Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-03-04
French, British and Italian
Vessels Sent Down by
Submarines. =
NEWS is INCOMPLETE
Identity of Boats Not Fixed
Reports Say Provence !.
Was Torpedoed.

Berlin, March 4, (by wireless to
Sayville, N. Y.)-The sinking of two
French auxiliary cruisers and one
British patrol boat by German subma-
rines is announced by the admiralty.
The announcement also says that
from Paris is reported the sinking OF
the transport Provence which carried
1900 men, of whom only 696 were
rescued"
La Provence was listed as an auxil-
larry cruiser but the wording of the
Berlin dispatch does not make it
clear whether she was one Of the two
said to have been destroyed. Official
reports from Paris indicated that
about $3.50 men went down with her.
The French admiralty said no sign
of submarine was observed before
or after the sinking.
No Americans Aboard.
Leghorn, Italy, March 4. (via Paris,
y
which left here Feb. 20 has been sunk
by an Austrian submarine. There were
no Americans on board. - =
La Rochelle, France, March 1.-THE
French steamship Lakme Of Dunkirk,
3,117 tons gross, which sailed from
La Rochelle on Tuesday, was sunk on
the same day In the Bay Of Biscay at
point six miles northwest Of lie
D'Yeu. She is believed to have struck
a mine.
Six of the % men Of the crew lost
their lives.
Paris, March At was announced
at the French ministry of marine that
there were nearly 1000 men on board
the French auxiliary cruiser Provence
when it was sunk in the Mediterranean
on Feb. 26.
AS the ministry Of marine on Feb. 20
announced that the number of surviv-
ors Of the Provence disaster was esti-
mated at $40, 1t is indicated that up
wards of $3.50 lives were lost.
1t was stated that on board the Pro-
vence were the staff of the third colon
ial infantry regiment, the Third bat
talon, the Second company of the First
battalion, the Second machine gun COM
pany, and one extra company.
Is Greatest Disaster.
The loss of life on the Provence is
the greatest ocean disaster of modern
times. Up to the present the largest
number of lives ever lost in one wreck
was when the White Star liner Titanic
struck an iceberg off the New Found
land banks on April IA. 1912, and sank
with death loss of 1885. The rescued
numbered TAB.
The French ministry OF marine had
previously issued no statement as to
the number of persons on the Provence
when 1t went down. The vessel, how
ever, when in the transatlantic service
could carry 1860 persons, including the
crew, and 1t has been presumed that,
as it was transporting troops between
ports not far apart, it was carrying a
number Of men larger than her normal
capacity.
French Official Report.
The official statement announcing
the sinking of the Provence said:
The French auxiliary Provence H.
so designated to distinguish 1t from
the French battleship Provence-en-
gagged in transporting troops to Sa-
loniki, was sunk in the Mediterranean
on Feb. &c.
Two hundred and ninety-six suryiv-
ors have been brought to Malta and
about 400 to Melos by French and Brit
ish patrol vessels summoned by WIRE
less.
No signs of submarine were no.
ticed either before or after the sink
ing. Provence was armed with five
cannon of IA centimeters, two Of 81
millimeters, and four OF AZ miilimc-
ters