The Consul's Report
American Consulate,
Alexandria, January 8, 1916.
Sir : I have the honor to report as follows in regard to the sinking of the P. and 0. 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 op. 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, a t 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 P o rt 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