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| The Day Book, May 10, 1915, Chicago, Illinois |
First Stories of Survivors Describe Terrible Hardship
QUEENSTOWN, May 8 - The big town hall here has been turned into a temporary morgue. Lines of coffins bearing the bodies of victims of the Lusitania tragedy are being placed in the main room.
It is announced that all will be taken there for identification and that as fast as the names are ascertained they will be made public.
It is now proposed that the funerals of the victims be held on Sunday.
That at least one of the Lusitania's boats loaded with women and children capsized after it had been launched, was stated here today by Bertrand Jenkins, of New York. He said that he had helped two women into the boat, one of them being Miss Bramwell, an opera singer of New York. The boat turned over after striking the water and only a few of those on board were rescued by another boat.
Mrs. M.M. Pappadopoula, of Athens, Greece, face death cin the sea for more than an hour. An expert swimmer, she was totally exhausted when landed here. On the rescue tug she had been given a sailor's sweater and trousers to replace her wet clothing. Her husband, whom she tried vainly to save, probably was lost.
"I was ordering coffee in the saloon," she said, "when the ship was almost broken in two by the force of an explosion. I put on a life belt and so did my husband. I tried to help him after we got into the water. He was no swimmer, however, and I fear that he was lost. Only the thought of my babies in Athens buoyed me up until finally I was picked up by a fishing boat."
Mrs. Pappadopoulo will live, the doctos say.
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| The Day Book, May 14 1915, Chicago, Ill |
D.A. Thomas, the Welsh colliery (coal mine) owner who was among the saved, told a succinct story of his experiences. He said:
"We were at luncheon when suddenly the vessel was stopped and shook from stern to stern with the force of an explosion well forward that seemed to throw her on her beam ends.
"We had not believed it possible that an attack would be made upon us, but there was not a passenger who did not realize that the unexpected had happened. The explosion was followed by another equally forcible and the big steamer shuddered and almost immediately began to list to port.
"Officers an dmen [sic] rushed to their stations almost without orders and the work of clearing the boats was begun. There was little panic so far as I could see, everyone being too dazed to realize just what actually was happening.
"For a few minutes we believed that the stories of the safety of the liner would prove true and that she would stay afloat, but the constantly increasing list showed that this hope was vain.
"Many of the passengers ran here and there about the decks, although Captain Turner and his officers tried their best to pacify them.
"Many of the women, however, were hysterical and some of them, with infants in their arms, caught at the fastenings of the boats and hampered the launching. Altogether ten boats were finally swung off. Lady MacWorth was picked up almost unconscious after she had been in the water for three hours. We had no warning and the big steamer sank within twelve to fifteen minutes after we were first hit.
"It was a dastardly outrage, deserving the condemnation of the entire civilized world. It was a beautiful sunshiny day. The sea was smooth and to that is due the fact anyone was saved."
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| The Washington Times, May 11, 1915, Washington DC |
The Washington Times, May 12, 1915
WILSON HAS DECIDED; KAISER MUST MAKE AMENDS FOR DEATHS
Note, to Be Dispatched Late Today or Tomorrow, Will Be Firm and Vigorous, But Will Not Cut Off All Possibility of Peaceful Settlement.
President Wilson had decided.
Vigorous in tone, firm in purpose, and drafted with full appreciation of the possible consequences, a note will be sent ltate today or early tomorrow to the German government demanding a "strict accountability" for the destruction of American lives and property on board the Lusitania.
Although it is stated that the communication will meet all the expectations of the outraged American public, it will not bluster or threat.
All that the people of this country feel in the way of bitter resentment over the unprecedented, premeditated slaughter of unoffending American men, women, and babies will be expressed, but not in such a way as to shut the door against any genuine desire on the part of Germany to make amends and give solemn assurances that such a thing will not be repeated.
The article goes on for quite a while about the assurances that must be made. It's pretty repetitive and basically reenforces what's already been said. The note is sort of put on hold for a bit when Germany starts having trouble with Italy, and then decides to declare war on them around May 24, 1915. on May 25 the Dutch send a similar note to the Germans. On May 26 an American steamer, the Nebraskan, was also torpedoed even though it was clearly flying a US flag. It wasn't badly damaged and didn't sink, but come on, seriously?
The Washington Times, May 27, 1915
"TORPEDO OR MINE?" IS QUESTION UP TO NAVAL EXPERT
ATTACK WOULD BE WAR ACT
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Authorities Concede If Submarine Is To Blame It Would Be Breach of Neutrality.
LONDON, May 27 - Torpedoing of two more merchant vessels is reported by the admiralty. The Danish steamer Betty and the Montreal steamer Norwenna are the victims, both in the North Sea.
Latest cables from American diplomatic and consular representatives fail to clear up the mystery as to whether the American steamer Nebraskan was struck by a torpedo from a German submarine or whether it was damaged by a floating mine.
