Evening star., 1915-12-08
AT ALEXANDRIA MONDAY.
ACCORDING TO DISPATCH
Italian and Greek Ships, Searching
Vicinity. Fail to Find Trace
of Disaster.
FIVE OF CREW U. S. CITIZENS
Petrolite, Owned by Same Company,
Said to Have Been Attacked
In Mediterranean on
Sunday.

LONDON, December 8. I2:47
p.m.-A telegram from Alexan-
dria, Egypt, received today by
Lloyds, says that the American
steamship Communipaw, reported
IN a Rome dispatch last night to
have been sunk off Tobruk, Tri-
poll, by submarine, arrived at
Alexandria Monday.
1t is inferred that possibly
some confusion has arisen in re-
gard to the identity of the vessel
torpedoed.
If the report of the torpedoing
OF the Communipaw is substan-
tiated she must have DISCHARGED
her cargo OF oil and have been on
the way to another port when at
tackled.
SOdSI wv QullCS AWAY.
F The point at which the Communipa W
is said to have been sunk corresponds
closely to the position of the Ameri-
can. tank ship Petrolite when it was
attacked by submarine Sunday. ac-
'eording to asrennrt received YESTERDAY.
The announcement from Rome of the
torpedoing of the Communipaw said
she had been sunk near Tobruk,
he rf
was given as off the southeast coast
of the Island Of Crete. The island lies
directly north of Tripoli, about 200
miles from the African coast.
New York Gets Confirmation.
NEW YORK, December s.-A dispatch
from Alexandria. Egypt. apparently
confirmatory of the report received by
London Lloyds, that the oil tanker
Communipaw was safe. was received
today by the Standard Oil offices here.
This message stated that the Com
munipaw reached Alexandria Sunday
last and would sail for New York
Tuesday yesterday.
The dispatch came from Capt. Nord-
strom of the Communipaw. and was
given out by David T. Warden. mana
ger of the foreign shipping department
of the Standard Oil Company of New
Jersey.
I'VE are anxiously awaiting word
from our vessel, the Petrolite," said M
Warden. but have received no news
except what we saw in the papers"
Whether mistake has been made in
reporting the Communipaw torpedoed
leaving Alexandria on her home voy-
age Standard Oil officials can only con-
lecture.
Tnn Cla1ry n
The Communipaw could make only
nine knots an hour Mr.. Warden said,
and assuming she left Alexandria yes
terday or even Monday, she could not
have gone $40 miles to point near
Tobruk. Tripoli. off where the original
ca Bile dispatch from Rome said the ship
had been struck. This dispatch was
filed at Rome at 1:45 pm. Tuesday, the
day the Standard Oil had been advised
the Communipaw left Alexandria.
II feel sure the Communipaw is safe,'
said Mr.. Warden. But we are still
puzzled as to what, if anything. has
happened to the Petrolite. We do NOT
expect any word from her until she
reaches Algiers.
German Steamer Originally.
Both the Communipaw and the Petro-
lite were purchased by the Standa rd
Oil Company from the German-Ameri
can Petroleum Company of Germany
after the beginning of the war, to-
gether with about twenty other oil
steamers. They were transferred 10
American registry.
The Communpaw. formerly named the
Deutschland, was a three -masted steel
steamer. She left New York October
~ for Alexandria, Egypt. but was de-
tanned at Genoa by the Italian authori-
ties until December ,.
The Petrolite left New York Noyem
ber for Alexandria with a cargo of
oil. According to Mr.. Warden, she had
discharged her cargo and was on the
return voyage when attacked. No re-
port is expected from her captain until
he touches at a port whence he can
communicate by cable.
British Warships Searching.
ROME, December I, 1850 pm.-The
British authorities have given orders
that the squadron of warships at Malta
and the Egyptian squadron give chase
to the submarine reported to have sunk
the Communipaw.
A search by two steamers. one a
Greek and the other Italian, at the
spot near Tobruk. Tripoli. where the
Communipaw is reported to have been
sunk failed to reveal any sign of the
tank ship or of survivors. These
steamers were sent out as soon as word
was received at Tobruk that ship
had been sunk