Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-10-13
SUNK OFF NANTUCKET
Five Merchantships Sent to Bot.
tom by German Submarine
No Lives Were Lost and All the Rules
of International Law Were Observed
by Raider.

The German submarine war fare was
brought to the American coast on Sun
day, when three British, one Dutch
and one Norwegian steamer were tor
pedoed and sent to the bottom off Nam
tucket shoals
On Saturday, the German submarine
U-53 surprised naval officials by APP
pearing in the harbor at Newport, X.
l. The visitor remained there only
three hours, took on no supplies and
asked for no assistance. The only err
rand was to send ashore q special let
ter to the German ambassador at
Washington.
The five ships torpedoed were trav-
cling in the direct path taken by all
the trans Atlantic liners. The victims
Of the submarines were as follows:
Strathdene, a British freighter; West
Point, also British freighter; the
| Stephano, British passenger liner,
| plying regularly between New York,
| Halifax and st. Johns, N. F.; the
Bloomersdijk, Dutch freightcr; the
| Christian Knudsen, Norwegian
freighter.
| Not a life was lost, and the subma-
rines observed in every way the terms
of international law, giving due warn
ing and allowing the passengers and
| crew TO leave the vessels before the
| torpedoes were fired.
News of the attack was sent out by
wireless and torpedo boat destroyers
and other vessels from Newport hur-
lied to the scene to give every pos
sible aid. The Stephano carried 140
| inolu1iun and
crews. There were no passengers on
the other vessels. The Bloomersdijk
carried q crew of 80 men and cargo
of grain valued at one half million,
consigned to the government of the
Netherlands and the vessel was val
ued at $1,500,000.
The people aboard the several ships
who put to sea in open boats, were
picked up by several vessels anc
brought to Newport, r. I.
The American steamer Kansan
bound from New York for Genoa witt
steel for the Italian government, wa
y stopped by a submarine. After he
papers had been examined, she was al
lowed to proceed into Boston barber
for her usual call there.
The Kansan reported that the sub
= marine which she met was radically
different in type from the U-53. This
leads to the belief that two, or pos
sibly three, submarines were engaged
: in the attacks ON the merchant vessels
On Monday, the news was sent out
that nine ships were destroyed and
that three submarines at least were in
the vicinity of Nantucket. This report
was proved later to be erroneous. The
submarine scare had created quite a
furry in stock markets Monday, stand
ard and war issues falling from five
to IS points share. Many vessels
bound for European ports have been
held up in New York to determine
whether the under-sea operations are
to be continued on this side of the At
lantic. 1t was reported that a steamer
Kingston or Kingstonian had also been
struck and the United States naval de-
stroyers searched for her crew three
days, but did not find any trace of
them and it is now believed that no
:, such vessel was near Nantucket at the
time of the attacks.
II No trace of any German submarine
, has been found since Sunday and
American naval officers are of the be-
lief that the U-53 started Immediately
I for the German naval base at Helgo-
t land after the five ships were sunk.