Arizona republican., 1916-06-29
AMENDS FOR AT TTACk IN
 THE PETRO[ITE
Republican A. p. Leased wIre1

lkepuDuCdn "A. F. Leased WlreI
 WASHINGTON, June 2S.-The' American rejoinder to Austria regard ing the Austrian submarine attack on the American steamer Petrolite, made public today by the state department, describes the act as "a deliberate in- suit to the flag of the United States and an invasion of the rights of Amer ican citizens.' and requests a prompt apology, punishment of the submarine commander and payment of indem- nifty. .tt
 In vigorous language the communi- cation sent week ago today, makes it clear that the United States gov eTnment believes the facts of the case entirely different from what the Aus trian submarine commander reports them to be, and that immediate amends are expected.
 The Austrian claim that the petrO lites captain voluntarily gave up sup plies taken from the steamer by the submarine commander is flatly contra dicted, as are the claims that warning shots were fired across the Petrolite's bow before she was shelled, and that her appearance was such as to justify the submarine commander in mistak- ing her for a cruiser.
 The attack on the Perolite, stan dard oil tanker, occurred in the Med iterranean, December j. A protest sent soon afterward on preliminary reports from the tanker's captain and crew brought the Austrian communication to which the new American note re- of a memorandum from Secretary Lan- sing to Ambassador Penfield at Vienna, is in part as follows:
 Evidence obtained from the captain and members of the crew of the steam CT Petrolite and from examination made of the vessel under direction of the navy department, convinces this government that the Austro- Hungarian government has obtained an incorrect report of the attack on the steamer.
 No shot was fired across the bow of the steamer as a signal to stop. When the first shot was fired the cap tain was under the impression that an explosion had taken place in the en- zine room Not until the second shot was fired did the captain and crew sight the submarine which was astern of the steamer and they positively as- sert that neither the first nor the sec ond shot was fired across the bow of the vessel
 "The steamer did not swing around in course directd toward the subma- rine, as alleged in the report obtained by the Austro Hungarian government, but the captain at once stopped the en- zines 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 follow and it ceased to make any headway. On the steamer was painted its name in letters approxi- mately six feet long and the name of the sailing port as has previously been known to the Austro- Hungarian gov ernment.
 "The submarine commander admits that the steamer stopped her engines. The captain of the Petrolite denies that the vessel was ever headed toward the submarine and the examination of the steamer by an American naval con- structor corroborated this statement because, as he states. the shell which took effect on the vessel, striking the deck house, which surrounds the smokehouse, was fired from a point 45 degrees on the starboard bow. Thi. w& one of the last shots fired and indicates that the ship was not headed toward the submarine even up to the time the submarine ceased firing.
 '"The captain states that the sub-