Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-09-07
Not Established How Allan
Liner Hesperian Was De
stroyed OFF Fastnet.
AMERICANS RESCUED
Latter Employed as Stew
ards, Consul Reports
Seventeen Killed.

Washington. D. c. Sept. Com I
Imanding officers Of the sunken liner
Hesperian. in joint affidavit for
warded TO the state department to-
day, declared that from the fragments
Of steel which fell on the deck, it was
"indubitably" shown that the ship
was struck by torpedo.
Commander Main and the first and
second officers of the Hesperian made
the affidavit which was cabIed by
American Consul Frost at Queens /
town. They asserted that the torpedo
struck the ship about eight feet below
the water line and the steel fragments
few about the deck with large quaint /
ties Of water. They also declared
that there was a strong odor of high
explosive and that the Hesperian had
a "siz-inch gun" on board which had
been painted q service gray and
would not have been conspicuous even
at short range"
Washington, Sept Whether the
Allan liner Hesperian was sunk by
torpedo or a mine remains unsettled.
The state department and White
house continued today 70 delay action
or decision, Secretary Lansings re-
ports failed TO establish exactly how
the ship was destroyed. Ambassador
Page transmitted information he had
received from the British admiralty
which discIaimed that the ship had
/ been used in military service at all
since the beginning Of the war.
The official disposition is to give
full opportunity for receipt Of Official
/ reports from both German and Brit
/ .ish sources.
The consular officers in England
meanwhile viii gather statements
from Americans who were on board.
A eabIegram from American Consul
Frost stated the Hesperian sank near
where she was torDedoed."
The Allan line believes there were
no American passengers his mes
sage said Two American stewards
were saved Francis J. DulIas of BuG-
falo and Barney McMiIIen of Grand
Rapids. Both We're below when the
torpedo struck. Total loss of life
perhaps twenty"
Nay Alter Attitude.
There is a strong possibility that
the United States may change its atti-.
tude toward what constitutes arming
d merchant vessel. and in the light of
the development Of submarine war.
fare, may hold that the mounting of
small defense guns only, heretofore +
considered as not armiug a ship, may
be considered armament, which will
remove the vessel from the uon-cOm- /
Blatant class.
State department officials gave
strong indications of this today and
stated that when the United States, at
the beginning Of the war, declared !
that passenger ships CARRYING defense
guns of small caHbre would be per !
mitted to enter and leave American +
ports and would not be classed as /
war vessels, submarine warfare had
not developed to its present stage.
officials pointed out that Al gun, +
such as is reported to have been
mounted on the Hesperian. is of sufi- T
cient size TO sink submarine. Proof /
of this fact, officials think, might be +
construed as a purpose to challenge /
the German b1ocl1ages. It was point
ed out in the same connection that
the British ship Waimana, mounting q +
small gun. has been held up for some
time at Newport News. while the state +
department has been deciding her
status.
Officials admitted that a decision on
this point involving q change in the
American procedure toward such .
ships would be Of far-reaching i'm
portance to the international situation +
arising over the submarine question.