The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-05-11
MERCHANT VESSELS
WITH PASSENGERS
|. PREY Of SEAWASPS
Loss OF Liner LuSitania Throws
Into Bold Relief German
Submarine Methods
TORPEDOING OF FALABA
AR0USES AMERICAN FEELING
Then Follows Bombarding Of
Cushing and Attack Upon
Tanker GuIfight

The sinking of the Cunard liner Lu-
sitania has thrown into the boldest
relief the so-cane1 German submarine
blockade OF the BritiIh Isles.
When tho blockade was first insti
tuted by Grand Admiral Won Ttrpttz
Of tho Kaiser navy the prey OF the
undersea hunters were fat fretghters
and heavily laden cargo tramps. Then,
pass n Eor { arrying freighters were sim
gled out for attack, and now the great
transatlantic ferries evidently are be-
ing made the chief object Of the sub
marine raiders. The North Sea trawl4
ers have been concidered fair game for
these serpents Of the ocean ever since
the campaign against the commerce OF
Great Britain was inaugurated.
During the first week of the present
month sixteen British trawlers were
sunk in the North Sea by German sub,
marines and several others were chased
and shelled but esc aped. -.
THE PALABA INCIDENT
Feeling in the United States wa
stirred up when, on Mar; h %, the
Falaba, a 3000-ton steamer Of the
Elder Dempster Line was torpedoed OF
the welsh coast near Milford Haven
while outward bound from Liverpool
to the West Coast of Africa. In addi
t1on to her czew of 100 men, she car
ried lao passengers. More than 100
Of the passengers and crew were lost,
The Falaba put on extra speed and
tried TO escape when first sgnalled to
stop, and the submarine quickly over.
hauled her. A torpedo was launched
against her before half the passengers
and crew had tina to get into the
boats.
After the Falaba had sunk the sab.
marine stood by, according TO reports
and watched the struggles for life ic
the icy waters. Those aboard made n"
effort to help the passengers from thu
torpedoed vessel, some Of the crew gath
ering en- deck and jeering at the death
struggles, the same reports assert.
The submarine which sunk the Falabs
Is said by a survivor to have been q
tremendous boat, without having any
number showing on either side of her
AMERICAN PASSENGER LOST
The British trawler Eileen picked w
many of the Passengers and crew OF
the Falaba. Among the lost passen
gers was an American citizen, Leon
Chester Thresher, from. Hardwick
Worcester county, Massachusetts,.
| Before the Falaba was torpedoed her
wireless man sent out message that
the vessel had been torpedoed and that
the crew had taken to the boats, giving
the position. The submarine interrupt
ed with her wireless and ordered the
Falaba not to send any more messages
The death Of Thresher was the frs
American death resulting from the Ger
man submarine program.
On the same day the Falaba was
sunk a German submarine torpedoed
another British steamer, the Aguila
after killing by gunfire woman pas
senger end several members of the crew
as they were leaving in the ship s
boats.
On April 80 TIE Amer1r an steamer
Gushing, from Philadelphia for Rot
terda.n, arrived at the latter port and
reported that during the voyage she
had been attacked by German aviators
in the North Sea. Two bombs were
dropped by the airmen, the vessel be,
ing unchanged. The Cushing was Ly,
ing the American nag at the time and
had her name displayed on her side in
huge letters.
GULFLIGHT FIRST U. 8. LOSS
Public feeling was still further
shocked when, on May /, the American
tank steamer Gulhight, commended by
Captain Gunter. bound from Port Ar
thur (Texas) for. Rouen, was attac ked
by German submarine of the Scilly
isles, ana as a result of torpedo ex
plpston had to be beached to prevent
her foun6eting. %,..
Contain Center died as result OF
the shock occasioned by the attack or
his vessel. and Charles Short of Chi
cago, the ship's wirelesS generator. anc
Eugene Japhaneta of Port Arthur,
seaman, were blown overheard by tn.
force Of I've explosion and drowned.
The Gulhight' was the first American
ship TO, be lost in the Submarine cam
paiRn Against Irerchant shipping.
During the week the anlhight wa.
torredoed the Norwegian schooner %
lumbta, the British steamer Fulgent
the French steamer Europe and thu
Swedish steamer Hlida were sent &c
the bottom through the actiN itv of Ger