New Britain herald., 1915-07-26
AMERICAN STEAMER LEELANAW SUNK BY
 GERMAN SUBMARINE
U. s. Graft, Bound for Belfast With Cargo of Flax, Tor
 pedoed Off Scotland

vESSEL'S CkEW OAYED
 BROUGHT TO KIRKWA ALL Washington onacials shocked at In
 cident, in Which They See Further s Aggravation of the Situation Be-
 tween Germany and the United
 States British Steamship Grange
 wood Sunk in North Sea.
 London, July 26, 2:16 p. m.-The % American steamship Leelanaw, from Archangel. July for Belfast with cargo of flax, was torpedoed and sunk on July 25 by a German sub marine off the northwest coast of Scotland.
 All the members of the crew of the Archangel were saved. They were brought into Kirkwan in their own boats.
 q ALS1lt NEW A oA h tASA6aJ II = !. s The steamer left New York May IT with. cargo of cotton consigned to Russia by way of Gothenburg. The vessel was detained at Kirkwall and released on June 26 with permission to proceed to Archangel where. the cotton was discharged and cargo of flax was loaded for Belfast
 The Leelanaw was commanded by Captain D. B. Delk. Her crew con- sisted of seven officers and thirty-tWo men and her owners, the Harby Steamship company of New Y York planned to return the LeelanaW in ballast to this country.
 The official statement of the Ger man government issued April IS, 1915, set forth that flax is contraband of war. sa
 The Leeianaw was owned by the Harby Steamship company of New York. She was formerly called the Earnwell She was 2S0 feet long and of 1924 gross tons. She left Calves ton May 5 and New York May IT. with a cargo of cotton for Archangel. Early in June she was detained by the British authorities at Kirkwall, on the ground that her cargo. destined for Russia. was consigned by way Of Gothenburg, Sweden, which country forbidS the export of cotton. K !. Having discharged her cargo at Archangel it is said that the Lee- lanaW was returning from Archangel when she was torpedoed
 Shock to Officials.
 Washington, July 26.-The tor pedoing of the American steamer Iee1anaN is a shock to American or fcials, who see Tn the incident further agsravation of the situation between Germany and the United States.
 They hesitated today, in the ab- gsence of details, to construe the act ] as coming within the warning of the last American note. which pointed out that further violation of Internation- @ al law affecting American citizens was to be regarded as deliberately unfriendly. 7
 Ignored Earlier Note.
 The view taken was that Germany. Tn effect, had ignored and disregard ed an earlier note sent in connection with the sinking of the American sail Ing ship William F. Frye, by the German cruiser Prinz Eitel Friedrich.
 In the communication. the United States vigorously asserted it's possi- tion even though an American ship carried contraband of war. it was peculiarly protected from destruction by the stipulations of the Prussian American treaty of 1928 Flax, which Was being carried by the Leelanaw " was declared absolute contraband by Germany on April Is, as retaliation against the British contraband decIar- ton.
 While precedent of international Law in recent years, particularly by the declaration of London, have real 1xed the report of a belligerent to s1nk neutral vessel carrying contra band if the ship was certain of con demnation by prize court, the action has been limited to cases when the taking of testimony in court would involve danger to the vessel making the capture.
 Same Lines As Frye.
 The case of the Leelanaw. it was indicated by officials, would be argued along the same lines as the Frye as soon as an official report was 6re- ceIved. Saving of the lives of the crew, they thought, could not allay the failing of the American govern ment that Germany had not violated International Law in the case Of Americans travelling on unresisting merchantmen, but had in the present War. Violated treaty of nearly cen tury's standing. Under that treaty the American government considers that the American ships Gul1ight and Nebraskan which were torpedoed without warning. the William F. Frye