Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-11-08
St. Louis Concludes Trying Trip
Narrowly Escaping Destruc-
tion at Almost End of
Journey to England.
GERMANS TRY TO SINK HER
Knowing of Departure, U-Boats
Sink Vessels in Path of Big
Liner-Neutral Ship Sows
Mines Along Her Route.

New York, April 10-Running safely
through the dangers of the German
submarine blockade of Great Britain
and without sighting "A p%eriscope either
on the outward or homeward journey,
the American mail and passenger liner
St: LOui arrived at her nome dock to-
day. The st. Louis was the first
American passenger boat to be armed,
and tinNel through the danger zone
around TIT British isles since Ger
many's declaration of January 81. and
she was well armed for the trip.
Stops in Subs Path.
The homeward voyage was q stormy
one. A hundred miles off the coast OF
Ireland a gale threatened the destruc-
ZION OF the l%ifeboatS, which had been
partly lowered, me ii became necessary
to lie to for two hours while they were
made secure. This was an anxious time,
as the stop was made directly in the
normal path of German submarines re-
turning to their home base.
NOW that the American ship has
completed her memorable voyage il is
possible to tell how good luck probably
saved her from destruction.
Hear Calls for Help.
There appears no room for doubt that
,the German admiralty knew Of her
SaJS llitA tOOh SltpS W uSSITOH n0y.
The commander Of the ST. louis knew
TINS before she was far into the war
zone. Running at full speed during the
night with the coast of Ireland and
It's submarine infested waters in the
distance, S. o. S. calls of ships in dis
tress came to the watchful wirelesssop-
orator of the ST. Louis. A ship had
been ~torpedoed about Is miles ahead of
the st. Louis and directly in her path.
Soon another call for help showed that
another teamer had met the same fate
lOO miles south, while a third told OF
the destruction of a British boat far to
h westward. out of the German war
zone and in the path the st. Louis had
travelled.
The ST. Louis arrived off the Bar Of
Mersey before dawn. There was no
pilot boat at hand and the American
liner was compelled to steam outside
h bar where it was known a German
submarine had been working the night
before, unite driven away by patrol
boats. During this time a neutral
steamer which had been in the bar)bor.
had attempted to go to sea. She was
caughf dropping mines inside the bar,
~ OF them having been strewn about,
1t was reported.
Barely Misses Mine.
The ST. Louis crossed the bar and
Went up the narrow channel about 10
o'clock in the morning. About an hour
later the British came Kelvinhead
crossed the bar, str,.ck one of the lost
mines and sank. The st. Louis could
not have missed this mine by more than
20 feet. How she escaped destruction
was 4 mystery to the British officers
and the amazed Americans were con-
graduated when they reached the
docks.
1t was reported around the Liverpool
docks that h vessel caught strewing
mines was a Norwegian boat. This was
not confirmed by the British. No is the
fate of the officers of the Swedish ship
known. These things are not given out
or ever talked about on Eng!and's
steamers. The decision i'll their cases
was not long delayed.