The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-25
U-BOAT CAPTAIN SPARES CREW ON
 FLEEING VESSEL
Horse-Laden Steamer is Overtaken After Chase
 of 78 Miles.

many was seemingly increased today after a report was received on the tor pedoing of the British steamer Anglo Colombian undsr circumstances which were interpreted indicating Ger many's new policy with respect to at- tacks on merchantmen had already been in4dgurated.
 The circumstances of the Anglo-Co- lombian attack are looked upon by of f1cia1s here as constituting a gratify- ing observance of the fundamental principle for which President Wilson has been contending, namely, that merchant vessels must not be sunk without warning and until opportunity IS afforded to passengers and crew to escape, unless the merchant vessels forfeit their immunity from attack by attempting to escape or offering resist ance.
 The facts as to the sinking of the Anglo Colombian reached the State Department in a cablegram from Wes- ley Frost, the American Consul at Queenstown, Ireland. The text of the dispatch follows: I
 British horse transport Anglo-Co-sI Iombian, from Montreal to England, torpedoed off Fastnet after a chase of 7S miles at 9:so o'clock this morning. Fair warning was given in time to take to boats. Six Americans in Il the crew. No casualties
 Consul Fsrost's report was interpret GU S7S n10d1441lS I4AS1I AC I10 S11 OI lIl0 chase the submarine halted the Anglo Colombian, warned her captain that the vessel was to be sunk. gave them on board full opportunity of escape, and then fired the torpedo after all lives had been saved. As a result, the aim of the German government-the destruction of the ship the ground that it was an enemy vessel carrying contraband-was accomplished with out placing human life in peril. The American government argued from the beginning that such a line of action. could be pursued and the incident of the Anglo -Co1ombia is another evi- denec that the American demands can be safely compiled with.
 Acting Under New Orders.
 Undoubtedly the commander of the submarine acted under nominal in- structions from the German Admiral ty, for the treatment of the Anglo Colombian was different from that of the mule transports previously sunk 1 the Iberian and Anglo-California- which tried to escape and were sub jected to shell fire while fleeing. This would appear to bear out the asser- tions of the German government that orders would be issued in accordance with the terms of the pledge given to the American government in the fla nous Bernstorm memorandum of Sept. 1, which read:
 
 marines without warning and without safety of the lives of non n-eombatants provided the liners do not try to es- cape or offer resistance
 The Anglo-Colombian was not a liner in the strict sense of the term. The cablegram from Consul Frost shoWs, however-and it is so inter- preted by officials here-that the com mander of the submarine more than lived up to the Bernstorm pledge of r1,1 tary Lansing the same as one. that appears to be a recognition of the ! Fundamental principle for which we have contended.'' Consul Fyrost's mes sage stated not only that fair warn ing,' had been given, but that the Anglo-Co1onbta had been chased sev- enty-eight miles, which meant that the merchant vessel for at least four hours was endeavoring to escape from the submarine,
 l The American government has ad- mitted that vessels trying to escape lose their immunity from attack. Un- der this principle the submarine com mander, after having fired chal- lenging shot, couldt have torpedoed ] the Anglo-Co1ombian at any stage of the four-hour chase, and would have been Justified, because the vessel
 when challenged, was supposed to halt if she wished to preserve her inn
 nuhtty, and could only proceed sat I her own peril. It appears that in- stead of exercising an undoubted right to sink the steamer after she started to escape, the commander of I the submarine, possibly out of overabundance of precaution, refrain ed from torpedoing her until he had 5.overhau1ed her and giving fair warm I ing to enable all the members of the crew to escape.
 The Pledge Reiterated.
 The German pledge as given in the 1 Bernstorff meporandum of Sept. 1, | was reiterated in the recent German note on the Arabic case. delivered Sept. 7, in which # was stated by the Berlin government that:
 1 etAccerding to his instructions the commander. was not allowed to attack the Arabic without warning and with out saving the lives, unless the ship | attempted to escape or offered resist ance.''
 i This sentence from the Arabic note was interpreted as meaning that the instructions, constituting new Ger man policy. based on the Bernstorff pledge, had already been issued be- fore the Arabic was sunk. Unofficial intimations have reached WasI1ing gton that still further supplementary in- structions have been issued to German submarine commanders directing them to give vessels like the Arabic the benefit of any doubt as to their aggressive intentions. Under these latter instructions, according to in- formation that has come here unof- f1cialIy, German submarine command CTS are to permit liners to proceed rather than run the risk of losing hu- man life through a mistake, when- ever the commander is in doubt. In the Frye note just made public, the Berlin government said: tThe German government in order to fur nish to the American government evidence of it's cohciliatory attitude has issued orders to the German naval officers not to destroy American mer- chantnen which have loaded condi- tionaI contraband when the conditions