Survivors picked up after 30 hours by British destroyer Mallard. Reported that American Consul proceeding to post at Aden lost. Details given me by a High Commissioner, whose military secretary, Bigham, is survivor. Can obtain affidavit if desired.

ARNOLD.

The Secretary of State to Ambassador Penfield.

[Telegram-Paraphrase.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, January 3, 1916.

Mr. Lansing referring to the reply of the Austro-Hungarian Government in the Ancona matter and the favorable impression formed of the friendly and reasonable attitude of the Government, etc., requests Mr. Penfield to make immediate inquiry at the Foreign Office concerning the facts in connection with the sinking of the Persia and to express the grave solicitude of the United States Government. Mr. Penfield is requested to seek assurances of early and very serious action by the Government of Austria-Hungary in the case in the same spirit and upon the same principles set forth so frankly in the last note to United States regarding the Ancona.

No. 1169.]

Ambassador Penfield to the Secretary of State.

AMERICAN EMBASSY, Vienna, January 8, 1916.

SIR: Referring to the Department's telegraphic instruction No. 1066 of January 3rd and my telegram No. 1074 of January 4th relative to the sinking of the S. S. Persia, I have the honor to inclose herewith copy of a Note No. 49, dated January 5, 1916, together with translation, from Baron Burian, Imperial and Royal Ministry for Foreign Affairs, expressing the views of the Austro-Hungarian Government in this connection.

I have, etc.,

FREDERIC C. PENFIELD.

[Inclosure-Translation.]

The Austro-Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs to Ambassador

No. 49.]

Penfield.

I. AND R. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

Vienna, January 5, 1916.

In reply to the esteemed note of the 4th instant, No. 4436, the undersigned has the honor to state to His Excellency, F. C. Penfield, Ambassador of the United States of America, that nothing is known to the Imperial and Royal Government concerning the circumstances of the sinking of the English steamer Persia other than the pertinent newspaper reports. For this reason and, further, inasmuch as the esteemed note cited above offers no tangible clue in this respect, there is scarcely a question of responsibility for us in this incident. But the Imperial and Royal Government, in full accord with the views of the Government of the United States, considers it as selfunderstood that in every other instance involving a responsibility on its part it will be guided by the views and principles which were recognized here in connection with the sinking of the Italian steamer Ancona.

The undersigned, etc.

Consul Garrels to the Secretary of State.

BURIAN..

[Extract.]

AMERICAN CONSULATE, Alexandria, January 8, 1916.

SIR: I have the honor to report as follows in regard to the sinking of the P. and O. liner Persia.

At 5.30 o'clock on January 1st, 1916, Mr. Charles H. Grant telephoned to the Consulate. He stated that he was an American citizen, a survivor of the Persia, and was then on board of the H. M. S. Hannibal, having arrived at Alexandria about an hour before. The Hannibal is permanently anchored at Alexandria in the outer harbor for defense purposes. This was the first advice or information of any kind I had of the disaster. I immediately set off for the Hannibal in a launch from the U. S. S. Des Moines, which Commander Blakely kindly put at my disposal. On arriving aboard of the Hannibal at about seven o'clock, I found the British Vice Consul of Alexandria in conference with the survivors who had been brought to Alexandria

by the British armed trawler Mallow. I was informed that one hundred and fifty-one persons had been brought in, which made up the contents of four of the Persia's boats that had been picked up. All told the same story: An explosion while at luncheon; a hurried endeavor to put on life belts and report to the lifeboat stations that had been previously assigned to the passengers; a rapid list of the ship to port and subsequent sinking in about five minutes; no vessel or craft of any description seen by anyone before or after the explosion. None of the officers of the Persia were interviewed. Those who had not gone ashore had retired.

Mr. Grant then told me that Consul McNeely, of Aden, had been on board. Mr. Grant stated that he and Consul McNeely were at luncheon when the explosion occurred. Both hurried to their cabins for life belts. Consul McNeely's cabin was on the port side of the deck above the dining salon, at the entrance to which they parted. Mr. Grant did not see Mr. McNeely again. One of the survivors told Mr. Grant that he had seen the Consul swimming, but Mr. Grant could not recall who his informant was.

Commander Blakely having kindly extended the hospitality of the Des Moines to Mr. Grant, I conducted him aboard, where he remained until his departure for Cairo, on January 6, 1916.

My telegram to the Department sent at 11 o'clock on January 1st, 1916, contained all of the details it was possible to gather at that time. On the morning of January 2, 1916, telegrams from the Department and Consul General Skinner at London requesting information in regard to the disaster were received. Prompt replies were transmitted.

