The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-10-09
SUBMARINES POSTED
IN STEAMER LANES
Steamer West Point Gave First Alarm
and Within Short Time Wireless
Messages Were Flying Up
and Down the Coast.

Boston, Oct. 9-The submarine or sub
marines Of the German navy which hav,
been ravaging shipping along the New
! England coast had taken a position d
rectly in the steamer lanes, where they
could hardly miss anything bound in fol
New York or bound east from that port
Vessels OF the allied nations and neu
trail bottoms carrying contraband of wal
scurried to get within the three mile
limit Of the American shore Several
which We're following the outside course
shifted and made for the inside lane.
The Stephano OF the Red Cross line
| however, was caught outside the neutral
zone. The destruction of this vessel was
perhaps the biggest prize Of the day
The craft had been sold to the Russian
government and would have been used as
an ice breaker after her present trip.
Late reports gave further details of
the attacks. The Stephano met the subj
marine six miles southeast of Nantucket
lightship and was attacked by gun fire
and torpedo. She remained afoat un-
til 1905 o'clock last night The West
Point went down 10 miles south OF the
Nantucket lightship. The Strathdene
was attacked 'off the lghtship," the re-
port stated, and the Bloomersdiik was
sunk three miles south of the lightship
She remained at1oat sometime, going
down at sos
The American steamer Kansan was
held up three miles east of Nantucket
lightship.
The first wireless warning of the pres
ence of a hostile submarine in the steam
ship lane was given in the distress sig
mails OF the West Point, which reported
that she had been torpedoed 80 miles
southeast of Nantucket lightship This
message apparently was picked UP by
every vessel having a wireless equipment
within range, for within a very short
time press dispatches from St. John, n
B., and Halifax, ~ s., indicated that the
patroling battleships had received alarm.
The British censorship, however, prevent
ed the disclosure of the movements of
the patroling feet
Meantime ship owners in Boston were
communicating with their vessels at sea-
1t is supposed that any information re
SdiuiIS iic sublHdilHt hCitNllleS IHdb
reached the battleships came from other
vessels rather than from shore, though
it might have come from Halifax. where
the news was received over land lines.
A thing that is puzzling naval men
to-day is why the U-53 came into port
Yesterday and thing that is the subject
Of speculation of many outside the navy
is that II vessels were sent out to res
'ue the crew of a single freight steamer. |
The destroyers were ordered out at the !
first report that the West Point had been |
-orpedoed. The theory advanced was
hat Commander Hans Rose of the U-53 /
'ame to Newport to advise Admiral |
Knight that he was about TO attack hos |
lie shipping and contraband carrying !
7essels under the rules of international
aw
Admiral knight reiterated last evening
hat Commander Roses call was one of
courtesy, but it was suggested that the
ferman commander wished to guard 4
against loss Of life through the aid of
American vessels in picking up passen
,ers and crews of ships destroyed.