New Britain herald., 1915-08-20
States will decide it's course upon the reports of it's own officials.
 Reports Are Forwarded.

states Will QeC1de US course upon the reports of it's own officials.
 Reports Are Forwarded.
 Ambassador Page forwarded White Star report that the ship was torpedoed without warning and Vice Consul Thompson at Queenstown made a similar report. Neither ac- counted for Mrs. Josephine S. Bru- guiere nor pr. Edmund Woods, the two Americans still missing.
 In the absence of authentic infor- mation regarding the destruction of the Arabic officials reserved their comments, although the incident caused grave concern here: Just what course of action will be taken by the United States government will be determined upon only arter off, cial details have been received.
 Secretary Lansing Silent.
 Secretary Lansing refused to dis cuss these or any other features of the case. He said no orders had been given to the em bassy in Lon don or the American consuls to for ward evidence from the passengers and crew, as all officials understood thev are expected to do so imme- diately. Dependence will be placed particularly on the evidence of Amer jeans on the Ara bic. There is no attempt in official quarters to min imize the situation confronting the president if investigation develops violation of American rights in de- fance of the last note to Germany which gave notice in final terms that another sinking like that of the Lus- itania would be considered an act, deliberately unfriendly.
 The prospect of severance of dip- lomatic relations with Germany again came forward, but it is understood that if such a course should be .lc- cided upon it would not immediately be announced.
 Certain arrangements to transfer to some other neutral the humani- tarian trusts in the war zone which the United States has undertaken for the world would first be necessary.
 Officials awaited developments hourly without a trace of agitation but with evidences of sober earnest ness which portrayed their concern for a situation which admittedly never had been more grave.
 Thinking About Points.
 
 their minds open during the hours which will be required for assembling the official evidence they are think ing about these points: Whether any Americans have been lost and wheth- CT the Arabic actually was torpedoed with out warning.
 Whether the Arabic, by having been conveyed on the beginning of her voyage, had, under international law, partaken of the character of her con- voy and waived her right as non- combatant.
 Whether by proceeding to the vicin- ity of the steamer Dunsley, which had previously been torpedoed, the Ara bic's commander introduced qualify ing circumstances by violating the rule of the British admiralty, which forbids a ship to risk itself by at tempting to assist another which has been tOrpedoed.
 Succor Was Justified.
 A view prevailed that an attempt by the Arabic to succor those on an other torpedoed boat was justified and was not affected by the British admiralty rule which was made as a matter of policy for warships ana was not a matter of international flgnl.
 Whether the ArabiC's movement towards the Dunsley, might be inter- preted as an attempt to ram the sub- ma rine is another point to be devel- oped.