The Alaska daily empire., 1916-01-03
Wilson FIurriOS Back
 To Capital; Life loss
 Includes U. s. Consul

WASHINGTON. Jan. ss-Four largo ships, three of them 6ritIsh, have been torpedocd and sunk h Southern waters, with heavy loss of life, and apparently without warning by the Teutonle submarinss accused of eaus- Ing their destruction. As a result of tho sinking of the vessels, President WIlson has cut short hIs honeymoon trip to Hot sprinas, Va, and Is Ieav- Ing for Washington tonight. It 10 ad- inltted in Washington that the admin Istratlon faces the mcst critical In- ternationaI situation sInee the Europ- can war broke out.
 AMERICAN CONSUL MISSING
 News that the British steamship Persia had been ounk without warning off the Island of Crete, Mediterranean Sea, with the Ioss of 300 lIves, reached Washington Sunday, In a consular dIs- patch, which says that at least ono American, Robert N. MeNeeley, Unit ed States consui at Alden. Arabia, probably lost hIs life. McNeeIey was on hls way to his station, and Is re- ported to be among those mIssIns from the Persia. The weasel Is said to have been torpedoed Friday. Tho Pcrsia was an 5000 ton ship.
 London today reported the loss in the same manner. of the British liner Glcngyle. and the British steamship Stoewald. while a dispatch which reached London from Cairo confirmed reports that the Japanese liner Ken koku Maru had been torpedoed and sunk by an Austrian submarine.
 Persia Carried Guns
 According to official announcement made by the London Admiralty, the sunken Persia carried a large ship ment of ammunition and guns whom she was sent to the bottom. and re- sponsibilIty for her sinking and the death of three hundred persons is placed upon Austria.
 The liner Glengyle, according to announcement ct London, was bound from Yokohama to Genoa, when tor pedoed In the Mediterranean and sunk with heavy loss of life. Several Americans arc reported to have been aboard. A hundred survivors have been picked up by other ships Tho Glengyle loaded 15,OOO tons at Seat tie in March. and sailed April 9 for Vladivostok. Later she took cargo from China, for Europe, under tho colors of the Royal Mall line.
 The Kenkoku Maru, from Manila to Baltimore, also was sunk in the Medit- terranean.
 Situation To Grave
 Developments in the new interna- tIonal crisis brought on by the Teuton- ic submarine campaign in the Medit- erranean moved forward swiftly to- day. with the President returning ear ly tomorrow morning to take person. al charge of the situation.
 Baron Zwied,nelc. fin charge of the Austrian embassy, assured Secretary Lansing that should 1t be proven that an Austrian submarine sunk the Per. sia with the loss of American life his government would promptly give reparation and satisfaction. He asked that Judgment be suspended until all the facts are known. The State De. partment immediately instructed Am bassador Penfield at Wanna to make inquiries for information to determine the nationality of the submarine that sunk the Persia. and for other facts in the case.
 Congress Meets Tomorrow
 Everywhere in Washington offic- .al and diplomatic circles and around the capital. where Congress reassem- bles tomorrow. the situation is view ed as most critical, and fraught with grave eventualIties. Chairman Stone. of the Senate foreign relations com mittee conferred with Secrtary Lans- Ing at tho Secretary's invitation, but was noncommittal about his visit. Stone admitted that tho submarine crisis had been discussed and that he expected to confer with the PresI- dent tomorrow. He said he did not know whether the crisis would be con- s.dered by the foreign relations com mittee just yet.
 There seemed to be growing i'm. prssion in official quarters that to- morrow the President may get oil Congressional leaders together and acquaint them fully with the situa- tion.
 RusslA L LANDs TROOPS IN