French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1917-04-12
ST. LOUIS FIRST STEAMSHIP
TO RUN GAUNTLET OF WAR ZONE
German Admiralty Made Plans to De-
strOy American Steamer; Mines
StreWn i'm Path of Big Liner.

-
New York, April 9.-Running safely
through the dangers of the German
blockade of Great Britain and without
sighting a periscope. either on the out
ward or homeward journey, the Amer
lean mail and passenger liner st.
Louis, arriving at her home dock to-
day. The st. Louis was the first
American passenger boat to be armed
and travel through the danger zone
around the British Isles since Ger
many's declaration of January 81 and
she was we'll armed for the trip. But
her guns were used on no German
target.
The homeward voyage was stormy.
A hundred miles off the coast of Ire
land a gale threatened the destruction
of the lifeboats which had been partly
lowered and it became necessary to lie
to for two hours while they were made
secure This was an anxious time as
the stop was made directly in the nor
may path of the German submarines
returning to their home base.
"If I were hunting for submarines
I could not have picked a more likely
place to find Them" said a naval officer
on board. But no submarines appear
ed. The st. Louis later steamed
through deserted seas, only two small
steamers being sighted until Amer1-
a waters we're reached.
Now that the American ship has
completed her memorable voyage, 1t
is possible to tell how good luck pro-
badly saved her from destruction.
There appears no room for doubt
hat the German admiralty knew of her
departure and took steps to destroy
her. The British patrol fleet knew
this and so did those in command of
the st. Louis before she was far into
the war zone. Running at full speed
the night, with the coast OF
ireland and its Observation-Disclosures wa
tiers still in the distance the IS. o. s."
calls of ships in distress came to the
watchful wireless operator Of the st.
A ship had been torpedoed
about seventy-fve miles ahead Of the
st. Louis and directly in her path.
Soon another call for help showed
that another steamer had met the
same fate a hundred miles South, while
a third told of the destruction OF
a British boat far to the westward out
Of the war zone and in the path the Sc.
Louis had travelled.
The st. Louis arrived off the bar OF
the Mersey before dawn. There was
no pilot boat at hand and the Amerf-
can liner was compelled TO steam OUT
the bar, where it wal known q
submarine had been working
the night before, until driven away by
patrol boats.
During this time q neutral steamer
which had been in the harbor for
about two weeks, he'd attempted to 20
to sea. She was caught dropping
inside the bar, eighty Of them
cling strewn about it, it was reported.
Patlol boats picked up or destroyed
all but two Of these.
The st. Louis crossed the bar and
went up the narrow channel about 10
in the morning. About an
hour later, Ene British steamer Kelvin
head crossed tho bar, struck one OF
the mines and sank. The St.. Louis
could not have missed the mine by
more than twenty feet. How she fes-1
capped destruction YVES a mystery TO
the British officers and the amazed
We're congratulated when
they reached their dock.
It was the report arornd the Liver
pool docks, that the vessel caught
strewing mines was a Swedish boat.
This was not confirmed by the British.
Nor is the fate of the officers of the
guilty ship known. Those things are
not given out or cven talked about by
England's sailors. But the decision
in their cases was probably not long
delayed.
1t. was the expressed belief of the
British that the big guns aboard the
st. Louis held no terroEs of the Ger
man submarines. The fortune of war
was on the side of the Americans.