The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-18
Vienna Foreign Office De- nies Through Ambasssa- dor Penfeld That Any Shots Were Fired at Life boats After Steamer Was Overhauled.

Washington, Nov 18.-Secretary Lansing announced late yesterday that the official text of the Austrian version of the sinking of the Italian liner Ancona by an Austrian submar- inc had been received by cable from Ambassador Penfie1d at Vienna The Ambassador explained that this yer sion of the affair had been handed to him by the Austro- Hungarian For eign office.
 Tie statement is generally similar to the one received on Sunday from the Austrian Admiralty by the Aus-l tro Hungarian Embassy here, but diff fered slightly in translation, and con tained a phrase not previously made public, to the effect that the story that the submarine fired upon loaded boats and people in the water is malicious fabrication for the reason that ammunition was much too valu- able to the submarine, if for no other.
 The statement received today is not a reply to the instructions which Sec retary Lansing cab1ed to Ambassador Penfie1d yesterday, for that message has not had time to reach it's edeStin- ation- It was explained at the State Dapartmepk today that it required not less than two days for cipher mes sages to pass between Washington and vienna, and that it was not be- lieved that Secretary Lansing's mes sage would reach Vienna before to- morrow at the earliest No reply to the message is expected before next Monday Ambassador Penf1eld will ask for the evidence upon which the Austrian government bases the state ments contained in it's official version of the Ancona incident. This version has now reached the State Depart ment through two channels; first, through the medium of the Austro- Hungarian Embassy in Washington, and again, through the instrumentaI- ity of the Austrian Foreign Office statement which Ambassador Penfeld transmitted.
 Since. in both these versions the. Austrian government accepts full re- sponsibility for the attack on the An coma, the American government has no hesitancy in looking to that gov ernment rather than to Berlin for an explanation of the attack The Aus trian governments versions cannot be accepted by the American government as evidence On the contrary. it has been accepted merely as a statement that is unsupported by evidence The inquiries to be made of the Vii enna government by Ambassador Pen field will be of such a, character as tq enable Austria to submit not only it's evidence, such as the report of the commander of the submarine that made the attack, but also to indicate it's attitude toward unarmed merchant /
 The Foreign ohice' statement. cabled by Ambassador Penf1eld, reads as fol- lows: eaeE
 Submarine fired warning shot
 across bow of steamer whereupon
 latter fled at full speed. She thus
 carried out instructions officially
 given all Italian steamers at be-
 ginning of war to attempt escape ~
 upon being held up by submarines
 or to ram, according to position of
 latter.
 Escaping steamer pursued and
 fired upon by submarine, but did
 not stop until receiving several
 hits. Forty five minutes given
 passen gers and crew to leave ship, F. on which greatest panic reigned-
 Only portion of boats lowered,
 which were occupied by members A
 of the ships crew, who pulled
 hurriedly away Great portion of S
 boats. which would apparently
 sufieed for rescue of all hands.
 not occupied
 4 After about, 50 minutes subna-
 rine submerged on account rapidly
 approaching vessel, torpedoed An
 cona,# which did not sink until fur
 ther lapse of 45 minutes If many
 passengers lost lives, blame rests
 entirely with crew because, instead
 of stopping upon warning shots,
 fled, and compelled submarine to
 fire, and because crew endeavored
 to save only themselves and not
 passengers, for which there was
 ample time and means.
 Story that submarine fired upon
 loaded boats and people in water
 is a malicious fabrication, for sea- {
 son ammunition much too valuable
 for submarine if for no other No x
 further shot fired after vessel !
 stopped