Carl Elmer Foss was born in Fordville, Walsh County, North Dakota, in the United States of America, on the 10th June 1887, the eldest child of Andrew Nelson and Sarah Caroline Foss (née Ackerman). His parents were immigrant farmers, his father having been born in Norway, and his mother in Sweden.
He was educated at The Jefferson Medical College, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, graduating in medicine in 1910. He had made a special study of surgery relating to gunshot wounds. After his graduation, he practised medicine in Harlem, Montana, and on the 15th January 1913, he married Elda Elizabeth Currie, probably in Montana. In the spring of 1915, he lived at Harlem, Blaine County, Montana.
When it became obvious that the war in Europe was not going to end quickly, he decided, in early 1915, to travel to England and offer his medical services to the Red Cross Association or the British Army. Consequently, he booked as a second cabin passenger on the Lusitania and joined her at New York before she left on her final crossing of the Atlantic Ocean which commenced just after mid-day on 1st May 1915. He had brought with him personal belongings and surgical instruments to the value of $3,500.00.
He survived the sinking and after being rescued from the sea and landed at Queenstown, he gave an interview to a representative of the Press Association which was then syndicated in newspapers across the world. In it he said: -
Some of the passengers in conversation with their fellow voyagers said that a notice had appeared in the New York newspapers that American citizens would travel at their own risk. I was one of those who considered that the Germans themselves feel that a notice of that kind, coming when it did would be too late for any of us to be seriously expected to regard it as a warning. Had it been taken seriously, we probably would not have joined the vessel. Members of the crew joked about it, and there were many passengers who had an idea that we were to be convoyed by British cruisers all the way. There were more women and children on the Lusitania than men.
I was told some of the boilers were not worked during the run, I think there were on the ship a larger number of American citizens than is usually supposed. With other doctors, I was coming over to offer my services, and it had been our intention to see the medical authorities of the Army on reaching London. We had hoped to go to the base hospital. There were several of us on the boat, amongst them my friend, Dr. McDermott.
This was Surgeon James Farrell McDermott, originally from Dublin, Ireland, who was killed in the sinking. Dr. Foss was then asked what his reaction was, on seeing an object in the water, which later turned out to be a submarine. He replied: -
No, we were not alarmed, although the object certainly looked peculiar. I now believe there was more than one submarine near us. My present impression is that there were two or three. I could not say definitely how many boats were launched from the Lusitania, but there were probably eight or nine not used at all.
There was no panic, but I was somewhat disappointed at some of the members of the crew. I thought very little of myself; all my care was for the poor helpless women and children faced with death on such appalling circumstances. I had some trouble with my life-belt or preserver, it was defective and it came off once, but I managed to readjust it. During Thursday night, our ill-fated ship steamed with portholes covered and lights down.
Dr. Foss was clearly wrong about the number of submarines present on the afternoon of 7th May, as only one,
U-20, carried out the sinking. It was a popularly held belief at the time, however, that there was more than submarine present, perhaps because no-one was able to believe that a ship the size of the
Lusitania could possibly be sunk by just one small U-Boat.
Another account published in The Westmorland Gazette on 15th May, gave a more personal account of what happened to him: -
“About twelve o’clock,” he said, we noticed the ship was making quick changes of course, what I should call snake turns. We were informed that it was only practice. Shortly afterwards, I saw between us and the land something which looked like a boat, and I was surprised that a boat should be so far from the shore.
Looking through my glasses I could see a wave parting in front of this boat, which indicated that it was travelling rapidly. Several of us agreed that it looked like the upper part of a submarine and we assumed it was British. It was apparently keeping pace with us, but we were not going very fast, probably not more than two thirds of our top speed.”
He rushed on deck when he heard the explosion. “I noticed at this time, (he said), that women and children were jumping overboard from a height of fifty or sixty feet. I managed to get hold of one women and her child and I held them up until they were taken into a boat, which at that time had four or five people in it.
