The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1915-02-25
FIRST STEAMER
OF ]. S. IS SUNK
THE EVELYN STRIKES MINE OR
SUBMARINE AT sHoRKUM.
GERMANY is NOT ACCOUNTABLE
Destruction Did Not ocur in Death
4 Zone" Established About British
isles-Probabiy No One Viii
Ever Know Who Planted Mine.

Washington, Feb. %. - Germany
will not be held to strict accountable
ity for the destruction of the Ameri-
can steamer Evelyn at Bhorkum if
the present administration views
carry.
Practically entire redress will be
gained through civil proceedings by
the vessels owners against Germany
if at the end of the war it can be
proved Germany placed the destroy.
ing mine.
While the official view is that this
incident adds to the gravity of an al
ready delicate situation, the authori-
ties hold that Germany has not
transgressed the American death
warning.
In the first place the Evelyn was
apparently destroyed by mine off
body will ever know what nation
planted the mine second, there is no
law against the planting of mines;
third, the destruction was accom-
plished outside what is termed the
death zone. ..
Vessel Strikes Mine.
Berlin, Feb. % (yia London) The
American steamship Evelyn, which
left New York January 20 with car
go OF cotton for Bremen, struck a
mine off Borkum island in the North
sea on Friday. The vessel sank Her
captain and q of her crew were saved
placed the mine.
tIhe Evelyn was a single screw
steamship. commanded by Captain
Smith. She belonged to A. H. Bull
Co. OF New York and was chartered
by the Harriss.lrby Cotton company to
take a cargo of cotton to Bremen. She
was built in 1883 at Southampton and
was of 1886 tons gross burden She
was 252 feet long and 1868 feet BEAM
Washington 10 Told.
Washington. Feb. 22.-Oficial an
nOuncement that the American steam
ship Evelyn was blown up and lost on
Friday in the North sea was made
when the state department gave out
the following cablegram received from
the American consul at Bremen:
The Evelyn, Captain Smith, agent
Bull & Co. of New York, blown up
Friday at Borkum. Crew saved Ship
and cargo lost. This telegram via Rot
terdam.
Secretary Bryan at once had the
cablegram reported to the ambassa-
doris at Berlin and London with in
structions to see that every provision
was made for the crew and to report
all the facts of the explosion as soon
as obtained. The message fails to
state whether the vessel was de-
stroyed, by mine of some other
agency, but in the absence of definite
information it is presumed a mine
was the agency.
The explosion took place probably
twenty to twenty-five miles north of
the German town Of Emden Borkum
Is one of the east Tristan islands. 1t
Is not known by what route the Evelyn
reached Borkum, but as Bremen, her
destination, Is east of Borkum, it was
thought that she had put through the
English channel. g.
The fact that the state department,
after receiving the news officially,
has asked for a report both from
Walter Hines Page, the American am
bassador at London, and James w.
Gerard, the American ambassador at
Berlin, indicates that the United
States wants to know what Germany
has to say about the. incident and
what England has to say about it be-
fore any formal inquiry or represen.
tation is made.
An English transport with troops
of Kttchener's new army which is be-
ing rushed to France on board, and
another steamship accompanying 1t,
have been sunk, according to q wire
less dispatch from Berlin received by
the International News Service, via
Sayville, N. j. This is the first news
of disaster to military transport
which has reached the United States
Berlin dispatches via London fail to
mention the sinking of the transport,
and 1t ia believed the item was de-
leted by the English censors. e.
In addition to the two ships men,
toned in the Berlin dispatch three
more were destroyed In the blockade
Of the British coast Sunday, making
the total ten since the Germans in
augurated their campaign against
British shipping. The other three
ships destroyed are:
American cotton steamer, Evelyn,
mined in the North sea.
British merchant vessel Downshire,
torpedoed by submarine in the Irish
sea.
British mine-sweeper destroyed by
mine off Newport
British Merchantmen Sunk.
London, Feb. 2a.-According to a.
Central News Dispatch, the British