Salt Lake Tribune | 1915-02-26 | Page 2 | Small British Steamer Sunk; Crew is Saved

SMALL BRITISH STEAMER SUliK, . nw IS SAVED I German Submarines and - Mines Continue Work of Destruction in Area of the War Zone. EIGHT DESTROYED DURING THE WEEK No Undue Excitement in England, Where It Is Expected Ex-pected Germany Will Become Embroiled. LONUOX, Feb. S5, 1:30 p. m. The , small British coasting steamer Western '. Coast has been sunk by a mine or tor- ; pedo in the English channel at a point off Beachv Head. The crew was landed , at Portsmouth today. I One sailor lost his life when the small British steamer Deptford, 230 feet long and 1208 tons, was sent to the bottom ; in twenty minutes, either by a German torpedo from a submarine or by coming in contact with a mine in the North sea at 3 o'clock yesterday morning at a point off Scarborough. The fifteen ' other members of the steamer's crew ! were 6aved and were landed at South ' 'Shields at an early hour this morning. Ship Rent in Twain. The engineer of the Deptford says he was on duty in the stokehold at the time the explosive in the torpedo head or in the mine rent the Deptford in twain. He says he saw a- blue flamo shoot up from" the bottom of the ship and through her deck. The force of the explosion threw him violently and stunned him. He managed to reae"b the 1 deck, however, as the vessel was heel ing, and just as the lifeboat was launched. It was the carpenter of the Deptford who lost his life. After hours in a leaking boat in a snowstorm which caused them to suffer acutely, the men say they signaled a steamer, but no notice was taken of their appeal. Later, however, they encountered en-countered the steamer Fulgens, which Sicked them up and brought them into outh Shields. Some members of the crew say they saw the wake of a submarine after the Deptford was struck.