The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-07-03
BRITISH STEAMER ARMENIAN
SUNK By GERMAN sUBMA-
~ .r RINE.
action Comes rs Sensation to Onlclal
Washington. Where IL Was Hoped
That Friendship of Germans Would
% Establishcd-Governmcnt Will
Investigate Facts Before Taking Ac-
4 tien.

A'V"S' w. to rfnshnu, wa
torpedoed and sunk Monday night b,
the German submarine U-3s off Corn
vail. England. and nearly n score o.
American muleteers aboard are re
ported lost, according to a message e
the state department today from Johr
y. Armstrong. Jr.. consul at Bristol
Twenty-Five men In all were lost and
tan injured.
The news created a sensation In OF.
ncial quarters. as II was the first case
of loss OF American lives since the
sinking OF the Lusitania. The action
of the United states government, how.
ever, depends almost entirely on
whether the Armenian was chartered
by tho British government and was
I'm tact. a transport OF war aboard
which Americans would sail at their
own risk. or whether she was an III
armed merchantman. In the latter
case. oven though carrying contra.
band. officials held the ship should be
subjected to visit and search and
those aboard transferred to a place of
safety before the destruction of the
vessel was attempted.
In the absence OF conclusive infor-
mauYn on these points. officials de-
ciintd to say what effect the sinking
of the Armenian would have on pend
Ing negotiations between the United
States and Germany. Immediate in
auiry was directed. however. to Am
bassndor Page at London to obtain
morei details and when Secretary
Lansing returns tomorrow Ambassa-
dor Gerard will be instr 1cted to In
auirf. OF the German admiralty as to
It's REPORT.
From the messages received II ap-
pears that In addition to the torpedo
st least one shot was fred from dis
appearing rifle. The consul's report
said the wireless house was taken
by second shot" It was not made
clear whether the Armenian first was
ordcrsd 70 halt anil resIsted capture
TeQuirlng second shot or whether
the Submarine attack ed without warn
ing The fact that the number OF
the submarine was given indicated
that she had come to the surface to
make the attack.
Mules are contraband OF war, ac-
cording to all the lists OF the bel
iigorent. so there can be no doubt
as TO the contraband character of
the Armenian's cargo. ohicials will
make an effort to learn. however,
whether the vessel was armed and
whether she was part OF the British
naval forces before the opinion OF the
state department on the case will be
disclosed.
All the dispatches received we're
promptly telegraphed to President
Wilson at Cornish and Secretary Ian
sing mt Amherst. Mass. and Il was
considered probable that they would
communicate with each other while
In New England.
The messages from Consul Arm
strong did not show clearly just how
many Americans were lost. In his
list OF Americans missing he named
20 muletcers--elght whites and is
negroes-who were unaccounted for.
but later the telegrams spoke of DIR.
y. s. Viso. Puerto Rican. and three
negroes as having been picked up by
q submarine and aother survivors by
Belgian trawler and transferred TO
the British destroyers which brought
them into Bristol.
Unofficial advices here tonight were
90 the effect that the Armenian had
been chartered by tho Leyland line to
the Dominion line. which Ia under
stood TO have contract for the ship
ment OF mules for the British gov
ernment and has made many trips In
the mule trade I'm the past few months
oficlals here will inquire whether
the vessel carried any British officers
and what measure OF control the
British government had over the ship
II ls taken for granted that the
Armenian was unarmed. Even IL sh,
actually had been under charter by
the British government, there Is an
understanding between the United
States and Great Britain that none o
the iatter's ships shall be given clear
ance from American ports II armed.
officials tonight were inclined to tn,
view that the case would hinge large
ly upon whether the Armenian wa
given> warning and whether she at
temp,~d to escape after being ordered
TO stop. The right OF a vessel to at
tempt To escape upon sighting "A hos
tile warship was upheld I'm the las