| OCR Text |
Show Survivors Describe Sinking Of Steamer Persia Was Picked Up After Floating About On Wreckage For Fifteen Hours Alexandria, Egypt, Jan 4. Chas Grant of Boston, ono of tho two Am- in leans known to have been on board m tho British steamer Persia when sho ,J was torpedoed In the Mediterranean jijl Inst Thursday, has arrived In Alex. Hi iindriu. Mr. Grant, so far as h K'J known, Is tho enly American from KJ whom can como tho story of the I'er- 39 sin's sinking. Ho gnvo to tho As- Kg soclnted Press today tho most detail- 99 ed account yet received of tho disav jfl tor. In "I was in tho dining saloon of the sa Persia at 1:05 p. m." he said. " 19 had Just finished my soup and tho jfl steward was asking what I would jF! tako for my second course when a Kj terrific explosion occurred. fl "Tito saloon became filled with M broken glnss nnd steam from th6 Ml boiler, which appeared to havo burst. 1,8 Thcro was no panic on board. , Wo yl went on deck ns though wo wero at ,1 drill and roported at tho lifeboats on V tho starboard sldo, as tho vessel had M listed to port. I clung to the rail- 1 Ing. The last thing done 'was to tlo on Captain Sprlcklcy's lifebelt. "As tho vessel was then listing so badly that It was Impossible to launch tho starboard boats, I slid down the starboard rail into tho water. I got caught In n rcpo which rulled off a shoo, but I broke loose and climbed on somo floating wreckago to which I clung. "Tho last I sav of tho Persia sho had her bow In tho air, flvo minutes after tho oxplo3ton. ' It "After floating about on tho wreck- n ago until 4 o'clock In tho morning I V saw flvo boats. I was pulled Into one M of them. Wo rowed about looking rj for stragglers. "Tho boats becamo overloaded and tho occupants woro redistributed. Four boats wero tied together by K their painters and tho fifth fo'.lowed somo dlstanco away. , ' "My boat left tho others In order jj to search the more frequented steam- ; ship channels for help. We rowed for thrco hours. Then wo saw a v cruiser and called out: "We arc En- ' gllsh. Wo explnlned that wo wore survivors of tho Persia and gavo dl- I rcctions to tho cruiser as to where g tho other boats were. They were I soon found and tho occupants were I taken off Immediately by the English sal'ors. v Ilobert McNeoley, American consul at Aden, snt at tho samo tablo with mo on tho voyhgo. Ho was not seen, probably bocauso his cabin was on , tho port sldo. It was a horrlblo scene. Tho water was black as Ink. Somo passengers woro Bcreamlng, others woro calling out goodbyo. Those In ono boat sang hymns." |
