The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-10-27
Antilles, on Return Trip From
France While Still Under
Convoy, is Victim OF
Germans in the
War Zone.
SEVENTY MEN LOST
Lives of 167 others Were Saved by
Quick Rescue Work of Convoy
Is First Big Tragedy of
the War.
theirs Were Saved by

w dSu1uSlOHy OCI-
can army transport Antilles, nome
ward bound under convoy, was tor
pedoed and sunk by a German subma-
rine in the war zone Wednesday,
About seventy men are missing and
probably lost.
Ali the army and navy officers aboard
and the ships master were among the
167 survivors. The missing are mem
bers of the crew. three civilian en-
gineers, some enlisted men of the
navy, and seventeen of thirty-three
soldiers returning home for various
reasons. Neither the submarine nor
the torpedo were seen and the trans
port, hit squarely amidships, sank in
five minutes.
This tragedy of the sea, the first
in which an American ship engaged
in war duty has been lost, is the first
of its magnitude to bring home to the
people of the United States the rigors
of the war in which they have en-
gagged against Germany. 1t carries the
largest casualty list of the war of
American lives, and marks the first
success of German submarine attacks
on American transports.
That the loss of life was not greater
is due to the safeguards with which
the navy has surrounded the transport
service and the quick rescue work Of
the conveying warships.
Few Details Received.
Secretary Daniels announced the dis
aster tonight in a statement based
upon a brief dispatch from Vice-Ad-
miral Sims, which gave few details
and did not say whether it was day
or night attack An accurate list OF
the missing cannot be issued until
General Pershing reports the names
of the army men on the vessel and
the list of the merchant crew.
Secretary Daniels authorized the fol-
lowing announcement:
''The department is in receipt of
communication from Vice Admiral
Sims, which states that the steamship
Antilles, an army transport, was tor
pedoed on October II while returning
to this country from a foreign service.
This vessel was under convoy of Amer
lean patrol vessels at the time.
Struck Abreast of Engine Room.
''The torpedo which struck the An
titles was not seen, nor was the sub
marine which fired it. The torpedo
hit abreast of the engine room bulk
head and the ship sank within five
minutes One hundred and sixty-seven
persons out of about 237 on board
the Antilles were saved. About seven
ty men are missing.
"AlI the naval officers and officers
- -
ship at the time, were saved, as were
the officers of the ship, with the ex-
ception of the following: Walker,
third engineer officer; Boyle, junior
engineer officer, and O'Rourke, junior
engineer officer.
The Known Missing.
''The following enlisted naval per
sonnet were lost: E. L. Kinney, sea.
man, second class, next of kin Thomas
NJ. Kinney, father, Water Valley
Miss; J. w. Hunt, seaman, second
class, next of kin Isaac Hunt, father
| Mountain Grove, Mo-, Rural Route No
| z, Box A; G. L. Ausburn, radio cleo
| trician, first class, next OF kin, r
Ausburn, brother, $500 Louisiana ave
nue., New Orleans, La, and H. F. Wat
| son, radio electrician, third class, next
| of kin Mrs. W. L. Seger, mother, Rut
| land, Mass.
- "There were about thirty-three OF
the army enlisted personnel on board
of whom seventeen were saved. The
| names of the missing of the army en-
listed personnel and Of the merchant
crew of the ship cannot be given until
| the muster roll in France of those or
board has been consulted. AS sooI
as the department is in receipt of fur
Their details concerning the casualties
they viii be made public Immediately.
Upon receipt of the cablegrap from
Admiral Sims, the government kept it
promise not to withhold bad new:
from the public. The issuance of thu
statement was delayed only until thu
navy could telegraph to the families
OF the men known to have been lost