Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-02-24
j. s. SHIP sunk
BY MINE; BRITISH
TROOPS DIE At SEA
American Steamer Evelyn Blown
Up in North Sea.
ALL ON BOARD ARE SAVED
English Transport and Escort De-
stroyed While Carrying Soldiers
to France-Mine-Sweep
Sent to the Bottom.

Berlin, Feb. % (via London) The
American steamship Evelyn, which
left New York January 20 with a car
go OF cotton for Bremen, struck a
mine on Borkum island in the North
sea on Friday. The vessel sank. Her
captain and 81 of her crew were saved.
1t has not been learned what nation
placed the mine.
CThe Evelyn was a single screw
steamship, commanded by Captain
Smith. She belonged to A. H. Bull
& Co. of New York and was chartered
by the Harriss-Irby Cotton company to
take cargo of cotton to Bremen. She
was built in 1883 at Southampton and
was of 1896 tons gross burden. She
was 252 feet long and 1868 feet beam.)
Washington Is Told.
Washington, Feb 22.-Official an
nOuncement that the American steam
ship Evelyn was blown up and lost on
Friday in the North sea was made
when the state department gave out
the following cablegram received from
the American consul at Bremen:
The Evelyn, Captain Smith, agent
Bull & Co. of New York, blown UP
Friday at Borkum. Crew saved. Ship
and cargo lost. This telegram via Rot
terdam.
Secretary Bryan at once had the
cablegram reported to the ambassa-
doris at Berlin and London with in
structions to see that every provision
was made for the crew and to report
all the facts of the explosion as soon
as obtained. The message fails to
state whether the vessel was de-
strOyed by a mine of some other
agency, but in the absence of definite
information it is presumed a mine
was the 40 ~.
The eX. On took place probably
twenty to l.. enty-fVe miles north of
the German town Of Emden Borkum
is one of the east Tristan islands 1t
is not known by what route the Evelyn
reached Borkum, but as Bremen, her
destination, is east of Borkum, it was
thought that she had put through the
English channel
The fact that the state department,
after receiving the news officially,
has asked for a report both from
Walter Hines Page, the American am
bassadOr at London, and James w.
Gerard, the American ambassador at
Berlin, indicates that the United
States wants to know what Germany
has to say about the incident and
what England has to say about it be
fore any formal inquiry or represen-
tatiOn is made.
An English transport with troops
of Kitchener's new army which is be-
ing rushed to France on board, and
another steamship accompanying it,
have been sunk, according to a wire
less dispatch from Berlin received by
the International News Service, via
Sayville, n. J. This is the first news
of disaster to a military transport
which has reached the United States.
Berlin dispatches via London fail to
mention the sinking of the transport,
and it is believed the item was de-
leted by the English censors.
In addition to the two ships men
toned in the Berlin dispatch three
more were destroyed in the blockade
of the British coast Sunday, making
the total ten since the Germans in
augurated their campaign against
British shipping. The other three
ships destroyed are:
American cotton steamer, Evelyn,
mined in the North sea.
British merchant vessel Downshire,
torpedoed by submarine in the Irish
sea.
British mine-sweeper destroyed by
8 mine off Newport.
British Merchantmen Sunk.
London, Feb. 22.-According to a
Central News dispatch, the British
trading ship Downshire was sunk by
a German submarine off the Calf of
Man, an island in the Irish sea.
The crew was given five minutes in
which to take to the boats. They
were picked up by a trawler and land
ed at Dundrum, in County Mayo.
The Downshire is the second mer-
chairman sunk since the German
blockade was begun.
Mine-Sweeper Sunk.
Berlin, Feb. % wireless via Say
Ville) Main army headquarters is.
sued the following state10nt:
ION the western front near Nieu-
port an enemy ship, probably a mine
sweeping vessel, touched a mine and
sank. One of the enemy destroyers
disappeared when it was shelled by
the German land batteries"
Cadiz, Feb. 22.-The German consul
at Cadiz has advised all Spanish ship
owners not to send their vessels to
england because of the blockade. He