The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-10-25
7GANER|CANSD|E;;n
TRANSPORT sunk
BY GERMAN DIVERS
U. S. Soldiers and Sailors Victims
Of U-Boats.
Conveyed BY DEsTRoYERs
Steamship Antilles Attacked While on
Way Home--sinks in Five Min
utes-Slxteen Soldiers and
Four Enlisted Men Lost.

the Navy Daniels authorized the fol-
lowing statement:
THE department is in receipt of
dispatch from Vice Admiral Sims,
which states that the steamship An
TILES, an army transport, was torpe-
doed on October II, while returning
to this country from foreign service.
This vessel was under convoy Of
American patrol boats Mt the time.
THE torpedo WHICH struck the An
TILES was not seen nor was the sub
marine which fired IL.
The torpedo hit abreast of the en-
CINE room bulRhead, and the ship sank
within five minutes,
"One hundred and sixty-seven per-
sons out of about two hundred and
thirty-seyen on. board the Antilles
were saved. About seventy are MISS
Ing.
'All the naval officers and officers of
the army who We're on board the ship
at the time were saved, as were the
officers of the ship, with the exception
of the following;
Boyle. junior engineer officer.
0'Rourke, Junior engineer officer.
Walker, third engineer officer
The following enlisted naval per-
sonnet were lost:
G. l.. Ausburn-Radio electrician,
first class; next of kin, r. Ausburn,
mother, $500 Louisiana avenue, New
Orleans.
j. w. Hunt-Seaman, second class;
next of kin, Isaac Hunt, father, Noun
tain Grove Mo-, r. +. ID. No. ., Box "A.
f. l.. Kinzey-Seaman, second-class;
next of kin, Thomas NJ. Kinney, IA
ther, Water Valley, Miss.
III. f. Watson-Radio electrician,
third-class; next of kin, Mrs. w. l..
Seger, mother, Rutland, Mass.
There were about 33 of the army
enlisted personnel on board, of whom
IL were saved. The names of the miss
ing army personnel and of the mer-
chant crew cannot be given until the
muster roll In France of those on board
has been consulted.
"As soon as the department is In
receipt of further details concerning
the casualties they will be made pub
lie immediately w. s".
Pershing Sends News.
Seventy American soldiers and sail
ors lost their lives when German
submarine tOrpedoed the army trans
port Antilles.
The Antilles was torpedoed while
returning to this country from France.
She was under convoy ut the time OF
American patrol vessels.
Neither the torpedo which sent her
to the bottom nor the destroying sub
marine was sighted.
The mon had little chance for their
lives. Struck abreast of the engine
room bulkhead, the Antilles sank like
a plummet, going down In FIVE min
utes.
Sixteen soldiers and four men from
the navy are gone, and with them so
of the crew of the passenger steam
er. The Antilles was made an army
transport when it was determined to
send our forces abroad to fight In
France.
The first message came while a cab
met meeting was In session. 1t was
from General Pershing.
messenger from the state, war
and navy building hurried across the
street to the White House as soon as
lt was decided, and delivered It TO
Secretary Baker, who gave the news
to the president and cabinet officers.
On the heels of the army message
came the report to the navy depart
ment from Vice Admiral Sims.
There was swift scanning of the
casualty list, after the first expression
of sorrow and unspoken prayers of
thankfullness that the Antilles had not
been destroyed on her way to France
when she was crowded with soldiers.
High Officers Aboard.
There were important people aboard
Officers Of rank returning to this
country on special missions of help,
with the knowledge and experience
they had gained, in preparing the new
legions that are to go in turn to fight
for the peace ana freedom of the
world.
The Antilles did good service before
she was sent to the bottom with her
side blown away.
Story Of the Disaster.
From the bare military report It is
easy to reconstruct what happened to
the Antilles and the people aboard her.
The ship, regulation aYerage-sized
vessel, familiar 10 everybody who has
made the voyage from New York to
the West Indies-built for passenger
business above and with deep holds to
bring the bananas and sugar and cof-
fee Of the islands to this country, but
transmogrified by having her passen-
ger cabins and 'tweendecks made into
barracks, and mounting the regulation
guns-was steaming westward after
having landed her last cargo of troops.
Conveyed by Warships.
On either side. ahead or behind.