The Green Forest tribune., 1916-10-13

Boston.-A German submarine, SUD- posedly the U-53 which called at New port, torpedoed anN sank the British freight steamers Strathdere, Stephano and Kingston and torpedoed and crip- pied the British freighter West Point off Nantucket. No loss of life was re- ported. The submarine also held up the American freight steamer Kansan, but later allowed her to proceed.
 The crew of the steamer Strath- dene, nearly all of them Lascars. were taken aboard the Nantucket lightship. The officers and men of the West Point took to their small boats after summoning assistance from shore.
 The distress signals of the West Point were picked up by the govern ment radio station at Newport R. l. and Immediately Rear Admiral Gleaves, commander of the destroyer fotilla of the American Atlantic fleet, ordered virtually all of his ships to the rescue. The West Point gave her position as 50 miles southeast of Nan tucket, but the navy officials said that later reports indicated that the vessel was not more than 10 miles off shore. TRe weather was thick and it was ex- pected that the crew would not De brought into Newport before midnight
 The booming of the submarines guns, apparently fired .n warning, was distinctly heard at Nantucket. but where the .submersible was et the moment these reports were heard was pure speculation. It was plan, however, that she had placed herself in the lane of passenger and freight traffic and terroriZed shipping along the coast.
 Vessels Change Their Course.
 Immediately after the first distress signals of the West Point were sent -hr hreSasealCcast, wirelesss> messages. w-'se sent up and down the coast and far out to sea, warning every vessel that a German submarine was operating in the steamer lane. Every vessel equipped with wireless was told to Make at top speed for the three mile zone and the commanders of mer- chant vessels of the entente allies loss no time in shifting their course.
 Those that were following what is known as the outside course turned to the inside course that would bring them closer to American land. The passenger steamer Stephano, which plies regularly between New York and St. Johns, N. F., was bound west, and was due off Nantucket tomorrow morning. When her British com- mander received his warning he was said to have shifted his course to bring his vessel within the inside lane.
 British consular officers along the New England coast who had been ad- vised by the British embassy to warn British shipping against the U-53 upon her appearance at Newport, renewed their caution on learning that the sub marine had gone into action.
 Something like panic possessed the minds of shippers in this city and at other ponts along the coast when the first reports of the torpedoing were received from the radio station. The stories regarding the U-53 which appeared in the Sunday papers had aroused much speculation as to her mission, and the news that she had British vessels travelled fast Anxious inquiries were made at the Newport offices from seemingly al- most everyone who had d friend on the water or owned a share of stock in merchant bottom.
 Radio Stations Closed.
 The Frederic... VIII of the Scandina Line, which is bringing home the American ambassador to Germany, James w. Gerard, and Mrs. Gerard, was 600 miles east of New York at noon Sunday. Assurance that the ambassador and his wife were on a neutral vessel was given to in- quirinC friends by the press.