Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-05-03
GulfIight Tragedy Causes
Most Serious Situation
Since War Began.
FURTHER DETAILS OF
THE INCIDENT AWAITED
President Wilson Expected to
Take Personal Charge
of Case.

WASHINGTON, May 3.-Oficial
Washington was more than reticent
today concerning the torpedoing Of
the American oil ship Gulhight and
the death of her captain and two
members of her crew. 1t was tae-
lilly admitted that the incident
promised graver complications, from
the American standpoint, than ans
which has preceded it since the wsE
began in Europe. Men in high gov
ernment positions were frankly
anxious.
President Wilson returned frons
Williamstown, Mass, today and went
at once to the White House. 1t is
expected that he might take personal
charge of the situation. He had. Of
course been advised in advance and
was in full touch with matters.
Few details of the torpedoing Of
the Gulfight had yet been received.
1t was taken for granted that the
skipper of the German submarines
which sank the American tanker
was mistaken in the latter's nation-
ality. However, this was not looked /
on as a satisfactory excuse; it was
felt that he must Justify his mistake
by reasons which naval officers here
confidentially said they feared ha|
would have trouble in giving, unless
indeed allowance was made for gross
carelessness on his part This, Ia
fact, was what the affair was gen
orally attributed to.
More Serious Than Frye Case.
The case was looked on as distinctly 4
more serious than that of the William
p Frye, the American vessel sunk by
the German commerce raider, Priuz
| Eitel Friedrich Even assuming thai
. Germany pays for the Gulfiight, as ~
| has agreed to do for the Frye, experts
| said the incidents would not be on a
| parallel. That Captain ThiericheHs.
of the Eitel, was wrong in sinking the
] Frye was still insisted, but 1t was con-
| ceded that there were enough doubts.
! full legal questions involved in the
| matter, 50 that he was entitled to the
assumption of having reached an hon e
est, even though mistaken conclusions
and acted accordingly. Furthermore
he showed a scrupulous regard for the
lives of all on board the American4
grain vessel
AS compared with a more or lesS
natural error of judgment on Captain
| Thierichen's part, which, reparationl
having been made, will not have any
\ really serious consequences, 1t WAS
pointed out that the commander OF
| the submarine responsible for the
| Gulflight's loss can hardly plead any
J thing but an error due to gross cara
| lessness lack of investigation and In
| difference to the rights of neutrais.
| This. of course, was not the offi-
| cially expressed view. 1t was, how
| ever, the view expressed unofficiaily
J by officials.
Cite Thrasher Case.
The case was also cited of the
| British steamship Falaba, DESTROYED
| by a German submarine, with tile
| loss of the life of an American pas
senger, Leon C. Thrasher. This aeAsi
was spoken of as not in the sane
class with that of the Gulfight, with
the loss of the lives of Saptain Alfred
! Gunter and two of his men. Thrasher.
said critics of the two cases, Was
under the British flag; indeed, inter-
national law experts were of the
opinion that the incident did not even
| class, for gravity, though death
was involved, with that of the Frye
Similarly the destruction by Nortn
sea mines some time ago Of two
American colIon-ldueh ships vas
| looked on as of less importance than
! the Frye incident, since there was,
on the one hand, no question that ac-
| cidents caused both incidents, and, on
the other, no certain proof who plant
| ed the mines.
| Finally, the warning given by the
German embassy here Saturday,
through newspaper advertisements.
and. if they can be traced to official
! German sources. the other warnings
received by passengers on the de-
parting liner Lusitania, were deemed
in some quarters as adding to the
seriousness of the outlook since they
were interpreted as suggesting that
the kaiser's naval forces had in mind
at the time an unusual demonstra-
| ton in connection with which neu-
trails were likely to be endangered.