The Harrison times., 1916-10-14
Tn. radio stations which a, nrn

OF the torpedoing and were slowly
gathering additional facts. were sud
denly closed to the press by an order
from the Navy Department at Wash
ington. II was explained that every
4 thing learned by the government sta
tions must first be transmitted to the
Navy Department before being made
public.
Particulars OF the attack, however
continued TO come from merchant
| vessels to commercial wireless plants
and through marine observers on
shore.
The U-53 which anchored for three
hours IN Newport harbor, while Com
mander Hans Rose sent ashore cor
respondence from Germany for the
German ambassador. Count Won Bern
storff, and exchanged official calls
with Rear Admiral Gleaves and Rear
Admiral Knight, commandant sof the
Narragansett Bay station, slipped out
OF the harbor and submerged just in
side the three-mile limit.
American Ship Not Molested.
At daylight she turned up south.
east Of Nantucket and got in the way
OF the American steamer KansaI Of
the American-Hawaiian Line, bound
from New York for Genoa by way of
Boston, with freight The Wansan
was flying the American flag. She
was stopped by the submarine. AS
sured that the Kansan was an Ameri.
can owned vessel, the submarine later
allowed her to proceed.
Captain Smith of the Kansas re-
ported in a wireless message to the
captain of the Nantucket Shoals light
ship that he had been stopped. He
said the submarine showed no colors,
but from his meager description Of the
craft naval neil were satisfied that it
was the U-53.
A half hour later the submarine en-.
countered the Strathdene, command
ed by Captain Wilsos and under char
ter by the French Line. A subse-
quent message from the Nantucket
lightship stated that the Strathdene
had been sunk and that the crew
of 20 men were on the lightship. The
steamer carried a crew of "a, so there
was some doubt as to whether the
lightship had picked them all up or
had correctly reported. The Strath-
dene sailed from New York for Bor-
deaux. ohe was of 1921 tons and 375
feet in length. She was built in
Greenwich in 1900 and was owned in
Glasgow.
Pursuing her hostile course, the
submarine next came up with the
West Point, bound from London for
Newport News. The fate of the Brit
ish freighter was told in the follow
ing wireless dispatch from her COM
mander, Captain Hayden, to the naval
radio station
British steamer West Point stop
ped by submarine and fired upon;
getting boat ready. Position 40:25
north, So west Get cutter"
West Point Was Sinking.
Later messages gave further de-
tails. One stated that the steamer
was being shelled by the submarine
when the message was sent at 11:15
a. m. A third message said that the
vessel was attacked at 10:45 o'clock
10 miles south OF Nantucket This
message caused confusion regarding
the exact position of the freighter.
The steamer Kansan picked up the
distress signals of the West Point
and proceeded to her assistance. Then
the Boston Navy Yard at 1870 o'clock
received a message from the Kansan
stating that the West Point was sink.
ing and that ths Kansan was going
to her aid. The disabled vessel wss
then So miles distant and the Kansan
was making II knots.
Later a private dispatch added the
information that the submarine, after
stopping the West Point, ordered the
crew into their small boats. The
crew abandoned the ship which was
then torpedoed. It was in sinking
condition when last reported.
Menatime the American line steam
ship Philadelphia, which left New
York for Liverpool, had gotten within
the war zone and an S. o. s. wireless
message was received by her com
mander. He held his course for the
east.
During the day no word came from
the British and French patrol vessels
which have been watching the Allan
tic coast, from which vessels of the
entente allies with munitions Of war
have daily set out. A message was
sent to Halifax asking for the press
information as to what was being done
to protect British and French ship
ping from the submarine. The reply
came that the British commander in
chief Of the Halifax station, which IS
directing the patrolling fleet, was con-
sidering whether any statement by
him was advisable.