The Detroit times., 1917-10-20
Conveying Destroyers,
Did Not See
Periscope
HIT PURE LUCK,
SAY OFFICIALS
Submarine Command
er Must Have Fired
By Guess
BY CARL d. GRoAr.

StGr Correspondent United Press a
WASHINGTON. oct 2o.--Ger.
many is centering n large part OF
the attention OF her U-boats on "get-
ting" American transports.
That conviction was borne In ON
navy men today as a result OF the
first torpedoing OF an American,
transport - the Antilles while
homswaEd !. !. g b. bound y.a ae"'.-' -, )
That a U.boat 'rabt" this ,Morgsa !.
liner however, was largely a matt
ter OF fate--of luck Nobody saw
the submarine even tho the Antilles 4
Was part OF a convoy And she
went down In five minutes, victim
OF square hit.
The disaster 10 the Antilles
shocked American oficialdom. And
they hoped today that IL would
serve 10 awaken the American peo-
pie to a realization OF exactly what
may be expected from the Germans,
that only the utmost precaution and
the utmost force is sufficient 10 con-
Quer such an enemy.
The luck in the Antilles case
IS one OF the incidents OF U-boat
warfare
Omcials explained today that tina
Antilles must have run over the u
boat, whose surprised commander
was able 10 get the range and do
liver torpedo surely. Had the u
vessel been running with her peri
scope exposed she would have neen
visible 10 the convoy. To the de-
stroyer patrol and tho armament OF
tho Antilles she probably would have
been an easy victim AS II was.
the U.boat apparently got one Flrht
Of the transport. white lying IN
wait for loaded transports, Europe-
bound and ducking quickly fred her
torpedo and made of.
Recent reports. given added weight
by Lord ,Northclines recent warm
inC. Indicate that the Germans are
lying IN wait FOR the American trans
| ports especially The fact that this
| lurking submarine was on the trail
/ and did her work. unseen clinched
| the stories as 10 Germanys inten-
! tions
The point that authorities emphh
lied today about the disaster WAS
that 70 is not Of any great military
Importance.
Inasmuch "a the transport was
empty the German score vas no
moro than the torpedoing of a mer-
chant craft The fact that American
military mon lost their lives. how
ever. costly tho II WAS. may serve
as an impetus 20 the war spirit here
according 20 the view OF experts. IL
il does this. then the American
lives have not been sacrificed in
vain, II Is held
The war department early today
had received no reply 70 Tvs request
upon Gen Pershing TO check up on
the casualty list and g. is doubtful
II this would BE- forwarded for
day or two.
Meantime the best estimate from
information az hand is about 20
missing ~ may run leN more
or less. but there viii be no appre-
ciable increase.
Incidentally. the handling of the
publicity in connection with this
FIRST big disaster Of fhtw8f cuntirc-
I'd men in charge iha there must
be- a revision OF thcir system.
From tbe public SIZE Fpolnt the
bungling came from fhs feet that
Secretaries Daniels. Baker and the
public Information committee reius-
ed % say anything 20 give
mere announcement o. the sinking
before TIE official bulletin was made
public 40 m iaef night despite
the fact that the affair was known
then FOR hours Au announcement
had been promised for O'Clock.