Middletown transcript., 1916-01-08
THE PERSIA HAD
A GUN ON BOARD
New Development May COmpIi-
cate the Situation.
CONSUL TO GET AFFIDAVITs
Sensations In Submarine Warfare
Lead the President To End His
Bridal Tour To Take Charge
Of the Situation.

hington-President Wilson
back in Washington to take up tn
grave diplomatic situation that ha
again been created by the activity o
the submarine ships. To the destruc
ton of the Persia with the loss of sew
eral hundred lives, among them ont
American, comes the announcement O.
the sinking of the British steamships
Glengyle and the ST. Oswald and the
japanese freighter Kenkoku Maru. Sc
far as is known no American lives
were lost on either of the two British
ships or the Japanese freighter.
The destruction of the Persia
Ominous as it is because of the death
of an American, Consul Robert N. Nc
Nicely, will not threaten a rupture of
relations between Austria-Hungary
and this country, even if it develops
the fact that it was an Austrian sub
marine that sent her to the bottom.
Secretary Lansing pointed out that it
had not yet even been established Off
cially that the Persia had been tor
pedoed. Baron Zwiedenik, the Aus
tria-Hungarian charge de affaires, was
/ at the State Department and assured
Secretary Lansing tnat his govern
ment would disavow the action of the
submarine commander if it proved to
be an Austrian submarine which was
at fault
Evidently the State Department be-
Heves that 1t was an Austrian sub
marine that was responsible if the
ship was torpedoed, for Ambassador
Penfeld, at Vienna, was cabled to
make inquiries of the Austro-Hun-
garian government.
The department gave out two dis
patches containing information re-
garding the sinking of the Persia. The
first, from Consul General Arnold at
Cairo, dated January 2, follows:
"P. and o. steamer Persia torpedoed
40 miles southeast of Crete, Thurs
day, LOS P. NJ, without warning.
Nationality submarine unknown, as
not visible. Sank in five minutes.
About $50 passengers and crew, in
cluding many women and children.
About $50 saved. Survivors picked
up after 80 hours by British destroyer
Mallard. Reported that American
consul proceeding to post at Alden lost.
Details given me by high commission
er whose military secretary, Bingham,
is survivor Can obtain af1davit if de-
sired"
The second was from Consul Gar
rels, at Alexandria, Egypt, dated jan
uary l. 1t follows:
"P. and o. liner Persia, carrying
At gun, sunk five minutes past one
afternoon December 80 about 300
miles northwest Alexandria. Pre-
sumably torpedo; no submarine was
seen; Second Officer Bromley seeing
torpedo's track. Vessel sunk in about |
nve minutes. Two American citizens
aboard. Charles H. Grant, manager |
Vacuum Oil Company, Calcutta, is safe
Alexandria. Robert Ney McNeely, as
signed consul of the United States at |
Alden, most probably lost. OF total |
400 passengers and crew, 155 landed |
Alexandria January 1. McNeely last |
seen in water. In view of fact sunken |
vessel being armed, does the depart
ment desire the afidavits?" /
A Gun On the Persia.
The most sensational development
of the destruction of the Persia proves
to be the presence of at least one Al
gun mounted at her stern. The infor-
nation that the Persia was armed
reached the State Department in a
from Consul Carrals, sent
from Alexandria, Egypt.
The State Department recognizes
the Importance of the presence of the
gun on the Persia. While declining to
answer any questions, officials of the
concede that Az gun on
a merchantmen may rob the ship Of
its immunity against attack without
warning. !Fhe ordnance experts of the
Navy Department, while observing
hue caution in their statements, made
1t clear that a At gun on a ship would
pTONe grave HOAdCO " a ouOlhoA AAO'
It was recalled by the ordnance ex-
perts Of the Navy that the four-inch
guns of the German cruiser Emden
proved effective at range of 10000
Yards, which is nearly IL miles, and
It was pointed out with pride that the
United States Navy has recently per-
rected a four-inch gun that is thor
Dughly effective at $4,000 yards. A
one-inch gun, it was said by the ex-
perts, could fire a shell that would
prove fatal against submarine at a