The Department's telegram of January 3, 1916, stating that affidavits were desired, was received about noon January 4th. Unfortunately, the officers and lascar crew had already left Alexandria and were on their way to England via Port Said, Malta, and Marseilles. A telegram immediately dispatched to Port Said arrived too late for the Consular Agent there to see the party. The Consul at Malta has been requested to interview the party on arrival there and obtain the desired affidavits. In event of his failure, he has been asked to communicate with the Consul General at Marseilles.

The affidavits obtained here are being transmitted with separate dispatch to-day.

I have, etc.,

ARTHUR GARRELS.

No. 42.]

Consul Keblinger to the Secretary of State.

AMERICAN CONSULATE, Valetta, January 9, 1916. SIR: In accordance with the Department's telegraphic instruction of January 6, 1916, I have the honor to inclose herewith affidavits of Lord Montagu of Boileau, Ship's Steward Charles Leonard Martin and Mr. Mafessanti Benvenuto, survivors of the British steamer Persia which was sunk in the Mediterranean December 30, 1915, about 1.10 p. m.

A summary of the statements contained in the affidavits were cabled to the Department to-day, a confirmation copy of the telegram being attached hereto.

As stated in the telegram Mr. Alexander Clark and seven Indians of the crew, survivors of the Persia were sent from Malta after only a short detention.

I have, etc.,

WILBUR KEBLINGER,

[Inclosure.]

Statement of Lord Montagu of Boileau, Re sinking of S. S. "Persia."

The voyage of the Persia had been a very successful one up to the time of the accident, and everyone was very comfortable and happy. On the day before the accident, we had boat drill at 10.30 a. m, and all of the passengers and crew went to their appointed stations, all the passengers with their life belts on. Owing to the ship not being full there was ample accommodation for everyone.

About 1.10 p. m. on Thursday, December 30, just as we were sitting down to tiffin there was a terrific explosion just abaft the main saloon; the smell of explosives at once told us what had happened, and I realized the ship had been torpedoed; the passengers at once went to fetch their life belts, and go to their stations without any sign of panic or fuss. When I got to the station allotted for No. 6 boat, on the port side, I saw boats being lowered on that side, but owing to the list of the ship, for she had begun to heel over very considerably, I at once realized that it was impossible to get into any boats on the port side as the ship was lying over on them, and still retained too much way, making it impossible to hope for any safety by boats on the port side. With great difficulty I then climbed up the starboard side, trying to pull with me a lady passenger who happened to be near me; the ship was then practically on her beam ends, and this was about three minutes after she had been struck. The ship now be

gan to sink rapidly by the stern and I was swept off my feet by the rush of water along the promenade deck, going overboard on the starboard side. The ship then sank and I was sucked down a long way, striking my head and body against several pieces of wreckage. It seemed a very long time before I came to the surface again, though I was conscious of rising very quickly, owing to the extreme buoyancy of my Grieve Waistcoat, which certainly at this moment saved my life. Just before the ship foundered there was the usual and inevitable uprush of steam and smoke from the engine room and stokehold. To show the rapidity with which the vessel went down I do not think more than four minutes could have elapsed from the time of her being struck to the time she disappeared. I am convinced that the commander, the officers and the crew did all that was possible to be done under the terrible circumstances.

When I had recovered my senses sufficiently to look around I saw the sea covered with struggling human beings but very little wreckage, and as far as I could see there seemed to be only three boats afloat in the water. There was nothing to indicate the presence of a submarine nor did I see any sign of one while on the Persia subsequent to the torpedoing and previous to the sinking of the vessel. I then swam towards a signal locker I saw floating in the distance and to which was clinging the ship's doctor, who appeared in a stunned condition, as his head appeared to be injured in some way; on reaching it I found it would not support more than one person so I left the doctor on it and swam towards a boat floating upside down about fifty yards away, her bottom being covered with native seamen, far too many for the boat to support. I managed, however, to climb up and get astride of the keel band on the extreme end aft and from this position I saw a boat a short distance off, picking up people, and shouted to them to come and help us, but they rowed away, but as there were cries of help from all sides I make no complaint about them not coming to our assistance. About one hour after the disaster there were on our upturned boat four Europeans left, besides about twenty native crew, the remainder having dropped off as they became too weak to hold on. The boat at this time was righted by a big wave, and we managed after great difficulty to get into her. I then realized that not only had she a large hole in her bottom, but that her bows were split open as well, probably smashed in the lowering. She was also in a state of extreme instability for the air tanks which showed she was one of the life boats were some of them smashed and others perforated and the smallest weight on the starboard side of her tended to capsize her again, which before we were picked up happened several times. About sunset we were most of us sitting up to our knees in water, and there remained when the sun went down of the original number in the boat, thirteen native seamen and firemen, two Goanese stewards, one Italian 2d class passenger, one Scotchman, also a 2d class