Valencia, Oct. 31.
A member of the crew of the Jean Weems, in a telephone conversation with Reuter to-day, said a seaplane, believed Italian, dropped sixteen bombs, four of which fell in the hold. The ship sank in 15 minutes, stern first. and was slightly afire, Prior to the bombing, he said, the plane signalled the crew to take to the boats Bemborough, a Scottish seaman of the Jean Weems, telephoning to Reuter from Calella, said the "seaplane which attacked the steamer had a skull and cross-bones marking. It signalled a flash lamp in the Morse code giving us five minutes to take to the boats. Sixteen bombs were dropped and four struck the Jean Weems, which sank in 15 minutes. The sea-plane disappeared in the direction of Majorca."
Bemborough said the captain and two mates pf the steamer were Welshmen. f the crew of sixteen only two were British, The entire crew escaped inju and reached Calella, near Gerona, in lifeboats.
Gerona is about 53 miles north-east of Barcelona.—Reuter.
Capt. Thomas Eversett, the master the Jean Weem: aid two contro! agents aboard the freighter refused to identify the bomber, "although everyone saw a white and black skull and crossbones on the underside of the wings," reports United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.