Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-12-08
|SH|P MARINA
/ NOT TRANSPORT
United I States Definitely
Establishes Status
Of Vessel.
NEW NOTE ON "SUB"
QUESTION LIKELY
Recent Activities Of Undersea Boats
Again Brings Question 70 Acute
ssas.-wa.binSsor Government to
Stand squarsly On Position Taken
in Sussex cass-Great Britain Asked
For Status Of Linsr Arabia.

Washington, Dec. S.--Official in
formation to the state department
establishes that the British ship
Marina, sunk by a German submarine,
with loss Of six Americans, was In no
sense transport and was entitled to
rIle immunities OF peaceful mer-
chantman. Germany has announced
her Willingness to make amends for
destruction in such case.
Great Britain has been asked by the
state department for the status OF the
p. & o. liner Arabia, sunk by Ger
man submarine without warning.
Germany in note yesterday cites
circumstances which she contends
justified the submarine commander III
taking the Arabia for an armed trans
pert. The state department inror-
nation is that the ship was pas
ssnger-carrying liner, not subject TO
attack. -,
The next step in the situation Will
not be taken until all the information
has been gathered.
New Note Possible.
A new note to Germany on the gen.
eral submarine situation seems pos
sibility as an outcome Of the late
activities Of the underseas boats
II decided upon such note wouio
be for the purpose of clearing up what
seems to be differences in interpreta-
ton of what Germany's pledges In the
Sussex case cover. Secretary Lansing
said today no final course OF actlon
Ibad been agreed upon by President
Wilson and himself.
Altho the state department has gone
on the principle Of deciding each case
separately on its merits. 1t was saio
today that the number OF cases had
rea ched such proportions that general
action would be justified. The day
deyelopn5ants in the situation were:
The United. States asked Grea'
Britain for information 70 determine
the status of the p. & o. liner Arabia
which q German submarine com
mander took for an armed transport.
Official information to the state qee
partment established that the British
ship Marina, torpedoed with the loss
of six American lives. was in no sense
transport and was entitled to- tne
immunities of a a-peaceful merchant
man. In both cases Germany has ex-
pressed willingness to make amends
II her pledges were broken.
U. s. TO Stand Pat.
It was reiterated today that the
United States stands squarely on the
position it took in the Sussex case.
This. combined with Germany's state
ment that she too holds to the pledges
she gave in that case, leaves officials to
believe there seems to be some diner
ences IN Interpretation.
A new note. If decided upon, wouio
clear this up and make plain beyond
question that the United States ex-
poets all merchant ships shall not be
destroyed without warning or having
crews and passengers removed to
places Of safety.
Affidavits on the sinking without
warning Of the Italian liner Palermo
or which the state department records
snow there were twenty-three AReri'
cans are being collected as rapidly as
possible. AS yet there are no indica-
tions that these American lives were
lost, but from information at hand the
case is similar to those OF the Marina
and Arabia.