreck of the Lusitania.
All the survivors' lists from abroad
contain the names of Mrs. Anderson
smaL ,itas davgUter. Her Iiii3tan5 and
PRICE TWO CENTO
ary - :.
into a hasty decision, he realizes that
officials- reiterated that the President
would not allow himself to be hurried
public sentiment favors a prompt in
dication of what the United States
will do.
Messages from all parts of the coun
try continued "to pour, into the White
House counselling various courses.
Some advocated war, but the major
ity of them counselled peace althoulgh
expressing horror oyer the great.loss
of life.
Chairman Stone, of the Senate for
eign relations committee, was at the
White House to-day and saw Secre
tary Tumulty but did not see the
President. . Explaining that he ex
pressed hi ewn vfews and not those of
any officials, Senator Stone: said ;h
questioned whether there was any
reason for calling an extra session og
Congress at present. He said he did
.not know what the President was
planning to do. . -
The President : had no engagements
for to-day. before his departure at 4
o'clock tor Philadelphia, ,.- - , :-
wholesale murder."'
Cornelius Horrigan, a waiter aboard
the Lusitania, testifying at the open
ing of the inquest, said it was impos
sible to launch boats on the starboard
side owing to the steamer's list. He
went' down with the ship but came up
and was rescued. V
Vernon Livermore, the ship's bu
gler, gave -evidence that he water
tight compaxaments were closeCr-vbut
thought, the explosion 'must have burst
them open. The inquest then was ad
journed until Monday.
trade inquiry will be held to deter
mine the circumstances attending the
loss of the ; Lusitania.
"I. must make it plain," he said,
"that in no . circumstances will it be
possible to make- the naval disposi
tions for patrolling our coast. Our re
sources, do not enable -us to provide
destroyer escorts for mail and pas
senger ships." ' -
i
FOR NEW YORK,
OF THE LUSITANIA
Identified with the Cunard line to sail
Irorri the British Isles for the United
Sta,tes since? the sinking of the Lusitan
ia. ' '
The Tuscania's passenger list, was
made up of 36 in the first class cabin,
130 in the second and 175 in the steer
age. '" '
other relatives here are jubilant.
Communication was held with the
State Department officials at Wash
ington today by representatives of Mr.
Anderson and as a result, a cable mes
sage has been sent to Darlington, Eng
land,' instructing the mother and fath
er of Mrs. Anderson that she is saved
and to do what they can for her. It
is expected that they will go to
Queenstown immediately, on receipt of
the message.
A