The government probably will be in the dark until the naval attache of the American embassy at London has examined the steamer.
Ambassador Page, without waiting for instructions from Washington, on this point, has sent the naval attache to Liverpool to make an investigation.
It is established, through a report made by Captain Greene, master of the vessel, to Consul General Skinner, that the Nebraskan was hit without warning. Should it develop that a submarine did the work, this fact will be of the utmost importance. It is conceded by experts that such an attack would be an act of war.
The article goes into more detail about what happened, but I don't want this post to take as long for you to read at is did the people reading it real time. On May 30 Germany finally sends an reply to the note. The newspapers actually report on the anticipation of the reply and how long it will take to translate. It makes sense because everyone wanted to know whether we were going to enter the world war. When the note is finally received it's really freaking long and doesn't answer any of President Wilsons questions, and it basically gives the impression that the Lusitania torpedoing didn't matter. It was printed in the papers, but it's really boring and diplomatic blah, blah, blah, so I won't bore you with that.
The Washington Times, June 4, 1915
WILSON NOTE TO GERMANY IS INDORSED BY CABINET
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Rejoinder to Kaiser on Rights of Neutrals in Submarine Warfare Will Be on Way to Berlin Tonight
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Meyer Gerhart, Envoy of Embassy, Already on Way to Inform Kaiser of American Position and Sentiment
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President Wilson submitted to the cabinet today the draft of his rejoinder to Germany's reply of the sinking of the Lusitania.
It was admittedly one of the most critical Cabinet meetings in the history of the nation.
There was no concealing the tension felt among officials and diplomats generally, as the President's advisers gathered to hear him read his note - a note which must either persuade Germany to admit herself (I think of Germany as more of a "himself") wrong, or bring the United States face to face with the question of whether she, too, is to be dragged into the maelstrom of the world's greatest and most disastrous war.
Nor was there about the meeting itself anything lacking to show that the President and his advisers fully realize the gravity of the situation.
As usual the article goes on for a while just to talk more about whats already been said. Germany replies and admits they sank the Lusitania, but they want a trial. The US says the liner was neutral and shouldn't have been a target at all, they disagree.
The Evening Public Ledger, July 17, 1915, Philadelphia (Pa)
BRITISH OFICIALLY FIND SUBMARINES SANK LUSITANIA
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Investigation Proves No Explosives Were in Cargo, as Germans Charged. Attack Made With Purpose of Taking Lives.
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LONDON, July 17 - That the liner Lusitania was destroyed with a loss of more than 1000 lives by torpedoes fires by a German submarine without warning and not by an explosion of ammunition in her cargo is the chief feature of the verdict rendered today by Lord Mersey (Interesting name.), who presided at the investigation into the sinking of the Cunarder on May 7.
The verdict criticises the failure of Captain William T. Turner to follow the directions given him by the British Admiralty, but sums up the judgement against the German Admiralty in these words:
"The whole blame for the catastrophe was solely upon those who plotted and committed the crime."
In the verdict Lord Mersey emphasized three points:
First. The Lusitania was struck almost simultaneously by two torpedoes.
Second. The liner was attacked not merely with a view to sinking her, but also with the purpose of causing loss of life.
Third. The Lusitania was unarmed. She carried no concealed guns, no trained gunners and no trained troops. The vessel had on board a number of cases of cartridges which were entered in her manifest, but had no other ammunition on board.
September 9, 1915, Germany finally declared that it would do a better job of deciding which ships were good and bad. They kept their word for a couple years until January 1917, when they decided to blow up any ships that entered their waters. At almost the same time, a telegram from Germany to Mexico ,was intercepted and translated. The telegram was about a purposed alliance between the two, you know, just in case the US decided to enter the war.
For a long time the US had been having a mini-war with Poncho Villa and his army. The Mexican government didn't want to help Villa, and the US was helping the Mexican villages he was terrorizing. Basically the Mexicans were on good terms with the US. Congress was feeling pretty threatened when Germany started making preparations to go to war with them. They informed Germany that they didn't want to go to war, but they would if the indiscriminate blowing up of ships didn't stop. Germany didn't want to, so, on April 6, 1917, the US had had enough and decided to kick some Kaiser ass.
Well, now that you know all about the Lusitania, wouldn't you agree that it's strange that it's not more well-known? This liner was blown up just because it could be, basically. Almost two thousand (1,191) innocent people died, most from drowning. The water was freezing, so these people didn't fall asleep after a few minutes and die peacefully like many of Titanic did, they fought for their lives for hours. Lusitania wasn't a tragic accident like Titanic, it was purposeful murder. I think these people deserve to be remembered, documentaries should be made and reran on the anniversary every year like Titanic.
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