The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-01-05
WATTS FOR DETAILS.
AUSTRIAN RELATIONS STRAINED
BY LOSS OF THE PERSIA

BY LOSS OF THE PERSIA
FACTS come in sL0WLl
Submarine Was Not Seen and the Re
ported Wake Of Torpedo is Regard
ed as Peculiar-Baron Zwiedinel
is Confident His Government VIII
Satisfactorily Adjust the Matter. :
Anxiety over the news of the sink
ing of the British steamship Persia
increased in official circles at Wash
ington when consular dispatch
brought the information Sunday thai
the ship had been torpedoed without
warning and that at least one Ameri
can citizen, Robert n. McNeely, new
consul at Alden, Arabia, was missing
At the same time officials were
much gratifed at the indication
emanating from Baron Erich ZWiedi.
mex, charge Of the Austro-Hungarian
embassy that the Vienna government
would be quick to satisfactorily ad-
just the matter should it develop
that an Austrian commander had dis
obeyed instructions in regard to the
torpedoing Of passengef-carryin
ships without warning.
Judgment should be withheld
pending the receipt of the facts, sur
rounding the sinking Of the steamer
Persia said Baron ZHiedinek. "It
may have happened in many ways.
In the first place, it is not yet proved
that a submarine sank the Persia.
If it was an Austrian submarine it
must be determined whether the cir
.cumstances were such as to warrant
the action taken.
81 am confident, at least 1 hope,
that the final explanation will be
quite satisfactory. If the commander
Of the submarine disobeyed his in
structions feel sure my government
will not hesitate to satisfactorily ad-
just Tue mdLCer. =
From the answer made to the last
note on the Ancona alone it is quite
evident that the Austro-Hungarian
government will not countenance any
act which is wrong"
Complete confidence prevails in
Teutonic diplomatic circles that if an
Austrian submarine sank the Persia
without warning the act. would be
disavowed promptly, reparation made
for Americans lost and the submarine
commander severely punished.
It is understood that Baron Zwiedi-
nek will call upon Secretary Lansing
for the purpose of informally convey
ing his views on the subject Of and
endeavoring to gain an understand
ng of the views of the United States
for the information. of his govern
ment.
While Secretary Lansing declined
to comment on the situation con-
fronting the United States, it became
known that he and other administra-
tion Officials, were awaiting full in
formation before forming: an opinion
and determining upon any action.
Officials expressed themselves as
not being convinced that subma-
rine sank the Persia. They were i'm
pressed by the statement in the dis
patch from Alexandria that the wake
of the torpedo had been seen, al
though no submarine ives visible.
Navy officials said they would con-
slider it out of the ordinary, although
not impossible that torpedo fired by
a submerged submarine should leave
a visible wake.
Discussion Of the case showed that
officials generally felt that the Unit
ed States had about come to the end
of it's rope in conducting diplomatic
over submarine war
fare. There was 40 inclination to
minimize the gravity of the situation
which would develop if it was proved
that an Austrian submarine sank the
Persia and a prompt disavowal from
Vienna was not forthcoming. 1t was
thought possible, however, that the
Vienna government may see fit to fol-
low the example set by Germany upon
the sinking of the Arabic.
The Arabic was torpedoed at a
time when it appeared that the sub
marine controversy with Germany
was on the road to settlement. A
week later Count. Won Bernstorff, the
German ambassador, received in
structions to assure the United States
government that full satisfaction
more than a disavowal" would be
given by the Berlin government
should the circumstances as they
were reported proved to be correct.
Should the developments warrant
it and should the mystery surround
ing the nationality of the submarine
remain unsolved the United States, it
was said, probably will address in
quiries to Austria-Hungary, Germany
and Turkey, the only nations whose
submarines might be in the eastern
Mediterranean ,--...
The inquiries necessarily would
have to be sent to all three nations,
although it is believed certain in all
quarters that Austria-Hungary is the
only one of the Teutonic allies with
Ill llOSC "dlCl .. 4 3Aio w
lief is based primarily upon state
ment recently made by Count Won
Bernstorff to the effect that no Ger
man or Turkish submarines were
known to be operating there.
Any action taken by the United
States will be based upon affidaVlts
from passengers, particularly Ameri-
cans, rather than upon officers of the
ship. Final decision as to what ac-
ton, if any, is to be taken will be
made by the president, who will re-
turn to Washington from Hot Springs
in day or two. Several points re-
main, to be cleared up -.....
The state department especially de-
sires additional corroboration of the
statement that the wake of torpedo
was seen. 1t regards as being signi-
fcant the statement that the vessel
went down in five minutes and de-
sires all details upon this point, al
though it is assumed that Consul Gar
rels based the statement upon lnfor-