It seemed a wise thing to get further from the ship, because if she went down, the suction must be tremendous, so I swam towards a lifeboat a hundred yards off. The people in this boat were distressed because it was either leaking or waterlogged, and I urged them to bail. They had not proper means of bailing and could not do much. I saw the boat was in danger of capsizing, and I swam to the stern to endeavour to balance it. I failed and it went over.
The occupants, including two women fell clear and caught hold of the overturned boat, which rolled over and over half a dozen times before we could get it righted. I could not put the two women back into that boat, so getting them to hold on to an oar, I pushed them towards a canvas raft two or three hundred yards away. They were pulled on to the raft, and I was then so exhausted that I had to be dragged on to it as well.
One of the two women seemed at the point of death, and I set to work to revive her. I was at this task for forty minutes, I should think and then the steamer Indian Empress arrived and took us all on board, but it is doubtful if that woman would have revived unless we had been able to get her into the warmth of the engine room.”
The steamer Indian Empress was in reality the Royal Naval trawler H.M.S.
Indian Empire and it was 5.30 in the afternoon when Dr. Foss was picked up by her after two hours in the sea.
Despite his early intentions to help the Allied war effort, he returned to New York as soon as he could, to make sure that the story of the sinking could be told. It was then quite widely circulated throughout them press of the United States and the rest of the world. He took the steamer, New York, from Liverpool, and landed in New York City on the 24th May!
In March 1916, Carl and his wife welcomed their first child, a daughter named Margaret Corolyn, and then in July 1918, their second daughter, Florence was born; however, she died in October of the same year.
Dr. Foss was convicted of conspiracy, and sentenced to 13 months imprisonment at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in 1919, following the murder of a settler and post master named Jacob Krause in November 1917 in what was a newly established town named Hydro, close to Havre. This town never really got established and doesn’t exist today. It appears that in 1913, Dr. Foss, and his siblings, Alvin, Eddie, and Minnie, along with some others, began buying land in and around the convenience store run by Jacob Krause, in what was being named Hydro. A dispute over settlement of some land between Minnie Foss and another person resulting in Jacob Krause giving evidence against Miss Foss, and she lost the case. Carl Foss and his siblings – referred to in the local newspapers as the “Foss Gang”, were involved in a number of land disputes in the area, and Jacob Krause often gave evidence against them. In November 1917, Jacob Krause was in his home, with one of his children sitting on his knee, when he was assassinated by a bullet discharged through a window of his home. Carl, Alvin, and Eddie Foss, along with two others, were charged with various offences, and Carl Foss was convicted of conspiracy. Nobody was ever charged and convicted of the murder due to lack of evidence. Dr. Foss appealed his conviction, but lost the case and was committed to prison in late 1920. He was released on parole in April 1921, having served about six months of his sentence, and returned to his profession as a physician in Havre.
As a result of the injuries he received in the sinking, Dr. Foss developed a serious kidney disease, which did not respond favourably to treatment. In February 1924, he was operated, on and discovered to have had a gangrenous appendix. At first he responded to treatment, but then developed nephritis – inflammation of the kidneys, and he subsequently died on 25th February 1924. He was buried in Highland Cemetery, Havre.
Prior to his death, he had submitted a claim for compensation for his injuries, and the loss of his personal belongings and surgical equipment in the sinking. On 7th January 1925, the Mixed Claims Commission decided his claim and awarded his wife the sum of $12,000.00, and his daughter the sum of $8,000.00, in compensation for the injuries suffered by Dr. Foss, and his subsequent death, and awarded his wife a further $3,500.00 in compensation for the loss of his personal belongings and surgical equipment.
Montana State Deaths 1907 – 2016, 1900 U.S. Federal Census, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, 1920 U.S. Federal Census, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, U.S. World War 1 Draft Registration Cards 1917 – 1918, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 2488, New York Times, Westmorland Gazette, Yorkshire Post, Chester Reporter, Great Falls Daily Tribune, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.