Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-06-20
4 SOUTH CAROLINA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 1917.
STEAMER LOSES GAME FIGHT
With Subnlarine-Hundr of Shots
Were Exchanged.


Washington, June 15.-American i,
naval gunners have met their first |
defeat in open fight with German
submarine. Official dispatches to-day
announced the destruction of the
tank steamship Moreni, abandoned
ablaze June 12 by her crew and
armed guard after a desperate run
ming fight in the war zone which cost
the lives Of four of her crew.
Half an hour after the tanker had
been sent to the bottom her 43 sur
vivors. including all of the members
Of the armed guard, were picked up
with their life boats by a passing
steamer. The German commander
had set them adrift after congratu-
lating the American skipper upon his
game fight and having the wounded
men treated by the submarines sur
geon.
The submarine began the action at
range Of 5000 yards-four nauti-
cal miles-when she hardly was visi-
Bile to the steamer without glasses.
Presenting virtually no target her.
self, she sent 200 shells at the big
tanker, making many hits, while the
American gunners wasted 150 shots
wit! out harming the speck from
which the deadly hail came.
Naval officers assumed that the
submarine was armed with the six
inch rifles mounted by most of the
newest undersea boats. No state
ment was available tonight as to the
armament Of the Moreni. The fail
m n d,,,1S
| marine was attributed generally to
the long range and small target. Nh
The action of the submarine COM,
mander In treating his vanquished
opponents with such unexpected
courtesy was the subject Of much
comment. Germany has proclaimed,
her intention to treat British armed
| merchant crews as pirates.
The story Of the action was an,
nounced In this statement by the
State Department.:
'"The Department of State is in
formed Of the sinking of the Ameri-
can tank steamer Moreni, about 6
o'clock on the morning of June 12,
! after a a 2 2-hours 4rnnning g 2fght4sWith.aas
German submarine.
can oiler, Edward Cunningham,
| Of Brooklyn, was drowned in trying
to reach a boat; Wireless Operator
G. Curran, Of New York died of
heart failure in the life boat, and one
Sinker e. Moustner, was injured by
gun fire and died in life boat.
Fireman A. Geeisen also died of
! wounds. These last two were treat
ed by the surgeon of the submarine"
(The Moreni was of 4,045 tons
gross, owned by the Standard Oil
| Company of New York, and sailed
from here May 1 for Baton Rouge,
La, whence she departed May 12 for
| Leghorn, Italy. She was, last re-
ported passing Gibraltar June 18th,
the day she was sunk. The Moreni
was commanded by Capt Thomas
| Thompson.
| French Freighter Also Sunk.
| New York, June 17.-News Of the
destruction Of the big French freight
steamship Mississippi by German
submarine, with loss of one of the
merchantman's crew, was brought
here to-day by officers Of British
freight vessel that arrived from q
French port.
The Mississippi, of 6,677 tons
gross, was torpedoed and sunk about
145 miles out from Brest, France, on
June IL, according to officers Of the
brltlsh snip, which rescued 47 off,
GERS and seamen from open boats.
They had been afoat only short
time.
The British officers refused to dis
close the details of the sinking as re-
lated to them by the French crew.
The only sailor lost was drowned
while the crew was taking to the
boats. The British ship landed the
survivors at Fayal, Azores.
The Mississippi, owned by the
General Transatlantic Steamship
Company. of Havre, was last report
ed in marine quarters as having arri-
we'd at New Orleans on March 81
from Havre. She was in regular
trade between those two ports.
German Ship Torpe,loed.
Amsterdam, June 17.-According
to the TELEGRAPH, the German steam
ship Turin, which was reported to
have struck a mine off the Dutch
coast while bound from Amsterdam
for Sweden, in reality was torpedoed
by a submarine. She remained afloat.
Deplorable Condition Of Negroes.
Asheville, June 16.-H. +. Cor