The sun., 1916-10-09
Second sinking Reported.

1t was not until the destroyers darted
seward TO the rescue OF the Wes'
Points crew that the news was received
hat the T-53 had torpedoed another
British f%reighter. the ~Strathdene, before
catching the West Point. Half an houi
after the submarine intercepted the
American steamship Kansan and Their
let her go she encountered the Strath.
dene. a freighter Of 1927 tons. manned
by Lascars mostly, and bound from
New York to Bordeaux with munitions
and supplies for the Allies.
Capt. Wilson Of the Strathdenc was
taking the usual course and II II not
known whether he had received a warn
Ing that the U-53 had left Newport and
was to be feared. The Nantucket light
ship. which was getting a lot OF news
about that time. flashed word to the sta
tion here that the Strathdene was tor
, pedoed at 6 A. NJ. and that her crew
OF thirty-four we're on their way In small
boats to the iightship. The vessel car
ried no passengers. She was under char.
ter to the French line. the New York
agent of which Is O. Il. Cauchois.
shocked by stephano News.
Al p. NJ. the most alarming news Of
the day was r~eccived-that the Red
Cross liner Stcphano. from 81. Johns,
N. f.. for New York. carrying forty-four
first cabin and thirty-nine second cabin
passengers. a crew OF seventy-hve and
5000 tons Of general merchandise. had
fallen a victim OF the U-53 and that pos
sibly there had been great loss OF life
among the passengers, mos, OF whom
were Americans.
Newport. as well rs the who'll coast.
was shocked Mt the flash. II was known
In shipping circles that many women
and children were aboard the Red Cross
liner. n number of them returning from
Newfoundland and Canadian ports.
where they had taken refuge from the
scourge OF infantile paralysis. The first
report was ma the ~Stephano, flying the
British flag OF course. had been attacked
nearer the Long Island shore than Nam
tucket and that the fate OF her passen-
gers was unknown. The submarine was
said to have fired a torpedo ut the
S~tephano at $3.50 +. N.
The wireless message containing the
news came from the Destroyer Balch and
was an official report to Rear Admiral
knight. Immediately Admiral knight
wirelessed an order to the destroyer
Jenkins to go to the Ralch's aid.
There was nc mention of passengers
In the Balch's message. but 1t stated
that the crew had been safely taken
aboard the destroyer. II was assumed
that this embraced all the passengers
Of the vessel.
Ne Details Received.
No details OF the sinking were sent
by the Balch in the first wireless mes
z whether or not y warning had
been given and opportunity to take to
the small boats was left a mystery.
The mex definite word came early In
the evening. when the destroyer Jenkins
radioed that 1t had reached the Balch
and had taken on all the Americans.
This was thought to include passengers
and crew.
with the sinking OF the s~tephano 1t
was thought that the y boat could not
keep up her acts Of warfare much
longer. for she had only six ~torpedoes
aboard when she left here yesterday.
She left Wilhelmshavcn with eight. OBJ
servers who wen: abroad noticed that
two OF the eight tubes were empty.
Capt. Rose and his equally ~reticent Of
hcers had nothing to say by way of ex-
planation. but one OF his men proudly
slipped the secret to a German friend
here: I'VE fred two torpedoes on the
way across the Atlantic. We got a Brit
ish transport with one Of them"
Where this happened or whether anv
OF the soldiers that were on the trans
port were saved was not revealed.
II was shortly before S O'Clock hi
news Of the sinking OF the British
steamer Kingston was made public. This
also came by wireless. and Admiral
knight confirmed 1t Immediately. The
first news was that the entire crew had
been picked up: later reports denied
this and said that the destroyer Cush-
ing was searching for them.
At a late hour no more definite news
about the crew had been received, but IL
was thought In naval circles that n they
had not been picked up they would
surely be found before morning by one
Of the destroyers comblng the waters
in the neighborhood.
The radio stations which at first had
given to the newspapers the news OF the
~torpedoings and we're slowly gathering
additional facts were suddenly closed
to the press by an order from the Navy
Department at Washington. II was ex-
planned that everything learned by Gov
ernment stations must first be trans
mitted to the Navy Department before
being made public.
Particulars of the attacks, however,
continued to come from merchant vessels
TO commercial wireless plants not con-
trolled by the Government and through
marine observers on shore.