Bismarck daily tribune., 1915-12-09
!: | | |. NOTE TO
AUSTRIA ON
ANCpNA CASE
State Department Wants Prompt
Assurance Americans Will
Be Protected.
STEAMER CoMMUNIPAW
IS REPORTED SAFE
Ambassador fage Sends Dispatch
From Rome That Boat Was
Captured.

= IT.
Washington, Dec. s.-The United
States has sent to Austria.Hungary a
note asking for disavoMal Of the
submarin4 attack on the Itaafan liner,
Ancona.. assurance that such an act
will not be repeated and some degree
of punishment for the commander Of
the submarine and reparation for the
American lives lost.
The communication was started by
cable yesterday from the state de.
partment to Ambassador Frederick
G. Penfield at Vienna, who was in.
structed to hand 1t to the Austro
Hungarian minister Of foreign affairs,
Burian.
Word Of the delivery of the note
had not been received by the depart
ment tonight.
Friendly, but firm terms, it is said,
characterized the document, which is
understood to make particularly a
point of prompt assurances for the
future safety sof American lives.
Austria Hungary, has never inform
ed the United States whether the
commander OF, the submarine had
been given instructions similar to
those given by Germany to it's com.
mander after the l4usitania tragedy.
Want Explanat!on
It is understood that the note re-
ferred particularly to the charge that
shells from the submarine killed or
wounded some passengers on the An.
coma after; she had haltec, and asked
for ain explanation on that point.
In dispatcling the note, Secretary
Lansing did so with the approval OF
and after consulting with President
Wilson. 1t is stated auth0ritatively
that the document which is described
as comparatively brief and decidedly
vigorous in tone, was so drafted as
to attempt a settlement, of the con-
troversy at once, without bringing on
series of communications such as
followed the sinking of the Lusitania.
High officials are said to be of the
opinion that the situation is one
which called for great consideration.
The stated affair having become more
compelling since the note was dis.
patched, by the reported attack OF
American oil carrying vessels in the
Mediterranean. presumably by an
anAustrian submarine.
Note a Surprise.
News that the note had been sent
came as complete surprise to Off
cial Washington in general. The re.
port which emanated from the state
department early in the week that no
positive or collective evidence as to
what occurred when the Ancona was
torpedoed had been received, misled
people.
Tonight it was suggested in some
quarters that information of most
conclusive nature had come to Sec
retary Lansing, probably late Mon,
day, and that it had been decided
then that the protest should 60 for
ward at once.
Ancona. Sunk Nov. 9.
The Ancona was sunk in tle Medi.
terranean November 9, while bound
from Naples to New York. The only
testimony of native American be-
fore the department is deposition
by DR.. Cecile Greil of New York. In
his deposition DR.. Griel stated speci-
fically that the liner was torpedoed
while the men, women and Children
in the cabin and steerage were
scrambling to get into the small
boats.
communipaw Not Sunk.
The state department received late
today a dispatch from Ambassador
Page at Rome saying that he has
been informed that the American
ship, Communipaw, which yesterday
was reported sunk by submarine,
has been captured and taken to- a
port, unnamed in his message. @ ,
The source of his information and
the nationality Of the cartors were
not mentioned.
Pending receipt of definite informa-
ton relative to the Communipaw the
state department will take no action.