The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-29

| ment, describes the act as "a OenDer-
 ate insult to the flag of the United
 States and an invasion of the rights of
 American citizens" and requests a ] prompt apology, punishment of the i submarine commander and payment l of indemnity.
 | In vigorous language the commun- 1 ication sent week ego makes it clear 1 that the United States government be- | lieves the facts of the case entirely 1 different from what the Austrian I submarine commander reported them i to be and that immediate amends are expected.
 Austrian Version Disputed 1 The Austrian claim that the Petrol | ite's captain voluntarily gave up sup plies taken from the steamer by the
 submarine commander is fatly con- l tra dicted as are the claims that warning shots were fired across the Petro1ite's bow before she was shelled, 1 and that her appearance was such as
 to justify the submarine commander in nistaking her for a cruiser. The attack on the Petro1ite. a
 Standard Oil tanker, occurred in the l Mediterranean, Dec. 5. A protest sent soon afterward on preliminary re- ports from the tanker's captain and crew brought the Austrian commun1- cation to which the new American | note replied. The text of the rejoinder which is in the form of a memoran- dunn from Secretary Lansing to Ann
 bassador Penfie1d at Vienna, follows; "Evidence obtained from the cap tain and members of the crew Of the
 steamer Petro1ite and from exam1na- tion made of the vessel under -d1rec- tion of the Navy Department con vinces this government that the Aus tro-Hun garian government has ob- tained an incorrect report of the at tack on the steamer. With particular | reference to the explanation made by the Foreign Office, the following in formation, briefly stated, has been ob- tained from sworn statements of the captain and members of the crew: No Warning Shot F1red.'
 NO shot was fired across the bow of the steamer as a, signal to stop: When the first shot was fired the captain was under the impression that an explosion had taken place in the engine room. Not Until the sec ond shot was fred did the captain and crew sight the submarine, which
 was astern of the steamer and there fore they positively assert that neither the first nor the second shot was fired across the bow of the vessel
 The steamer did not swing around in a course directed toward the sub marine ~as alleged in the report ob- tained by the Austro-Hungarian gov ernment, but the captain at once stopped the engines and swung the vessel broadside to the submarine and at right angles to the course of the, vessel, in order to show it's neutral markings, which was manifestly the
 reasonable and proper course to fol- low, and it ceased to make any head way.
 "On the steamer was painted its name in leterS approximately six feet long, and the name of tho haiing port. and, as has previously been made known to the Austro-Hungarian gov ernment, the steamer carried two large flags some distance above the water line, which it is positively stat ed by the officers and crew were flying before the first shot was fired, and
 were not hoisted after the first shot,
 as stated by he submarine commander. Petrolite Stopped.
 ''The submarine commander admits 1 that the steamer stopTed her engines. The captain of the Petrolite denies
 ward the submarine, and the exam ination of the steamer made by an
 American naval constructor corrobo-
 rates this statement, because, as he
 states, the shell which took effect on
 the vessel, striking the deckhouse which surrounds the snaokestack, was
 fired from a point 45 degrees on the
 starboarI bow. This was one of the
 last shots fired and indicates that the
 ship was not headed toward the sub
 marine even up to the time when the
 submarine ceased firing.
 ''The captain states that the sub
 marine appeared to be manoeuvrfng l so as to direct her shots from ahead l of the steamer. The submarine fired
 approximately tw,,ve shots. The ma 1ority of the shots were fired after
 the ship had stopped and had swung I fho
 commander of the submarine admits, | the steamer was flying the American
 flag.
 ''The captain of the steamer denies 1 that he advised the commander of the submarine that the damage to | the steamer was insignificant. He l states that he advised Rim that the
 steamer had been damaged, but that he had not then had opportunity to ascertain the extent of the dam age. The seaman who was struck by
 a fragment of shell Sustained severe
 flesh wounds.
 l Submarine in No Peril.
 eff the ship had intended to ram | the submarine she would not have | stopped her engines, and this must | have been evident to the submarine | commander. Naval authorities here
 agree that there could have been no l danger of the ship ramming the sub- marine until 1t was headed straight | for the submarine and was under | power, and even then the submarine l could have so manoeuvred as to | avoid collision.
 The Petro1ite was two miles away l from the submarine. The engines | and funnel of the Petrolite were at | the stern, and from the general ap- 1 pearance of the ship no experienced
 naval officer could have believed that
 1t had opportunity or sufficient speed | to attack even if it had been steam | ing directly toward the submarine. l. '@The conduct of the submarine | commander showed lack of judgment se1f-contro1 or wilful intent amounts ing to utter disregard of the rights of