Very Heavy Loss of Life: 80
Perwns Drowned Tokio, Aug. 21.
An extra edition of the "Asahi" 7 reports that a newly-constructed submarine at the Kawasaki Dock, Kobe, sank this morning on her trial trip in 35 ft. of water. The Captain, the Chief Officer, five dockyard engineers and four other naval officers were saved. Eighty-five members of the crew are missing.—Reuter.
Tokio, Aug. 22.
The submarine, the loss of which was reported last night, was No. 70. She was a 600-ton submarine of the latest type, and was making a trial trip off Awaji Island in the charge of naval officers and dock representatives before being handed over to the Navy. It is- reported that there were 84 persons-in all on board. Heavy seas were running at the time.
The reports of the casualties vary, but the loss of life is known to be very heavy. The official figures of casualties and the cause of the accident cannot yet lo ascertained.
Rescuers from Kure have been rushed to the scene and are' now standing by.
Later.
While accurate details are still unavailable, it is reported that" the captain and four other officers were saved. It is feared that, 80 persons have been drowned, An engineer of the dockyard, who saved himself by jumping from the vessel and was afterwards picked up by a life-boat, says that while the submarine was resting on the surface, she suddenly, from an inexplicable cause, inclined at a sharp angle, causing water to flow rapidly into the vessel. 4 Rescue is very' much hampered by the depth of the water in, which the submarine sank, namely 35 fathoms.
Though the Navy Department is at present without full details of the sinking of the Submarine No. 70, it is announced that five members of the crew were saved and 83 missing, including 37 dock employees.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.