Evening journal., 1917-06-14
~ Nd Unlted Preas

N"'AHoAhit Wal SIOWS more DdlOdTOuS
every day II has now reached the
plane OF deliberate murder for every
ship sunk and viii so continue 70
the end II is not the fault of the
Gernans that every torpedo does not
produce a Lusitania massacre"
That is the kaisers Unrestricted
submarine warfare in the words OF
the man VINO probably knows more
about the human side OF the sea
tragedy than any other-certainly
more than any other American
He is Wesley Frost. American con-
sui at Queenstown the port on the
southwest coast OF Ireland where
all the Atlantic Ocean lanes TO Brit
an come together or the shores
near Queenstown the thousands OF
ships which feed Britain pass by day
and night
Frost is in Washington for a rest
For over two years he has been in
attendance az the funerals Of merch-
ant ships struck down by the under
water terror. u has been his task
10 collect rhe evidence as TO sizty-five
slnkings in which Americans we're
imperilled or slaughtered
II Is with difficulty that he can be
induced to talk, but when he does
the full throated indignation Of this
clean-cut young American Is almost
terrible IN its intensity.
'The German guilt is double" said
Frost today "fn the first place no
civilized government would have re-
sorted 10 such methods. even when IL
was possible 70 sink ships occasional
ly without numbering non'cOmbatants
Now that the arming of merchant
ships and the effectiveness of the pa
trolls makes IL impossible for the sub
marines 10 risk giving warning. they
would drop Il II they were white"
Tho sporting word he uses explains
much Of the sort Of man Frost II. Born
back in Oberlin, Ohio, his life has
been that OF the sturdy young Ameri-
can who makes his way in the world
by hard work and fighting fsir. II -
not strange. that he has no use for the
sophistries OF "frightfulness'-and
calls murder by IFS real name.
Now that the submarines have been
driven to attack ships submerged
using the torpedo almost exclusively
the murder roll is bound TO grow.
Frost explained. Most ships, when
struck by torpedo. go down in two
or three minutes. which gives no op-
portunities OF escape TO those below
decks. Recent sinkings which came
under his obserpation since the be-
ginning OF the ruthless warfare show
this conclusively.
A freighter loaded with iron ore
and conveyed by a destroyer, went
down I'm two minutes. Eighteen OF
her crew OF twenty-slx drowned.
Another sunk in two minutes after
being struck. She was hit in daylight
but the submarine was not seen.
Twenty eight Of her crew of thirty
two perished.
The ADosso sunk IN three minutes
and thirty women and children d'ed.
"Slnkings OF this sort from now on
will be the rule-not the exception"
said Frost
Only the larger passenger ships
will remain afoat long enough TO
launch the boats and get of the crew
and passengers, and those will not
float so long II struck IN vital spots
or by more than one torpedo. The
are now so fearful or OK
posing themselves TO the deckguns or
slowly sinking ships that they seldom
come up to question the escaping
crews OF passenger ships. Out OF six
ships sinking investigated
by him. this happened in only one
case-that Of the Laconia. which was
sunk near midnight.
Hideous as this assassination from
ambush is. II does not equal the
wanton crimes committed in the
iays before ruthless warfare'-when
The submarines came 10 the surface
and attacked with gun FIRE.
The warning given in these cases
was simply the beginning OF the at
tack and the sailors we're often Kill
ed by the warning shots" This sort
Of warning was given only 10 save
the expensive torpedoes-worth $1,000
apiece-of which a submarine carries
only a few. When the ship gave signs
OF surrender the firing generally stop
ped and a boarding party from the
submarine destroyed her with bombs.
The crew took 20 their boats.
Unless picked up they were left
10 certain death by starvation or
drowning as these attacks took place
100 and 200 miles OF shore. In only
one case did Frost find that the sub
marine offered to assist the victims
by towing their boats toward the land.
The sufferings of these crews who
were picked mp by patrol boats, were
terrible. Many Of them were never
picked up. The men probably went MAD
/ and leaned into the sra. In tho case OF
Cairnhill, a British freighter with a crew
of rs men. five Of whom were Americans
the Germans deliberately Quilted, III,
/ lifeboat. took the provisions which th'
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