The Owosso times., 1915-07-02
TORPEDO KILLS
19 AMERICANS
Dominion Line Steamer Is Sunk
by German Submarine.
WASHINGTON DEEPLY STIRRED
Question of international Law In,
volved May Make Lusitania Case
More Difficult of Adjustment-Twen.
ty-nine Lives Lost-Boat Had Cargo
of Horses and Mules.

More Difficult of Adjustment-Twen.
ty-nine Lives Lost-Boat Had Cargo
of Horses and Mules.
Washington, July 1.-Nineteea
American citizens, most OF them ne
groes, are missing and presumably
are dead as the result OF the torpe
doing of the British steamship Arme,
nian bound from Newport News, Va,
to Avonmouth, England, with cargo
of horses and mules. fhe vessel was
destroyed by the German submarine
U-3S, according to state department
advices, twenty miles northwest Of
Tfevose Head, Cornwall, England.
Twenty-nine persons in all lost their
lives.
The sinking of the Armenian oc.
Cured on June %, but apparently ow-
ing to the British censorship the first
news of 1t has just been received in
state department dispatches. Consul
Armstrong at Bristol forwarded sew
eral messages including the lists of
those missing.
Case Has Serious Aspects.
While officials are far from a con-
the United States in this case, the Sc
riousness of the affair was instantly
recognized at the state department.
Officials fear that the sinking of the
Armenian will make It more difficult
than ever for the United States gov
ernment to accept the compromise
suggestions which Germany Is report
ed to intend offering in her forthcom.
ing reply to the presidents note of
June 8 on the submarine issue.
Status Of Ship Indefinite.
Final opinion in the case will be
suspended in official quarters here un-
til the state department has received
from Consul Armstrong information
making clear points now In doubt.
Chief amonng these is the question
whether the Armenian was under
charter to the British government.
There is no doubt here that il this
was the case, the Germans will
promptly allege that the Armenian
was practically British auxiliary
transport in the service of the enemy
government and therefore properly
subjected to destruction by German
naval forces wherever encountered.
Washington officials admit that there
might be some force to this conten-
ton, but assert on the other hand
that the Germans hardly have the
right to ignore the obligation of put
ting the crew of the Armenian in a
place of safety before sinking the
vessel unless it could be proved that
the Armenian actually had the status
of a government ship. 1t was regard
ed as doubtful that the facts of the
charter of the Armenian, If she was
under charter, would give her the
status of public ship.
Other points for which the depart
ment has called on Consul Armstrong
for more detailed information are
whether the vessel was armed and il
she resisted the German submarine.
State Department Issues Statement.
The official state department state
ment Is as follows
'This department has received ca
Diagrams from the American consul
at Birmingham, England, reporting
that the Dominion line steamship Ar
menian, from Newport News, was tor
pedoed and sunk at p. m, June 20,
twenty miles west by north of Ire
vose Head, Cornwall, by German sub.
marine U-3S. That the Marconi
house was struck by shot and that
twenty-nine men were lost and tsn
injured. The following American
horse attendants are missing:
"E. Williamson, address unknown;
]. M. Monroe, New Orleans; B. NJ.
Cranberry, Ais Washing street,
Montgomery, Ala; S. r. Sutton, Car
tersville, Va; Harry Stone, New York
City; Cattle Carpenter Brown, Harris
burg, Pa; DR.. ]. S. Viso, Porto Rico:
X. II. Brooks, or West, chief foreman,
naturalized American, London; Julius
Jenry, King William, Va. (negro); ].
Smith, Portsmouth (negro); Wall,
Foley and Little, Newport News (ne-
groes); Leroy Jackson and John
SPEEDY Richmond (negroes); King,
Small, Rickert and Oakes, Norfolk
(negroes)."
Four Americans Are Picked Up.
1t is reported to the counsel that
DR.. Viso and three of the negroes
were picked up by submarine. Other
survivors were picked up by the Bel
gan trawler Professor Stevens and
transferred to two destroyers at noon
yesterday and brought to Bristol last
night.