Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-03-21
BLOWN UP
!. BY GERMAN U-BOAT;;
ENTIRE CREW SAFE
Commander "Too Busy" to Aid
Victims.
REFUSED TO TOW SMALL BOAT
American Steamer Algonquin Shelled
Without Warning and Then Sent
to Bottom-"Situation Un-
changed"-Wash ington.

London, March 15.-Tbe American
steamer Algonquin has been destroyed
by a German submarine. The crew
was saved, j. G. Stephens, the Amer
lean consul at Plymouth, reported.
Capt. A. Nordberg declared he had
40 warning before the submarine
opened fire with live shells.
The Algonquin was a freighter. 1t
was sent down at six O'Clock on the
morning Of March u. The submarine
refused assistance, the consurs report
said.
| Twenty-seyen men have been landed.
According TO later advices from
| Plymouth, the German submarine
opened fire upon the Algonquin from
distance of 1000 yards, firing about 20
shells.
| These were not enough to sink the
| steamer, so IL was boarded by men
from the submarine, who placed four
bombs and the Algonquin was then
blown up. The crew was given plenty
of time to leave the vessel.
Unwarned, Captain Says.
at was just after daylight on Mon
| day when we were attacked" said the
captain Of the Algonquin, as quoted by
| the Press association.
There was no warning. The sub
| marine started fire a a range of three
miles. When about 20 live shells had
been fired at the Algonquin. of which
four hit the ship forward. the crew de-
cided TO take TO the boats. and pulled
away from the sinking vessel.
Then the submarine approached.
and. with only It's periscope showing,
sailed around the steamer several
times. Finding that the crew had
abandoned the ship, the submarine
came to the surface.
"Some of the Germans boarded the
Algonquin and placed bombs aft.
These We're exploded. and within
quarter Of an hour the steamer disap-
peared.
81 appealed to the submarine com
mander for tow toward land. in view
OF the roughness of the weather, but
the German gruffiy replied: I am too
/ busy"
Thirteen British vessels of more
than 1000 tons were sunk during the
week ending March IL. says an Off
cial announcement Of shipping losses.
Four British vessels Of less than 1000
tons aud three fishing vessels were
sunk.
Ten Americans Aboard.
New York, March 15.-rhe Algon-
quin sailed from this port on Febru-
airy 90 with a cargo valued at $l2J0,-
| 600. The ship itself was appraised at
| S450OO0. 1t was commanded by Capt.
A. Norberg. naturaliZed Norwegian.
Four of the Americans on the Al
/ gonquln were born I'm the United
States and the other six are natural
lied American citizens, according to
the records on file here. They are:
w. T. Holmes boatswain. Pittsburgh;
Allan Hopkins Ellsworth, Me. A. L.
FOrman, seaman. Baltimore, and Frank
Formason. seaman. Gloucester, Mass.
all native Americans; and Capt. A.
Norberg, Norwegian, Brooklyn; F. G.
Yerney. first mate. Belgian. Detroit,
Mich. Charles Schulz, chief engineer,
German, New York city: Frank John
stone. assistant engineer. Irish, whose
parents live In Scotland; Alexander
Paul second engineer. Scotchman,
Brooklyn. and f. Zimmerman, third
engineer. Norwegian. Brooklyn, all
naturalized Americans.
Situation is Unchanged.
Washington, March 15.-In the abb
sence Of official dispatches on the de-
struction of the steamer Algonquin,
officials withheld comment but the un-
official view was that nothing in the
incident changes the situation between
the United States and Germany.
President Wilson already has taken
steps to place the nation in a state of
armed neutrality which, with the
breaking of diplomatic relations with
Germany. is practically the last meas
ure possible shore of war.
Armed Ships, U. S. Reply
American ships now are being armed
TO defend themselves against unlawful
submarine attack. The general view
is that arming of ships is the only an.
swer to submarine operations short of
declaration of war, which may be
made only by congress.
The real issue of peace or war is ex.
pected to come when an American
armed ship has clash with German
submarine.
A series of distractions of American
ships probably would arouse congress
10 declaration of war, if indeed Ger
many should not declare war on the
United States. as many expect. as re-
suit of the first encounter with one of
her submarines
Up to the present, in the absence o.
action by congress. all that could be
done to meet such a case as the de
struction of the Algonquin already has
bFn done. 1t generally is accepted on
FIRST reports as not being the overt