Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1915-07-21
BRITISH SHIP ORDUNA FIRED
At by German Submarine-No Warm
ingS Given, Says Captain.


New York, July 17.-The British
passenger liner Orduna, with 227 pas
! sengers aboard, 81 Of whom were
| Americans, was attacked without
warning by a German submarine at
16 hours out Of Liverpool, on her
| way to New York.
Announcement of the attack was
made by the ships captain Thos. McC
Taylor, and passengers when the Or
duna reached here to-day.
A torpedo was fired at the steamer
and missed by ten yards. Twenty
minutes later a submarine rose to
the surface, and for half an hour pur-
sued the steamer, firing shells which
whiStled over the decks above the
heads Of passengers standing there
with their life belts on.
Ten minutes before the attack a
sailing ship with two American flags
painted on her sides was seen ahead
Capt. Taylor became suspicious Of
| this craft and began manOeuvering
| his snip. Then came the attack. the
| first warning Of which was the streak
| OF torpedo which whirled through
the water and missed the Orduna's
stern by about ten yards.
| Stewards ran below and aroused
the passengers, who rushed to the
upper decks. They were assembled
near the bridge. Life belts were ad-
justed and life boats swung out. The
crew stood ready to launch the
boats. A shell kicked up a minia-
ture geyser in the Orduna's wake.
| The submarine had the range.
Capt. Taylor turned the stern of
the vessel toward the assailant and
ordered all speed ahead. Within
from two to five minutes another
shell passed over the heads Of the
assembled passengers.
third shell passed over head so
close that it seemed to clip a life boat
and Capt. Taylor ordered The pas
sengers to a lower deck The life
| boats were swung lower, so the pas
sengers might step into them with
out delay. The shelling continued
shots falling about the steamer at in
| tervals OF from two to five minutes
For about half an hour the subma-
rine pursued the liner with the span
| ofawater between them lengthening
each minute. Seven shots were fired
in all. Four of them passed over the
decks. The other three fell close to
| The ship. Then the submarine, out
| distanced, gave up the chase.
Adds Gravity to Situation.
Washington, July 1S.-into the
grave situation chat has developed be-
tween the United States and Ger
many over the sinking Of the Lusita-
MIA was thrust another issue when
1t was revealed that the British
steamer Orduna, carrying a score of
Americans, had been attacked by a
German submarine.
should first reports Of an attcmH
to torpedo without warning be borne
out by the official investigation about
to be instituted, it was indicated in
Official quarters that the United
States probably would regard the in
cldent as adding a grave element to
the already strained relations be-
tween the two countries.
Lacking information as to the cir
cumstances of the attack, officials
were unable to predict tonight to
what extent the Orduna case would
aggraTate the situation, but they
thought the question would certainly
compel serious consideration by
President Wilson and his cabinet in
formulating the next step in the
policy of the United States toward
the activities Of German submarines
and the safety Of Americans on the
high seas.