Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-07-26
Liner Leelanaw Sent to
Bottom After "ViSit
and Search"
r--
HER CREW IS LANDED
SAFELY AT KIRKWALL
Vessel Carried Flax from RuSz
sia to Ireland-See a Frye
Case Parallel.
b, the Associated Press.


American steamship Leelanaw, from
Archangel, July 8, for Belfast with
cargo of flax, was sunk today by
German submarine off the northwest
coast of Scotland.
Before sinking the vessel, the Ger
man u boat commander exercised the
"visit and search required by inter
national law, Kirkwall dispatches
stated. If official reports bear out
this statement. the attack on the Lee
lanaw probably will not precipitate
crisis between the United States ana
GERMANY. The dispatches said the
auh,narine commander first assured
himself that the steamer carried con-
trahand of war and then gave the
crew time to take to the boats,
In diplomatic circles here, it was
declared the Leelanaw incident,
therefore. becomes almost Identical
with that of the American bark VIII
lam P. Frye, sunk by German COM
merce raider, and Is not OF the sasne
character as the attack on the Lusl-
tania. the repetition of which, Amer
ica has warned Germany, would be
considered as deliberately un-
friendly"
All the members of the crew OF the
I.eelanaw were saved. They were
brought into Kirkwall in their own
boats.
An official statement of the Berlin
government, issued April Is, 1913, 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 thirty-tWo
men and her owners, the HARDY
steamship Company, planned to re-
turn the Leelanaw to this country:
The Leelanaw's agents mad no lnfor-
nation regarding the sinking OF the
steamship other than contained =. the
press dispatches.
The Leelanaw was owned by the
Harley Steamship Company, OF
New York. She was formerly called
the Isarnwel She was $50 feet long
and of i, 1924 gross tons. She left Gal
weston May and New York May II
with a cargo of cotton for Archangel.
Early in June she was detained by
the British authorities at Kirkwell
This action was taken because her
cargo, although destined for Russia
was consigned by way of Gothenburg'
Sweden, which country forbids the
export of cotton.
Having discharged her cargo at
Archangel it is evident that the Lee
lanaw was returning from Archangei
when she was sunk,
WASHINGTON, July 26.-The tor
pedoing of the American steamer
Leelanaw is shock to American off1-
cials. who see in the incident further
aggravation of the situation between
Germany and the United States.
Although they hesitated today, in
the absence of details, to construe the
act as coming within the warning OF
the last American note which pointed
out that further violation of interna-
tional law affecting American cit1-
zens would be regarded as "deliber-
ately unfriendly," the view taken
was that Germany, in effect, had
ignored and disregarded an earlier
note sent in connection with the sink
ing of the American sailing ship
William P. Frye by the German crui-
ser Prinz Eitel Friedrich.
In that communication the United
states vigorously asserted its posi-
ZION that even though an American
shin carried contraband of war, 1t
was peculiarly protected from de-
etruction by the stipulations of the
Prussian-A American treaty of 1873.
FLAX. which was being carried by the
Leelanaw. was declared absolute con-
traband by Germany on April lS as
retaliation against the British contra
band declaration.
While precedents of international
law in recent years. supported par
4icularly by the declaration of Lon
don. have recognized the right OF y
belligerent to sink a neutral vessel
carrying contraband if the ship was
certain of condemnation by prize
court, the action has been limited to
extreme cases of necessity when the
taking of a prize into port would In
volve danger to the vessel making the
capture.
irrespective of the principles of in
ternational law noted on that point,
however, the United States has in its
correspondence with Germany insist
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