New Britain herald., 1915-12-31

reply of the Austrian government to the second American note on the sinking of the steamship Ancona, with the loss of American livesy is for warded to Reuters Telegram com pany from jenna by way of Amster- dam. The note says:
 "In reply to the second American Ancona note, the Austro- Hungarian government fully agrees with the Washington cabinet that the sacred laws of humanity should be taken into account also in war and emphasizes that it, in the course of this war, has given numerous proof of the most hu- mane feelings.
 Concurs in Principle.
 "The Austro-Hungarian govern ment, too, can positively concur in the principle that enemy private ves- sels, so far as they do not fly or offer resistance, shall not be destroyed be- fore the persons aboard are secured.
 The assurance that the United States government attaches value to the maintenance of the existing good rtlat1ons between Austro-Hungary and the United States is warmly recipro- cated by the Austro- Hungarian gov ernment, which now, as heretofore, is anxious to render these relations still more cordial"
 The Austrian reply states that the commander of tn Austrian submarine has been punished for not sufficiently taking account of the panic aboard tht Ancona which rendered disem- barkation more difficult
 Inquiry Into Sinking.
 The Hungarian government then communicates the results of the inquiry into the sinking of the An coma which was recently concluded The inquiry showed that the com mander of the submarine from a great distance, in the first instance, fired a warning shot on the steamer, sighted at 11:40 in the forenoon, which he at first believed to be a transport steam CT, at the same time giving a signal for the vessel to stop. As the steamer failed to, and tried to es- cape, the submarine gave chase and fired sixten shells at the steamer of which three were observed to hit. The steamer stopped only after the third hit, whereupon the commander ceased firing.
 Already during the flight, it is de- clared, when at full speed the steam CT dropped several boats filled with people, which at once capsized After the steamer stopped, the comma nder of the submarine observed that six boats were fully manned and they speedily rowed away from the steam CT.
 Great Panic Prevailed.
 Approaching nearer the commander of the submarine saw that great panic prevailed aboard the steamer and that he had before him the pas senger vessel Ancona on account of which he gave those aboard more time than was necessary to leave the vessel in life boats. At least ten life boats were still aboard, which would have more than sufficed to rescue the persons still on the vessel, but as no other preparations were made to hoist out the boats, the commander de- cided, after the expiration of forty live minutes, to torpedo the vessel in such manner that it ought to remain affoat for still longer time, in order to leave sufficient opportunity for the people still aboard to be rescued.
 Shortly afterwards a steamer be- came visible. which steamed toward the submarine. As the commander of the submarine, who believed the steamer to be an enemy cruiser. had to reckon with an attack. he sub- merged at 12:35, firing a torpedo into the foremost cargo hold of the An coma. No more boats aboard the ves- sel were lowered although persons were still visible aboard
 Steamer Sank Slowly.
 The steamer sank so slowly that the submarine commander at irst doubted the steamer would sink. Only at 1:20 o'clock did it sink, bow first.
 During these further forty-five min- utes it is averred all the persons aboard could have easily have been saved with the available boats From he circumstances that this did not oc- cur the commander concluded that the crew. contrary to all the rules of Inc seas, accomplished their own res cue in the first boats and left the pass angers to themselves.
 The entire loss of life, the note sets forth. cannot be attributed in the first instance to the sinking of the vessel, but in some degree to the dropping of the first boats while the steamer was proceeding at full speed and, to the fact that the crew only thought of their own safety and did not rescue the passengers from the boats, and also to the shells to which the fleeing vessel was sub ected. But the death of the per sons drowned with the sinking vessel, must, above all. be ascribed to the 'culpable behavior" of the crew.
 Incorrect Supposition.
 The Austrian reply then states that he American note in several points based incnrrect S1lnnncifinnc