The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1917-10-24

Under Convoy from European Port,
Is Torpedocd by German Submarine
Which Succeeded in Eludlng Ameri.
can Conveys.
Washington, Oct. l0.-Thc American
army transport Antilles, homeward
bound under convoy, was torpedoed
and sunk by German submarine in
the war zone Wednesday. About sew
s cnty men arc missing and probably are
lost.
All the army and navy officers
aboard and the ships master were
among the 167 survivors. The missing
arc members OF the crow. three civil
ian engineers. some enlisted men OF
the navy and II Of 80 soldiers return
ing homo for various reasons. Meth
cr the submarine or the torpedo was
seen and the transport, hit squarely
amidships, sank in five minutes.
This tragedy Of the sea, the first
in which an American ship engaged
in war duty, has been lost, is the first
OF its magnitude to bring home to the
people OF the United States the rigors
OF the war in which they have engaged
against Germany. 1t carries the larg-
est casualty list Of the war, 80 far, Of
American lives, and marks the first
success Of German submarine attacks
on American transports.
Nhot .,
CT Is due to the safeguards with which
the navy has surrounded the transport
service, and the quick work of the CON
voying war ships.
Secretary Daniels announced the
disaster tonight in a statement based
upon brief dispatch from Vice Ad-
miral Sims, which gave fow details and
did not say whether it was a day or
night attack. An accurate list Of the
missing cannot be issued until Goncr-
al Pcrshing reports the names Of the
army men on the bcsscl and the list
Of tho merchant crew. Following IS
the announcement:
"rhc transport Antilles was tor
pcdood in the war zone October n.
The shin, a former Morgan liner, was
under convoy by naval patrol when
attacked. The submarine was not seen
nor was the torpedo.
All naval and army officers aboard
were saved and all but three Of the
ships officers, but lG soldiers ont of
33 aboard were lost"
brief dispatch to the war depart
mcnt late today brought the ncws
OF the disaster giving few details. It
is understood that no casualty list has
been cablcd and even If available in
Europe IL probably will not be received
here tonight in time for publication.
Grief al tho war department over
the bad news was mitigatcd by relief
a, the thought that had the enemy got
ten the ship on her outward voyage it
would have been infinitely worse. De-
tails Of the enemy attack and the rcs-
cue Of survivors arc awaited with i'm
patience.
The names Of the soldiers and Of
''' NV '''Nill NI'N iiloolIS 'ilillOl w
determined until the muster roll is
made public by the navy department
France Of those on board has been
examined. Further details will be
as soon as they arc received.
No army units were aboard the vcs-
sci. Such officers and men of the
army as were aboard were being sent
homo on special assignments, invalid
cd home or those to be discharged for
some reason or other. The list OF
these will not be available until il
can he obtained from General Per
shing in France. The army person
mel aboard the returning ship is not
communicated to the war department
in advance.
Upon receipt OF the cablegram
from Admiral Sims. the government
Kept its promise not to withhold bad
ncws from the public. The issuance
OF the statement was delayed only un-
I'll the navy could telegraph TO the
families OF the men known to have
been lost.