Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1917-03-16


perpetrated on American citizens ana
American property; n succession OF
protests on the part OF the government
Of the United States, and OF assur-
ances and promises made and later
violated by the German and Austrian
governments.
More than two hundred Americans
had gone to their deaths through this
submarine warfare up to the time dip
lomatic relations were severed. Most
of the Americans lost were travelling
on unarmed merchant ships, and. I'M
der the practices Of international law
and humanity, believed themselves Sc
cure.
More than two thousand citizens Of
other nationalifies lost their lives In
the same attacks which cost the lives
Of Americans, but they compose only
a part of the toll of life taken by sub
marine warfare. The ships lost, on
which the Americans met death are
only a fraction of the number sent to
the bottom by torpedoes-most of them
without warning.
The cases which involve the United
States and Germany are primarily
those In which American life was lost
or endangered. The first American Of
whom there Is record to lose his life
in submarine attack was Leon T..
Thresher, passenger on the British
steamship Falaba. bound from Liver
pool for West Africa, which was tor
pedoed and sunk on March q, 1915,
Off Milford. England.
The Falaba, after a hopeless attempt
to escape, stopped, and while boats
were being lowered and passengers
still were aboard, the submarine drove
a torpedo into her side. and she went
down In ten minutes. OF PAP persons,
1876 were saved. The American was
among the lost.
was the Gulflight, an oil-tank vessel,
from Port Arthur, Tex, to Rouen,
France, torpedOed without warning Off
the Scilly islands on May 1, 1915. Two
men jumped overheard and were
drowned; her captain died of heart
failure. The Gulflight did not sink,
and was towed to port by British pa-
trolls. The German government ac-
knowledged the attack as an accident,
expressed It's regrets, and promised to
pay damages.
Destruction Of the Lusitania.
The next attack was the one which
shocked the civilized world and brought
the United States and Germany for the
first time to the verge of war. II was
the destruction of the Lusitania, on
May Z, 1915. Unarmed, with 1857 pas
sengers, of whom 1853 were Americans,
and crew of 702, she was torpedoed
without warning and sunk In % min
utes off Old Head of Klnsale, as she
was nearing Liverpool
In all 1,19S lives were lost, of which
124 were Americans, many of them Of
national prominence. The case passed
into diplomatic negotiations which
never took final form.
While the Lusitania case was still
fresh In the public mind, German
submarine torpedoed another Ameri-
can ship - the Nebraskan - without
warning, on May %. 1915, south Of
Fastnet rock. The Nebraskan owed
her safety to her seaworthiness. She
reached port damaged, under her own
steam, and no one was injured. The
German government again expressed
It's regret for a mistake and promised
to pay damages.
The LeyIand Case.
Twenty American negro muleteers
on the Leyland steamship Armenian
were killed on June %. 1915, by shell
fire and drowning when the Armenian
failed to escape with her cargo of
army mules from submersible near
the Cornwall coast. The Armenian
was warned and invited her destruc-
ton by flight
The next submarine attack In which
Americans were endangered was I'M
successful, but only because the steam
ship Orduna, of the Cunard line.
proved too speedy for her pursuer.
After sending torpedo just under
the Orduna's stern, the submarine
rained shells after the fleeing vessel
without hitting her and then gave up
the chase. Germany explained that
the submarine commander had failed
TO observe his orders. and that more
explicit Instructions had been issued.
Three Americans were endangered
when the Russian steamship Leo was
torpedoed without warning on her way
from Philadelphia to Manchester,
England, on July o, 1915.
On July % 1915, came the first de-
struction of an American ship by a
submarine. II was the Leelapsw of
New York, bound from Archangel to
Belfast, with flax, which is. contra
band. She was caught northwest of
the Orkney islands.
The American sailing ship William
r. Frye was the first American vessel
sunk in the war; but she was de-
destroyed In different circumstances.
Vessel Carried contraband.
The Leeanaw, besides carrying con-
traband, attempted to escape. AS a
neutral ship, her destruction was
doubtful right Of any belligerent. She
finally stopped, as the German subma-
rine was firing after her, and then
sent her papers over to the submer-