New Britain herald., 1915-07-15

AANAAACS AAAAASAAS~AAe AsS
 TOrpedoed by Submarine BERLIN EXPRESSES REGRET Claims Attack 'sWas Not Meant for
 the American Flag But Is to Be
 Considered as an Unfortunote
 Accident
 Washington. July 15.--Germany, in an official memorandum transmit ed today from Berlin by Ambassador Gerard, admits that the American steamer Nebraskan was torpedoed by a submarine, expressed regret and readiness to the reparation, and as- sures the United States that the at tack was not meant TOT the Amcri- can flag but is to be considered an unfortunate accident.
 Secretary Lansing made public the German memorandum, which dis poses of the question whether the Nebraskarl was struck by torpedo or by a mine The German memoran- dunn closes the incident, it was said. except as to the payment of dam ages.
 State Department Statement.
 The state department made this announcement.
 Ambassador Gerard has telegraph ed to the state department the fol- lowing memorandum from the Ger man foreign office relative to the damaging of the American steamer Nebraskan by 8 German submarine:
 The German government receiv- ed from newspaper reports the intelli- gence that the American steamer Ne braskan, had been damaged by mine or torpedo, on the southwest coast of Ireland. It therefore started a thor ough investigation of the case with out delay, and from the result of the investigation it has become convinced that the damage to the Nebraskan
 Attack Was Mistake.
 :" On the evening of May 25. last,
 
 westward without a flag and with no neutral markings on her freeboard, about 35 nautical miles west of Fast net Rock. No appliance of any kind for the illumination of the flag or markings was to be seen. In the twilight, which had already set in, the name of the steamer was not .visi-. ble from the submarine. Since the commander of the submarine was obliged to assume from his wide ex- perience in the area of maritime war, that only English steamers and no neutral steamers traversed this war area without flag and markings, he attacked the vessel with torpedo, in the conviction that he had an enemy vessel before him.
 .t Some time after the shot the commander saw tho vessel had in the meantime hoisted the American flag. As a consequence he, of course, re- trained from any further attack. Since the vessel remained afioat he had no occasion to concern himself further with the boats which had been launched. s
 Not Meant for American Flag.
 "'It results from this, without a doubt, that attack on the steamer Ne braskan was not meant for the Ameri- can flag; nor is it traceable to any fault on the part of the commander of the German submarine; but is to be considered an unfortunate accident. The German government expresses it's regret at the occurrence to the gov ernment of the United States of America and declares it's readiness to make compensation for tthe damage thereby sustained by American citi- zens. .
 The official report of the attack for warded. by Ambassador Page. after in vestigatfon by Lieutenant John H. Towers, naval attache of the em mbassy, stated that the Nebraskan was in water ballast outbound from Liver pooI for Delaware Breakwater, and that although her flag had been hauled down just after sunset, as is the custom, there were painted on her sides in letters six feet high, the words: .Nebraskan, New York"
 Headed for Liverpool.
 After the attack the ship headed about for Liverpool and conveyed by British ships, reached the port safely. no one was seriously hurt in the ex- plosion, which left evidences causing some doubt at first whether the ship bad been struck by g, torpedo or a mine. American naval officers, how ever, finally came to the conclusion that it was torpedo.
 The Nebraskan case, coming close on the sinking of the 1usitania and coupled with the attack on the Gulf light threatened to become one of the important issues in the contro- versy with Germany over submarine warfare. There were some circum- stances which made the case com plex s " The Nenra ska n had heen ,,nior: