Evening star., 1915-07-15
EXPRESSES READINESS
TO MAKE PREPARATION
Berlin Note Closes Incident, Except
for Payment Of Losses to
Ship Owners.
COMPLEX ISSUE IS REMOVED
Incident Was Coupled With Gulf
light and Lusitania Explosions
in Submarine Warfare Di-
plomatic Dispute.

Germany, in an official memo
randum transmitted today from
Berlin by Ambassador Gerard,
admits that the American steam
er Nebraskan was torpedoed by
submarine; expresses regret and
readiness to make reparation, and
assures the United States that
the attack was not meant for the
American flag. but is to be consid-
cred an unfortunate accident"
Secretary Lansing today made
public the German memorandum
which disposes of the question
whether the Nebraskan was
struck by a torpedo or by a mine.
The German memorandum closes
the incident, it was said, except as
to the payment of damages.
Removes One Cause Of Complaint.
The Nebraskan case coming close on
pied with the attack on the Gulfight.
threatened to become one of the inn
portant issues in the controversy with
Germany over submarine warfare
There were some circumstances which
made the case complex. The Nebras-
kan had been under charter to the
nf he In
Mercantile Marine. but the charter had
been cancelled and she was returning
home to carry coal from Newport News
TO the California coast for the United
States Navy. With her sister ship, the
Minnesotan, from May to August of
1914. she had been under charter to
the United States as an army transport
carrying horses from Galveston to Vera
cruz. She was one Of the first ships
to go through the Panama canal
State Department Announcement.
The State Department made this an
nouncement:
Ambassador Gerard has telegraphed
ITO the Department of State the follow
ing memorandum from the German
foreign office relative to the damaging
of the American steamer Nebraskan by
a German submarine:
The German government received
from newspaper reports the intelligence
that the American steamer Nebraskan
had been damaged by mine or torpedo
on the southwest coast of Ireland. It
therefore started a thorough investi-
CATION of the case without delay, and
from the result of the investigation it
has become convinced that the dam
age to the Nebraskan was caused by
an attack by submarine.
On the evening of Nav Ia OF fha
submarine met a steamer bound west
ward without flag and with no neu-
trail markings on her freeboard, about
thirty-flve nautical miles west of Fast
net Rock; no appliance of any kind for
the illumination of the flag or mark
ings was to be seen. In the twilight
which had already set in. the name of
the steamer was not visible from the
submarine Since the commander of
the submarine was obliged to assume
from his wide experience in the area
OF maritime war that only English
steamers and no neutral steamers
traversed this war area without nag
and markings. he attacked the vessel
with a torpedo. in the conviction that
be had an enemy vessel before him.
Flag Stopped Further Attack.
Some time after the shot the COM
Inander saw that the vessel had in the
meantime hoisted the American flag.
Trained from any further attack. Since
the vessel remained afioat he had no
occasion to concern himself further
with the boats which had been launched.
1T results from this, without a
doubt. that attack on the steamer Ne
braskan was not meant for the Ameri-
can nag. nor is it traceable to any fault
on the part of the commander of the
German submarine. but is to be consid-
cred an unfortunate accident.
The German government expresses
its regret at the occurrence to the gov
eminent of the United States of Ameri-
Ca. and declares its readiness to make
compensation for the damage thereby
sustained by American citizens"
omcial Report of Attack.
The official report of the attack for
warded by Ambassador Page after In
vestigation by Lieut.. John II. Towers,
naval attache Of the embassy, stated
that the Nebraskan was In water bal
last outbound from Liverpool for Della
ware breakwater. and that although
her flag had been hauled down just
after sunset, as is the custom, there
were painted on her sides in letters six
feet high the words "Nebraskan, New
York"
After the attack the shin headed
about for Liverpool and, conveyed by
British ships. reached the port safely.
No one was seriously hurt in the explo-
doubt at first whether the ship had
been struck by torpedo or mine
American naval officers, however. fnal-
ly came TO the conclusion that it was
a torpedo.