Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-08
PASSENGER SHIPS
| FACEU-BOAT PERIL
Nearly All of Them Are Believ-
ed to Have Americans
on Board.
U. S. VESSELS STILL HELD

| NEW YORK, February s.-Nine pas
| senger liners flying flags of the entente
| allies, two ships of the American line
and one of Holland are today on the
high seas between New York and Eu-
ropean ports. All but three. the Amer
| lean and Dutch ships. bound east, are
| within possible danger of submarines
| or mines.
In addition. three British passenger
ships from New York are due to ar
| rive. but have not been reported.
| 1t is possible word of their arrival
has been withheld In accordance with
recent orders Of the British authorities.
Nearly all have Americans on board.
Ships Now at Sea.
The ships at sea, several of them
/ the largest now in transatlantic serv-
ice and loaded with rich cargoes. are:
American liners New York. from
Liverpool. February 3, and Kroonland.
from Liverpool. January 81.
Ryndam (Dutch), from New York for
Rotterdam, via Falmouth. January 2S,
and ordered back to this port yester-
day. when within fourteen hours of
Falmouth.
White Star liners Baltic. for Liver
pool, January %; Adriatic, for Liver
pool, February 8. and pow LOO miles
out, and Cretic, for Naples, February s.
French line steamship Rochambeau for
Bordeaux, February 4. about 1900 miles
on her way.
Carmania CBritish) for Liverpool. Feb
ruary 4, about 1900 miles from this port.
Dante Alighieri Qtalian) for Naples,
January "a. now in the Mediterranean.
saxonia (British) for London via Hall
1t Italian (British) New York for Genoa,
January 90.
January 2S now in Mediterranean waters.
Due, But Not Reported.
Ships that should have arrived. but
nave not been reported SO far. are the
Orduna Of the Cunard line. which sailed
January 81 for Liverpool; Pannonia
(British), for Liverpool via Halifax.
January 23, and Taormina Utalian). for
Naples. January 20. On account of the
submarine and raider menace COM
manding officers of British and allied
ships have been taking unusual courses
and avoiding the usual sea lanes, thus
, lengthening voyages and making un-
certain their date OF arrival
Admiral orders have also forbidden
the use of wireless at sea to give posi-
tionS.
American Liners Still Held.
Officers of the American line today de-
bated whether they should send their pas
senger steamships to sea without protec-
! ton or arm them with guns after the
manner of the British and French liners
The decision of the-federaI government
not to offer advice to private persons
as to whether their merchant vessels
should risk the German blockade and
not to provide any convoy has left the
steamship line still in doubt as to its
future course of action.
Pending q decision the company has
announced that the sailing dates of the
steamships St. Louis and st. Paul, now
at New York, have been Indefinitely
postponed.
A decision as to whether the ST. Louis
would be armed was expected to be an
nounced by International Mercantile
Marine officials during the day. 1t was
;nt;mated that the officials favor this
course. but intended to give the ques-
tion careful consideration before oefi-
nitely deciding. 1t was said the officials
were already looking Tor gunners t.
man guns for the st. Louis and other
American line ships
Mail a Serious Problem.
The st. Louis has on board 5000 sacks
80 mail, which will remain there for
tho present, unless the Postmaster Gem
.ro, decides to send them by one of
the British liners. No mail has left
New York for Liverpool since the de-
parture of the American liner Philadel-
phia January -. In addition to the
20 els on board the st. Louis, 1900 more
for Liverpool are waiting at the New
York post office. The situation in re-
gard to the mails is in itself prob
lem. Much Of that now awaiting trans
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