Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-10-14
U-53 SINKS SIX
SHIPS OFF j. s;
AMERICANS SAVED
S. O. S. Calls Bring u. S. Destroy
erS to Rescue of Hundreds.
ONE STEAMER is SHELLED
German Submarine Which Called at
Newport Saturday Torpedoes Brit
ish Vessels off Rhode island
Warned by Wireless.

Newport Il. l., oct. 9-Lying Off
Nantucket light, where every liner
bound to and from New York must get
It's bearings, the German submarine u
%. aided probably by one or two other
war submersibles, torpedoed and sunk
six ships.
Four Of them were British, one a
passenger carrier The other two were
neutrals--one Dutch and the other
Norwegian An American steamship
was held up but was allowed to pro
coed
Admiral Knight. commander of the
naval station here. says the Nantucket
lightship reports "A second German sub
marine nearby. Naval officers say they
expect a fleet of German submarines
will blockade every Atlantic harbOr
from which munitions ships leave
The neutral vessels sunk were:
Blo0mersdijk. Dutch freighter 3,20l
tons bound from New York to Rotter-
dam crew Of %.
Christian Knudsen, Norwegian tank
er 2,5S3 tons bound from Tuxpam to
London via Perth Amboy, crew Of 30.
Boston, oct "a German sub
marine, supposedly the U-53, which
called ut Newport on Saturday, on
Sunday torpedoed and sank the fol-
lowing vessels off the Nantucket light
ship, directly In the line of trans
Atlantic shipping:
British passenger steamer Stephano.
British steamer Strathdena.
British steamer West Point.
The Stephano had passenger list
estimated from as low as 50 to as high
as 400
British steamer Kingston.
All of the Americans on the Ste
piano who were rescued by the de-
stroycr Balch were transferred to the
destroyer Kcnkius. The number of
Americans aboard was not stated in
the radio message received here.
Hundred Tourists Aboard.
Mr., BoWrng said that the vessel
probably had on board more than 100
tourists bound for New York.
Most of the passengers were tour
lists from New York returning home.
The Stephano belonged TO the Red
Cross line beet of the New York, New
foundund and Halifax Steamship
company, limited and was commanded
by Captain Smith She was built in
Glasgow I'm 1911
u. S. Destroyers Save Crews.
Ihe crews of the Kingston and West
Point werd saved 10y American torpedo
boat destroyer>.
The Stcphuuo Is "a vessel of 2,144
gross tonnage ANA Is of British regis
try. 1t was Hsi reported in maritime
circles as haviu. arrived at ST. Johns.
N. f.. on October p
Hold Up American Ship.
The submarine also held up the
American freight steamer Knnsan. hui
later allowed her TO proceed
The crew ot thc Strathdeuc. nearly
all of them la>car~. were taken
aboard the Nantucket light ship. The
officers and men ot jhe West Point took
to their small boats after summouing
assistance from shore.
The distress signals OF The West
Point were picked up by the govern
ment radio station al Newport. H. l.,
and immediately Rear Admiral Albert
Gleoyes, commander of the destroyer
tlotIDiu OF the American Atlantic fleet
ordered virtually AN of his ships TO the
rescue.
The West Point gave her position as
90 miles southeast ot Nantucket. but
the navy officials questioned the nc.
curacy of this, and said that later re.
ports Indicated that the vessel was moi
more than ten miles off shore. The
weather was thick and IL was expected
that the crew would nor be brought in
10 Newport before midnight.
The booming of the submarine,
guns, apparently fired III warning. was
distinctly heard at Nantucket. But
where the SubmerSible was ut The mo
ment these reports wtr" heard wa.
pure speculation. 1t was plain. how
ever, that She had placed herself IN
NV AtARA' W. EftliNNf.ttA4ti anu IItiGhi if8f
tic and Ierrorked shipping along tn,
coast
In a flash after the first distress sig
nails of the West Point were sem
broadcast. wirel, - messages wee. sen.
up and down the coast and far out E,
sea warning everything ailoat that ,
German ship was operating in IN,
steamer lame.
Vessels Shift Course.
Every vessel equipped with wireless.
was warned 60 make for the three
smile aone ana che commanders Ut NOR
chant vessels of the entente allies los
no time i'm shifting their course.
American Held Up.
The us. which anchored for three
hours in Newport harbor while Com
mander Hans Rose sent ashore CORE
spondencc from Germany for the Ger
man ambassador, Count Won Berastora
and exchanged OH mi calls with Rea
Admiral GleaveS and Roar Admlra
knight, commandment of the Narragan