Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-04-20
Full Text of President Wilson Note to
Germany Last Word in Subsea Controversy

gine (decla<ation Of Captain Mouffetn,
the purpose being TO swing tho vessel
to starbosrd so as TO dodge the torpedo
by allowing II 10 pass along the port
bow on n line converglng with the al
tered course Of the steamer
strikes the HUI.
Before. however. the vessel could be
turned far enough 10 avoid crossing the
course OF the torpedo. the latter struck
the hull at an angle a short distance
forward OF the bridge, exploded, de-
stroyed the entire forward part Of tho
steamer as far back as the first water
tight bulkhead, carried away tho fore
mast with the wireless antennae and
killed or injured about eighty Of the per-
sons on board Declaration Of Captain
Mouffett; report of Rear Admiral Graa-
sett, deposition of Henry =. Beer) At
the time no other vessel was In sight.
affidavit Of Samuel r. Bemls II. W..
Culbortson, John ~, ilcarley and othersD
THE approach Of the torpedo wat Wit
messed by several other persons on the
vessel fAffidayits Of Samuel Y. Bomis.
Henry $. Beer and Gertrude w, Warronl
"One Of these, an American citizen
named Henry s. Beer. was leaning on
the port rail about ten feet behind the
bridge and gazing seward when he saw
tho approaching torpedo about 100 yards
away and exclaimed 10 his wife and
companion. a torpedo Immediately
following his exclamation the missile
struck the vessel Dispositions Of Henry
=. Beer and Mrs. Henry y. Beer)
statement Of Engineer.
I'm further confederation Of the fact
that the captain saw the torpedo coming
toward the vessel In the sworn statement
Of the engineers on duty that the order
10 port the helm and TO stop the star
board engine was received and obeyod
REPORT Of Admiral Grassettl. No rea-
sonable explanation can be given OF this
unusual order than that tho captain saw
something which caused him TO change
his course sharply 10 starboard.
In addition to this evidence, which
would in itself appear 10 be conclusive
that the agent Of destruction was
torpedo is that OF Lieutenant Smith,
United States navy, attached to the
American embassy at Paris, who, accom-
panied by Major Logan, United States
army Of the embassy, went TO Boulogne,
inspected the hull Of the Sussex and
personally found beneath the mass Of
water soaked debris Of the wreck fifteen
pieces OF metal, which they retained In
their possession. as they did not believe
the pieces formed part Of the vessel,
THE inspection Of the hull disclosed
that the vessel was wrecked by an ex-
ternal explosion, the boilers being intact,
and that o short distance forward Of the
bridge WAS large dent showing that
the vessel had received heavy blow, the
dlnt Of the impact being from abaft the
beam along line at an acute angle
with the keel Of the vessel Report Of
Lieutenant Smith. cabled April y. This
evidence comedies with and corroboratos
the statement that the vessel was swing
ing 10 starboard and away from the
torpedo when struck.
or Different size.
1.-THE pieces Of metal which the Amer.
lean Officers had collected. were COM
pared by Lieutenant Smith, Lieutenant
Commander sayles and Major Logan
with mines and plans OF mines IN pos
session Of the French naval authorities
at Boulogne. Rochefort and Toulon. ana
our naynI authorities at Portsmouth.
These officers are positive In their opin'
ion that these pieces Of metal were not
Of mine. (Report Of Lieutenant Smith,
cabled April 81
Among these fifteen pieces Of metal
were two screw bolts showing the eff
fects Of an explosion, which were stamped
with q X and 56 on the faces OF tho
head Of one and n and % on tho
faces OF the head Of the other, On ex-
aiming torpedoes In possession Of the
French naval authorities at Toulon, and
Of the English naval authorities at
Portsmouth. the American officers found
that identical screws with the letter X
and number were employed TO fasten
the war head 'Kopf TO the air cham
Der. Uaieutenant smoth's reports, cabled
April 2, 5 and 49,
Pieces Are Compared.
The screws used In French and Eng
lish torpedoes have no markings and are
Of slightly different size. tsame re-
ports) Furthermore the American officers
were able by comparison and close
examination 10 positively Identify and
locate all the remaining thirteen pieces
OF metal as parts Of a German torpedo
follows:
Fragment three. part OF inner scat
Of water relief valve OF engine valve.
Fragments four and five, punto bands
OF engine room casing,
FrAfnenta six to ten, inclusive, and
twelve, parts Of engine cylinders,
Fragments eleven. thirteen. fourteen
and fifteen. parts Of steel warhead still
bearing the distinctive red paint common
to German torpedo warhends REPORT Of
Lieutenant smith, eahlcd April 80.
''ln view OF these authenticated facts
there can h. no reasonable doubt but
that the SUSSEX was torpedoed and that
the torpedo was Of German manufacture
AZ ne vessel Was seen hy any person
on the sussex, the conclusion IA iffeait-
ihle that the torpedo was launched With
out warning from a submarine which
Was submerged A. the time ~ The attack
and remained beneath the surface after
the explosion
The conclusion thus reached from she
evidence tthe affidavit being those ~
American cltiaens collected hy tho he
rartment ~ state ia auhalan,lattd rs
The statement IA the Imperial soyefRmsnt
note 81 April "a iais According 20 those
statements tN s derman submarine toe
redeHd . steamer enc ara nnas half miles
aontheasi N Wuitrnek bsnb
nepaFiment comment the point ~ si4
tack e exactly IL she course whiah as
taken Az aha aassae afsas r....f5+