The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1915-09-02
SUBMARINE THAT. -.
SUNK ARABIC Lost
Germany Cannot Now Explain
Commanders Action.
DESTROYED BY THE BRITISH
Dispatch From Liverpool Says w.
Boat Was ShetIed by Patrol Ship
and the Entire Crew
Perish1d.

Liverpool, Sept. 1.-The German
submarine which sank the White Star
liner Arabic was sunk the following
day by a British patrol boat. This
fact was confirmed here. While the
submarine was engaged in trying to
hold up the Leyland liner NiCosian,
British patrol boat came up and
shelled the subr arine. All the mem
bers Of the submarines crew lost their
lives. The Arabic was sunk on Au-
gust 20. The Nicosian reached Liver
pool on August 81 and reported that
she had been attacked by submarine
but had managed to escape safely.
This incident, coupled with the &C
tivities of the British navy, While COM
paratively insignificant from a mill
tary viewpoint, will probably prove Of
marked Importance in smoothing the
way to friendly settlement of this
phase OF the controversy between the
United States and Germany.
Everyone here believes that, except
as to minor details, the settlement Of
the Arabic affair will reduce the Lusi-
tania dispute to the status OF moot
case.
Obstacle Is Removed.
The sinking of the offending U-boat,
which seems to have been accompanied
by the loss of her commander and
crew, removes the one obstacle to full
flllment of the pledge of the German
imperial chancellor, DR.. Won Beth
mann-Hollweg, to give the United
States complete satisfaction" in case
It was proved that the Arabic was
sunk without warning by a German
submarine
This obstacle was the implied inten-
ton of showing GermEnys good faith
in disclaiming responsibility by pun
fishing under naval law the command
err Immediately responsible for the de-
struction of the Arabic.
The request of Count Won Bern
storff, German ambassador, that the
American government take no steps
until the German report on the sink
ing OF the Arabic could be received
at once aroused the hope that Ger
many had given orders that passenger
ships at least he not attacked with
out warming.
The statement in the ambassadors
telegram to Mr.. Lansing that while
the good faith of witnesses among the
Arabic crew was not questioned, the
facts could not be as they reported
them, gave this hope little less than
positive confirmation, and every ut.
terance since from official Germany
has fitted in with this construction of
the ambassadors request, which he
was careful to state was submitted
on direct orders from his government.
DisavowaI to Satisfy U. S.
Now, however, it is expected that
Germany, being unable to furnish evil
dence in rebuttal, will, perhaps with
express reluctance, find itself forced
to accept as true the statements of
the passengers and crew. On this
basis a disavowal even If coupled with
an expression of regret that the Ger
man government is unable to fur
nish the official version of it's COM
mander, could easily be made in a
way that would be satisfactory to the
United States.
AS such a disavowal would carry
with It either in terms or by direct
Implication. notice that the condition
of submarine warfare had been soft.
ened this might be construed as the
assurance" demanded by the Ameri-
can government in all its notes on the
Lusitania incident.