The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-10-18
sett Bay station, slipped out of the har.


! oe1 and submerged just inside the
three-mile limit at 90 O'Clock Satur-
day night.
AT daylight Sunday she turned up
southeast of Nantucket and GOT in the
| way of the American steamer Kansan
of the American-Hawaii company
bound from New York for Genoa by
way of Boston with freight.
The kansan was flying the Ameri-
can flag. She was stopped by the sub
marine at 3 80 o'clock. Assured that
the kansan was an American owned
| vessel, the submarine later allowed her
to proceed.
Satisfied Craft Is U-53.
Captain Smith of the Kansan report
ed that he had been stopped in wire
less message to the captain of the
| Nantucket shoals lightship. He said
the submarine showed no cOlors, but
from his meager description Of the
/ craft naval men were satisfied that IT
| was the U-53.
half hour later the submarine en-
countered the Strathdene, command
ed by Captain Wilson and under char
ter by the French line. A subsequent
message from the Nantucket lightship
| stated that the Strathdene had been
sunk. at six o'clock and that the crew
of go men" were on the lightship.
The steamer carried a crew of "a,
so there was some doubt as to whether
the lghtship had picked them all up
or had correctly reported. The
| Strathdene sailed from New York for
Bordeaux Saturday afternoon. She
was of 1921 tons and 375 feet in
| length. She was built in Greenwich in
| 1909 and was owned in Glasgow.
Pursuing her hostile course, the sub
| marine next came up with the West
| Point bound from London for Newport
| News.
| The fate Of the British freighter was
| told in the following wireless dispatvm
from her commander, Captain Harden,
| to the naval radio station:
British steamer West Point, stopped
| by submarine and fired upon; getting
boat ready. Position, 40 % north, SO
west. Get cutter
Later messages gave further details.
One stated that the steamer was be-
ing shelled by the submarine when the
message was sent at IL :15 a. m. A
| third message said that the vessel was
attacked at 10 :45, ten miles south Of
Nantucket. This message caused q
confusion regarding the exact position
of the freighter.
The steamer Kansan picked up the
distress signals of the West Point and
proceeded to her assistance. The BOs-
ton navy yard at 1 80 o'clock received
a message from the Kansah stating
that the West Point was sinking and
that the Kansan was going to her aid.
The disabled vessel was then 55 miles
distant and the Kansan was making -
knots.
Later private dispatch added the
information that the submarine, after
stopping the West Point, ordered the
crew into their small boats. The
crew abandoned the ship, which was
then tOrpedoed. 1t was in a sinking
condition when last reported.
ship Philadelphia, which left New York
for Liverpool, had gotten within the
war zone and ON S. O. S. wireless mes
sage was received by her commander.
He held his course for the east.
Other Liners in Danger.
Within the immediate zone of pos
sible further operations by the U-53
under registry of nations with which
Germany is at war. Also the Ameri-
can line steamer Philadelphia, with
passengers and freight from New York
for Liverpool, is in the waters from
which reports Ola German submarine
have come, and the Scandinavian
American liner Frederik VIII is ap-
preaching that part of the coast bound
to New York from Copenhagen.
Better known among the vessels
subject, because of their registry and
their present positions, to the subma-
rine menace, are the French liner Es-
payne, from Bordeaux for New York;
the Anchor liner Cameronia, bound to
New York from Glasgow and Liver
pool, and the Cunarder Alaunia, only
few hours out from New York for Fal-
mouth and London. Other vessels Of
lesser size were reported approximate
ly in the same waters.
Most of these steamships have re-
ceived by wireless word sent broadcast
by radio stations to all vessels of the
presence of the German submarine of
the New England coast.
This message, as sent to steamships
of Great Britain's merchant marine
was regarded as constituting orders to
change courses. The result was indi-
Gated in messages that this vessel or
that was swinging inshOre to be re-
moved from possible contact with the
submarine and to be within easy speed
ing distance of the three-mfle zone Of
protection.
SHELLED BY A SUBMARINE