The Hesperian ' did not sink quickly, and an attempt
was made to tow her back to port. She carried three hundred and fourteen passengers, including a large number of women and children, and a crew of about two hundred and fifty. She remained afloat till early on Monday morning. Thirty. two persons lost their lives, of whom, it is reported, one was an American. As in the case of the Arabic,' what may be called the "Lusitania excuses did not apply. The vessel was leaving, not approaching, the British shores, and there was, therefore, no question of her bringing supplies or munitions to a "blockaded" country. The affair shattered the optimistic hopes which American opinion had founded on Count Berastorff's promises. But Mr. Wilson, as usual, is making searching inquiries about the facts before deciding on his next step. If it be established that the 'Hesperian ' was torpedoed, the outrage will have been the second "unfriendly act" committed by Germany against the United States since Mr. Wilson published his definition of that term in the present controversy.
