Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Thursday 17 May 1917, page 5


SINKING OF THE ARCADIAN.

STORIES OF SURVIVORS.

LONDON, May 15.

Survivors of tho troopship Arcadian, which was torpedoed by the entally in tho Mediterranean last month, reached England to-day. They state that at tho time of the attack the sea was per-fectly smooth. The explosion smashed some of the lifeboats. The vessel turn-ed over to port, but righted herself in a few minutes, enabling four boats to be launched. All were crowded, one of them being loaded with more than 70 men. Then the soldiers and tho members of the crew began to throw themselves into the water, clinging to rafts and wreckage.

A patrol boat did its best to help the swimmers. The submarine unsuc-cessfully fired two torpedoes at the patrol boat while it was engaged in rescue work. Tho men of the patrol boat performed a fine feat in launching three lifeboats while going at full speed. The Arcadian had gone almost before it could be realised. There was no time for discipline. A large propor-tion of the engineroom staff and of the cooks perished.