The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-10-20
STEAMER WAS HOMEwARD BOUND
AFTER DELIVERING SEVERAL
THOUSAND TROOPS ABROAD
NAMES ARE LACKING
Only Seven OF Seventy Dead Are CabIed
Those Who Perished Include Three
Engineer Officers Of the Vessel and
Four Naval Seamen

Washington. Oct. 20.-The German u
boat has claimed Its first victim from
Americas war forces.
Within twenty-four hours after an
American destroyer had been disabled
In an undersea attack. a torpedo crashed
into the engine room bulkhead Of the
Homecoming transport Antilles and sent
her 10 the bottom with the loss Of 20
lives.
Sixteen soldiers and several enlisted
men Of the navy were included In the
submersible's heavy toll.
Administration officials are awaiting
with profound interest today amplifca.
ltion Of the meager details cabled to the
navy department yesterday by Vice Ad-
miral Sims.
Names of the great majority Of the
victims are lacking, yesterdays dispatch
giving only those Of four naval seamen
and three engineer officers of the trans
port.
1t was impossible early today TO as
certain identity of the casualties among
the crew and soldiers. The list cannot
be completed until the muster roll made
up at the French port of embarkation
can be compared with the roster Of the
! survivors.
Find Some Consolation.
While the deepest sympathy was ex-
pressed today in official circles for those
who gallantly gave up their lives, relief
is given over the fact that the vessel
had met her fate while homeward bound
and not on the way over, with 4 large
number of troops aboard. Had the
successful attack been delivered while
the Antilles was on her way to France,
the loss of life probably would have been
appalling. She was struck in vital
| spot and plunged below SO swiftly that
but comparatively few could have sur-
vived.
The lost include:
Third Engineer Officer Walker.
Junior Engineer Officer Boyle.
Junior Engineer Officer O'Rourke.
f. l.. Kinney, secondcass seaman,
Water Valley. Miss.
j. W. Hunt, second-class seaman.
Mountain Grove. Mo.
| c. l.. Ausburn. radio electrician, New
Orleans
II. +. Watson. radio electrician, Rut-
| land, Miss.
No army units were aboard the YES
sci. Such officers and men of the army
as were aboard We're being sent home
on special assignments, invalidcd home
or those to be discharged for some rea-
son or other. The list of these will not
be available until il can be obtained
from General Pershing in France.
The army personnel aboard returning
ehfpo 10 vns copnvnup ioa aA m tho ,rar
department In advance.
Daniels Issues Statement.
Secretary Daniels authorized the fol-
lowing announcement.
'"rhe department is In receipt of a
dispatch from Vice Admiral Sims which
states that the S. S. Antilles. an army
transport. was torpedoed on October IL.
while returning to this country from
foreign service. This vessel was under
lconvoy OF American patrol vessels at
the time.
''The torpedo which struck the An
titles was not seen, nor was the sub
marine which fired it.
''The torpedo hit abreast of the en-.
gine room bulkhead and the ship sank
/ within five minutes
| CtAc anu SlAly-StEt0 perSOnS
out of about two hundred and thirty
seven on board the Antilles were saved.
About seventy men are missing.
IAN the naval officers and officers OF
the army who were on board the ship a.
the time were saved, as were the officers
of the ship, with the exception of the
following.
Walker. third engineer officer; Boyle.
junior engineer officer. and O'Rourke.
junior engineer officer.
The following enlisted naval person
mel were lost: +. L. Kinney, seaman.
second class; next of kin. Thomas N.
Kinney, father, Watervalley. Miss; ]. w.
Hunt. seaman second class; next Of kin.
Isaac Hunt, father. Mountain Grove,
Mo-; r. No. 9, Box a: c. L. Ausburn.
radio electrician. first class. next OF
kin. r. Ausburn. brother. $500 Louisiana
Ave. New Orleans; and II. +. Watson.
radio electrician, third class: next Of
} kin. Mrs W. L. Seger, mother. Rut-
J land, Mass.
There were about thirty-three Of the
) army enlisted personnel on board. OF
whom seventeen were saved. TIE names