The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-10-26
TRANSPORT SUNK
BY GERMAN U-BOAT
SEVENTY SAILORS AND SOLDIERS
LOSE THEIR LIVES WHEN
TRANSPORT GOES DOWN.
Conveys Of Vessel Returning to the
United States Rush to Scene Of
Disaster and Rescue a Number
of Drowning Men.

Washington. - Seventy American
sailors and soldiers lost their lives Oc-
tober II. when a German submarine
torpedoed the army transport An
titles.
News of this first heavy blow struck
against America by Germany reached
the navy department from Vice Adj
mlral Sims on October 10. The An
TILES was torpedoed while returning
to this country from France. She was
under convoy at the time, but neither
the torpedo which sent her to the bot
tom nor the destroying submarine was
sighted.
The men had no chance for their
lives. Struck abreast the engine room,
the Antilles sank like a plummet, go
ing down in five minutes. There were
about 237 aboard her and there was
little or no chance to take to the
boats.
OF the 1877 saved, many were report
ed to have beer fished from the wa
tiers by vessels of the convoy.
Three Naval Officers Lost.
The death list includes three navy
officers, four sailors and sixteen sol
diers. The rest Of the victims were
members of the merchant crew.
Coming on the heels of Vice Ad-
miral Sims report of the ~torpedoing OF
an American destroyer, the sinking OF
the Antilles caused q distinct shock
to the military and naval establish
ments.
The Sims dispatch reached the
bureau of communications at the de-
partment shortly after 3 o'clock Friday
afternoon, at a time when the presi-
dent and his cabinet were in session
and discussing, it is stated, the report
of Admiral Mayo as to the real situa-
ton abroad.
In war department circles 1t was
stated unofficially that important
American officials were on board the
Inflated Antilles, returning from mis-
sions of observation abroad. This may
account for the fact that she was
"picked OUT by the submarine, but
general opinion is that the U-boat took
a shot in the dark, trusting to luck to
bag one American ship and not dar-
ing to show herself because of the
convoy.
Conveys Rush to Rescue.
That the loss of life was not heav-
Ter, considering the almost immediate
sinking of the Antilles, Is declared by
experts to be due solely to the fact
that she was in a fleet of ships and
that the fast conveying d~estroyers
could Immediately rush to the rescue
and pick up many Of the men from
the water.
In case of such attack it is the
navy policy for the other ships under
convoy to scatter as widely as posi-
Bile, steering zigzag in order to save
themselves. The policy has been es-
tablished as the only safe one to pur-
sue, despite the apparent brutality Of
leaving men to drown.
Germany Hopes to Intimidate.
One view is taken in naval circles
of the two attacks in a week on
American ships, and that is this That
Germany has concentrated upon a
campaign of intimidation against the
United States.
There are many angles visible to
give basis to this belief, and officials
of standing point them out. They say
that Germans, by sinking a few trans
ports, expect to ''sicken" America and
give strength to pacifists and propa-
gandists in this country-that she can
cripple Americas war preparations in
this way, cause opposition to further
drafts and create generally an anti
war spirit in America.
They say that the recent falling off
in the loss of British tonnage and the
increasing attacks on American yes
sells indicates that the German admir-
atty, now that the close of activities
in the North sea is near, has deter
mined upon a winter campaign against
American transports, and proposes to
carry on such Il campaign on a large
scale.
The Antilles, a freight and passen-
ger steamship of 6S7S tons gross, own
ed by the Southern Pacific Steamship
company Morgan line) was n of
the crack American coast liners. She
piled between New Orleans and New
York and had carried thousands OF
persons to the Mardi Gras celebration
In the southern city. The vessel was
taken over by the government as d
transport early in the war.
The Antilles was built by The
Cramps at Philadelphia in 1907. Shc
/ was 421 feet long, with a beam o
So feet and a depth of 81 feet.
M..ui. rh.. n..