The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-05
HOUSATONlC
 WARNED BY : SUBMARINE

London, Feb. 5-The crew of the American steamship HousatoE:c, which was sunk Saturday, off the Scilly Islands, has been landed at Penzance, England. She received full warning, and her crew in boats were lowed by the submarine for an hour and half toward the land.
 John G. Stephens, American Con- sul at Plymouth, sends this dispatch here:
 Total crew of thirty-seven of Housatonic landed at Penzance, Sat urday. Vessel torpedoed by Ger man submarine 12:30 Saturday. Warned. Crew lowed ninety min -utes by submarine toward land."
 The second mate of the Housaton- ic was on the American steamer Gull flight when she was attacked by a submarine in almost the same place on May 1, 1915. The Gul1ight was the first American victim of Ger many's submarine warfare
 London, Feb. 5-One account of the sinking of the American freighter Housatonic says at the time the ves- se1 was hailed by the German sub- marine she was flying the American flag and had the American colors painted prominently on her sides.
 The crew received one hour from the commander of the submarine to leave the ship.
 "I have orders to sink every ves- sel coming to England" he explain ed.
 The members of the crew of the submarine searched the Housatonic and took from her a quantity of soap, which they said was difficult to obtain in Germany.
 Believed to be No ''Overt Act"
 Washington, Feb. 5-No ''overt act" which can be regarded as cause for war between this country and Germany is to be found in the tor pedoing of the Housatonic, high of dcia1s held yesterday, after reading preliminary report from Joseph G. Stephens, Consul at Plymouth, Eng land. The message read:
 American steamer Housatonic, loaded with cargo of wheat for the British government, was torpedoed by German submarine at 12:3O o'clock of. the 3d inst. Vessel was warned and total crew of 37 rescued by submarine and lowed for 90 minutes toward land. Submarine fired signals to British pa tro1 boat, which subsequently landed the crew at Penzance." S4
 The vital facts in this message arei that the Housatonic was warned be- fore being sunk and efforts were made by the commander of the submarine to put the crew in a place of safety. The Housatonic's cargo of wheat for the British government would be con traband under any, Interpretation of international law.
 The Housatonic case is much like the Frye case, except that the Ger man government, officials here say, has a stronger defense. according to the facts set forth by the consul at Plymouth, in this instance than in the case of the Frye. In the Frye case the vessel was sunk because the wheat she carried was bound for a British fortified port It was not shown that the cargo was consigned to the British government.
 In some quarters the unusual pre- cautions taken to insure safety for the crew were taken to mean that in- ternati0nal law and Germany's sub- marine pledges would be observed more: scrupulously than. ever in the case of the many vessels which were on the high seas at the time the new campaign of unrestricted warfare be- came effective, Feb. 1. In her note announcing the campaign Germany said immunity from the new measures