The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-05-03
MUST HAVE MORE
SHIPS AS VICTIMS
iContinued from page ID

NSOu lIOui page IL
ties. followed conferences with al
lied commissioners and receipt OF
figures showing that Germany's
= boat harvest is reaching far greater
totals than perhaps even the Teu-
tons themselves had anticipated.
The practical upshot of the official
warnings, 1t is thought by many, will
be to shunt aside the clamor for
sending troops to France immediate
ly and to force upon the nation the
realization that as Secretary Lane
said, the war twill be fought on this
side of the Atlantic if we do not beat
the Germans to it."
Extremely Grave Situation.
NEW YORK, May Submarine
destruction has been steadily increas'
ing for six weeks. The Nsuation IS
+, one of extreme gravity, make sure OF
that"
With this warning, Herbert G.
Hoover, who is to be Americas food
dictator, arrived today from England.
He left Immediately for Washington.
Declaring that deaths in the indus
trial districts of Belgium had been
multiplied by three" on account Of
submarine operations during March
and April, Hoover said the boats
were the one big menace which must
be eliminated in order to win the war
The European food situation as
well as the general situation there
requires every possible effort We can
make" he said. What Europe
needs most is wheat and 1t must have
wheat, but it must also have beef
and pork products. AS for Belgium,
thn SnP fc OF, ivo 70 q
feet after having been practically
knocked out by the submarines. Five
I of our ships have been torpedoed
s since March !.
Eve landed only sixty thousand
tons of food in Belgium during March
and April. Deaths greatly increased.
The babies were cared for first. They
did not die. 1t was the adults. the
old people, the mothers who suffer
ed. The relief commission has only
thirty vessels. 1t should have sew
enty to feed Belgium alone"
With regard to his trip to this
country. Hoover said:
Like every good American I am
coming over to do my bit"
He would not talk about the Annex.
lean food situation, but said it was
a grave problem requiring much
study.
Baron D'Cartier, Belgian minister to
Washington. was among those who
greeted Hoover at the dock. He will
accompany him to Washington. The
American vessel upon which Hoover
arrived lay at her pier an hour De-
fore any passengers were permitted
TO land and all were given a war.
time examination.
Two Known Killed.
NEW YORK. May 3.-Two men
are known to have been killed when
submarine torpedoed and shelled
the American steamship Rocking
ham, according to a cable received
here today by the Garland Steam
ship corporation from Captain Ed
wards. commanding the vessel.
His cable: Rockingham torpedoed;
two men killed; one boat missing
with thirteen men not yet landed"
Further details have been cabled
for. The two men probably were
killed by shell fire as cable dis
patches to the United Press yester-
day stated the ship was shelled be-
fore she went to the bottom.
Another American Torpedoed.
WASHINGTON, May 3.-The tor
pedoing Of the American sailing yes
sci Willard Abrahams, off the Irish
coast and rescue of her crew of six
was officially reported to the state
department today.
The American consul at Liverpool
named the following members Of the
American gun crew on the torpedoed
Vacuum as lost or missing: Lieut. c.
G. Thomas, A. Donald, B. j. Fisher,
G. F. Licken, F. H. Loree (died
May p.
The saved Of the gun crew were:
John Nichola, It. Wilson, F. Lasher
j. e. Williams, 5. Williams, G.. W.
Paker. o. H. Lucke, L. R. Mussorn
Survivors Of the unwarned attack
upon the Vacuum were in boats
Twenty-Five hours and suffered from
wet and cold.
Other state department messages
said the American sailing ship Mar
garet had been set on fire by a sub
marine April 81, but made no men
lion OF lives lost, while a third cable
gram reported the landing of thirty