Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-07-26
STEAMER CAPTAIN PAYS NO
HEED TO WARNING GIVEN To
HIM JUST BEFORE TRAGEDY
AMERICAN SHIP is
SENT TO DOOM BY
GERMAN TORPEDO
LeeIanaw, Owned in New York. with
a Cargo Of Flax, Sunk, But All
Of Crew is Rescued.

London, July 26,-The American
steamship Leelanaw from ArchangeI
July s for Belfast with a cargo of
fax, was sunk yesterday by a German
submarine off the northwest coast OF
Scotland.
All Of the crew were saved. They
were brought into kirkwail in their
own boats.
No details have been received be-
yond a message that the crew had been
landed at KIrkwan, Scotland, from
which place they notified the American
consul at Dundee of the sinking Of the
vessel
An official statement of the German
government. issued April is, set forth
that fax is contraband of war
The Leelanaw was commanded by
Captain D. B. Delk. Her crew, con
sisted Of seven officers and 32 men, and
her owners, the Hardy Steamship com
pany of New York, planned to return
the Leelanaw in ballast to this coun-
try. The Leelanaw's agents had no
Information regarding the sinking Of
the steamship other than that con
tained in the press dispatches.
The Lelanaw was formerly called
the EarnwelI She was 280 feet long
and Of 1924 gross tons. She left Gal.
weston May 5 and New York May II
with a cargo Of cotton for ArchangeL.
Early in June she was detained by the
British authorities at KirkwalI. This
action was taken because her cargo.
although destined for Russia. was con
signed by way of Gothenburg, Sweden
which country forbids the export OF
cotton.
Washington. D. c., July 26.-Tbe
torpedoing Of the American steamer
Leelanaw is regarded by American Of
fcials as aggravation Of the situation
between Germany and the United
States.
Although they hesitated today. in
the absence Of details, TO c0nstrue tile
act as coming within the warning OF
the last American note. which pointed
out that further violation Of iuterua-
tionaI law affecting American citizens
would be regarded as deliberately uu-
friendly The view taken was that Ger
many, in effect, had ignored and disre-
garded an earlier note sent in Connec-
tiOn with the sinking Of the American
sailing ship William p. Frye by the
German cruiser Prinz Eitel Friedrich
IN that communication the United
States vigorously asserted its position
that even though an American ship
carried contraband Of war. it was pc
protected from destruction by
the Prussiau-AmeriCau treaty Of 1923.
Germany replied she could not ad-
nit the destruction OF the Frye was a
violation of the treaty. "Ou the con-
trary,' said Berlin, article 13 express
~ reserves to the party at war the
right to stop the carrying Of contra
band it follows then that il It cannot
be accomplished in any other way, the
stopping Of the supply may, in the ex-
u~eme cause, be effected by the destruc-
uOn Of the ship carrying TT, AS a mat
ter of course, the obligation of the
party at war to pay compensation to
the interested persons Of the neutral
party remains in force
whatever be the manner Of stopping
the supply"
The United States, as late as June "a
replied that @the government Of the
United States cannot concur in this
conclusion"
The case Of the Leelanaw, # was
Indicated by officials, would be argued
along the same lines as soon as an Off
ciaf report was received
London, July 26.-The British
steamship Graugewood, Of 3.422 tons
gross, bound from ArchangeI, Russia,
for Havre, France, has been t0rped-
oed and sunk in the North sea by a
German submarine. The crew land
ed today at Lerwick, Scotland
The Grangewood was 1872 feet long,
A. feet beam and a feet deep. She was
built at Sunderland in 1902 and was
owned by the Gratitude Steamship
limited. Of London.
London, July 26, (8:05 p. m.}-The
Norwegian steamship Fimreite. Of
3.819 tons gross was sunk today by
German submarine. The crew was
landed at Stornoway, Scotland.