The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-15

two persisted
80 Women and Children Victims.
The AT osho sunk in three minutes
and thirty women and children died
Sinkings OF this sort from now on
viii be the ruIe-not the exception,
said Frost
Only the larger passenger ships
will remain a1oat long enough TO
launch the boats and get of the crew
and passengers; and those will not
float long if struck in vital spots or by
more than one torpedo"
The submarines are now so fearful
of exposing themselves TO the deck
guns of slowly sinking ships that they
seldom come up to question the es-
Gaping crews of passenger ships Out
Of six passenger ship sinkiugs inves-
t1gated by him, this happened in only
one ease-thar OF the Lacouia, which
was sunk near midnight
H1deOus as this assassination from
ambush Is, II does not equal the wan
fore ruthless warfare-when the
submarines came to the surface and
attacked with gunfire.
The warning given in these cases
was simply the beginning of the at
tack and sailors were often killed by
the warning shots, Frost said. This
sort Of warning was given only to save
the expensive torpedoes-worth ST 900
apIece--of which a submarine can
carry only a few When the shin gave
signs OF surrender. the firing generally
stopped and d boarding party from
the submarines destroyed her with
oonbs- The crew took TO their boats.
InIesS picked up they were left to
certain death by starvation or drown
ing, as t--eSe attacks took place $50
10 zoe miles off shore IN only one
case did Frost find that the subnla-
rlle oELered to assist the victims by
towing their boats toward the land
Many Adrift Go Mad
The sufferings of these crews who
were picked up by patrol boats were
terrible Many of them were never
picked up. The men probably went
case Of the Cairnhau British
| II eighter with crew of sixteen men.
I'VE or whom were Americans the
! 1efrf1ans deliberately Quilted the life
noaL and threw the provisions which
the men had placed in the boat into
the sea empt1ed the water key of
Lresn water and. 10 make their lob
complete filled it with salt water The
ooaL sails We're taken off and that
was practically the only hope of gel
Ing 70 land II the wind was favorable
one was attacked $50 miles out AT sea
" h1Ie the Germans we're -fr7d1I. zirte-
IN these pranks with the ufeboaf. 4
bombing party was wrecktng the shin
ana the men We're kept standing ca
the deck of the submarine The fyer-
man officers searched them Most of
them had little Kitty bags or b4ndfraa
bandEerchIefs in which they carried a
few personal keepsa kes such as Df10t,-
era pms of their Sweathearrs mothers
or wives These we're taken from them
and thrown into the sea The first
officer, Matthews, was kept below
decks for an hour and pur thru the
Inlrd oegree as 10 the routes of other
ships
The Germans overpIayed this 1.-THE
drtr1a of Tr3ghtfulness. as they used
up whole hour n preparing the lie
GOAT as a torture chamber for the ua-u
Who were TO be set adrfft IN z 4
d,sLroyers smoke was seen an the
p, rlzon and the Germans made hast
p dive Matthews was thrust ChrI
-7e hatchway and the submarine divef
with the sixteen men still standing on
her deck They were left fIoundering
IN the water TO swim to the empty life
beat as best they could
I some C-Eoat Captains Ffends.
/ The American schooner Woodward
( Abrams was attacked 400 miles off
shore Captain Van Namme and his
crew of eight were put in a ufebaat
while the Germans set the lumber
laden schooner afire with fncendlary
bombs. The American sailors drifted
FabOut the Atlantic for two days and
two nights. when they were picked up
/ by another lumber schooner, the Nor
wegian Anna Maria She was sub
marined 200 miles off shore and the
men again took to the Ifeboats- The
crew of the Anna Maria were never
seen again After another twenty
four hours adrift, Captain Van Namue
and the Americans were picked up
Tney lived The NorWegianS died.
| Frost believes from the evidence
I sifted by him that the ST bn1;ariT1e COM
manders are widely different Some
| of them delight in making their work
as fiendIsh as possible, Frost said
| Some of them, when they can lose
nothing By it, put on L utEle gentle
manly buccaneer'' comedy.
| They were very polite to the crews
| they showed off into the boats, ex-
| pressed regret and hopes for a speedy
rescue.
/ In no case, however, did This polite
| ness affect their interests. It disap-
peared d5 the smoke OF a patrol boat
was sighted. or as another victim ap-
peared- N such cases the mask was
/ dropped
A British stewardess and her nus
/ band a sailor, VINO were taken below
decks and questioned most politely al
| first. We're taken to the deck md the
submarine submerged leaving them
/ struggiiz1 ? in the water after they had
refused to give up any Information
| In a very few instances there were
signs OF regret on the part Ct the sub
marine officers One OF these was re-
lated by second Officer EoI1Isaat. Il
uaturaIized British subject. who was
allowed 70 touch off the bombs which
destroyed his own ship
Punish T-Boat Commanders.
In talking with the submarine cap
I tain, the after expressed disgust WITH
! the work cut out for him With tears
in his ayes. he said that submarine
captains Fad been put to death by
! slow torture in Germany for letting
big pass. niger liners escape them
kohIsaat was asked by Frost T he
really believed that
Il don't know about IL" he answer
al ssT IN. raadv n htzIieNr a r15zr .1irr.y