The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-10-20
Sec. Daniels Report.

the vessel were lost.
Sec. Daniels Report.
Secretary of the Navy Daniels last
night issued the following report on tht
sinking of the Antilles:
"The department is in receipt of dis
patch from Vice-Admiral Sims which
states that the steamship Antilles an
army transport was torpedoed on Oct
II, while returning to this country from
foreign service This vessel was under
convoy of American patrol vessels at the
time.
"The torpedo which struck the Antilles
was not seen, nor was the submarine
which fired it. The torpedo hit abreast
of the engine room bulkhead, and the
ship sank within five minutes. One hun
ded and sixty-seven persons out of about
two hundred and thirty seven on board
the Antilles were saved. About 20 men
are missing
"All the naval officers and officers Of
the army who were on board the ship
at the time were saved, as were the Off
GERS of the ship, with the exception of
the following: Walker, third engineer
officer; Boyle, junior engineer officer,
and 0'Rouke, junior engineer officer.
''The following enlisted naval person
mel were lost: +. L. Kinney, seaman,
second class, next to kin, Thomas NJ.
Kinney, father, Water Valley, Miss; j..
W. Hunt, seaman, second class, next to-
kin, Isaac Hunt, father, Mountain Cove,
Mo, r. Number 2 Bow Al G. L. Aus
burn, radio electrician, first class, next
to kin, r. Ausburn, brother, $500 Louisi-
ana avenue, New Orleans, La, and H
If. Watson, radio electrician, third class,
next to kin, Mrs. w. L. Seger, mother,
Rutland, Mass
"There were about 33 of the army en-
listed personnel on board, of whom II
were saved The names of the missing
of the army enlisted personnel and of
the merchant crew of the ship cannot |
be given until the muster roll in France |
of those on board has been consulted. |
As soon as the department is in receipt |
of further details concerning the casual
ties, they will be made public immediate
1y."
Antilles Was Fine Ship.
The Antilles, a freight and passenger
steamship, of 6,s7s tons>gr owned by
the Southern Pacific Steamship company
Morgan line), was one of the crack
American coast liners. She piled be-
tween New Orleans and New York and
had carried thousands of persons to the
IMardi Gras celebration in the southern
city. The vessel was taken over by the
government as a transport early in the
war.
Captain H. f. Boyle, master of the
Antilles, retained his command when the
vessel entered the government service,
as did most of his officers. The crew
was recruited by the quartermaster's de
partment and included many of the men
who had served on the steamship when
she was in the merchant service.
The Antilles was built by the Cramps !.
at Philadelphia in 1907. She was 42l
feet long with a beam of 50 feet and
depth of 81 feet.
The Antilles was withdrawn from the
coastwise trade temporarily in Septem-
ber, 1914, to make a trip to Genoa,
Italy, to bring home about 400 Ameri :
cans. who had been stranded in Europe !.
by the outbreak of hostilities The party =
at Genoa under the leadership !.
Of L. F. Loree, president of the Della :
ware & Hudson Railroad company, to
await the arrival of an American vessel
The Antilles sailed from Genoa on Sep-ii
tember 10 under command of Captain
BOYLE and arrived in New York on Sep y
tember 20
Upon receipt Of the cablegram from
Admiral Sims, the government kept its n
promise not TO withhold bad news from :,
he public The issuance Of the state n
nent was delayed only until the navy !,
,ould telegraph 10 the families Of the
men known to have been lost =
Secretary Daniels carried word Of the 4,
oss Of the Antilles to the White House !,
yhen be went there late in the day
With Admiral Mayo. who made his re.
'ort 10 President Wilson on his visit
O England al the direction Of the pres I.
dent. The news added 70 the gravity Of
he hour that the secretary and sdmiral
isyo spent in conference with the pres
dent w
Quick upon the wave of sorrow at the y,
ews Of the loss Of the transport. came 81
feeling Of distinct relief because she Il,
sd met her fate homeward bound and n
% on the way over with troops The III
MY soldiers on board were returning to ce
be hospital or on special assignment. &C