Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1917-03-02
Steamship Laconia Torpedoed
Without Warning.
ATTACKED DURING THE NIGHT
Mrs. Mary Hoy and Miss Elizabeth Hoy
of Chicago Are Victims of kaiser's
Ruthless Submarine War
Nearly Three Hundred Sur
ViVors Are Landed at
Queenstown.

line steamship Laconia, Of 1S,099
tons gross, which sailed from New
York February Is for Liverpool, has
been sunk.
A steamer has arrived here bringing
267 survivors of the Laconia. They
were picked up in eight boats. Among
those who lost their lives were Mrs.
Mary e. Hoy and Miss Elizabeth Hoy
of Chicago, two American citizens.
Preparations are being made to
treat hospital cases.
The LacOnia was one of the largest
vessels of the Cunard fleet and the
largest thus far sunk since the new
German submarine warfare was COM
menced She was 600 feet long, II
feet beam and 40 foot depth. She was
built in 1911 at Newcastle.
One Dead, Frost Reports.
London, Feb. 27.-Wesley Frost,
American consul at Queenstown, tele-
graphed the American embassy here:
''Cunarder LacOnia tOrpedoed 10 80
Sunday night. Two hundred and sew
enty-eight survivors landed. Details
lacking, but known some missing, one
dead"
1t is stated automatically that the
LacOnia was torpedoed without warn
ing.
The Central News says it is feared
the large amount of mail which the
LacOnia was bringing from America
has been lost.
Washington Notified.
Washington, Feb %. - Consul
Frost's dispatch on the destruction of
the Laconia was received at the state
department, which had information
from no other source.
The LacOnia carried five bags of
mail for the American embassy at
Paris.
Twenty-Six Americans on Board.
New York, Feb. 27.-TWenty-six
Americans, six of whom were cabin
passengers, and twenty paid members
of the crew, were on board the Cunard
liner Laconia, from New York Febru-
AIRY Is for Liverpool, with 70 paSsen-
gers and "a crew of PIG, when the YES
sci was sunk by German submarine
Sunday night.
One casualty, as vet unidentified,
was officially reported by the Liver
pool office of the line to officials here.
The names of the American passen-
gers and their addresses, as given by
the line here, and confirmed in part
by relatives in the United States, are
as follows:
Floyd r. Gibbons of the Chicago
Tribune.
Mrs f. f. Harris, wife of Lieut.
Col. Frank e. Harris, United States
Coast Artillery corps, stationed at
Fort Dupont, near Philadelphia.
Arthur T. Kirby, cambridge, n. Y.
Mrs. Mary E. Hoy, Chicago.
Miss Elizabeth Hoy, Chicago.
Rev. James Wareing, registered
from New York, but said to be from
Norfolk, Va.
Yankees Among Crew.
The Americans among the crew
were signed here to take the places
of others whose terms of service had
expired or who had failed to appear
when the ship was ready to sail.
The following items were among the
principal commodities carried:
One thousand bars of silver, 10000
bushels of wheat, 2,S43 bales of cot
ton, LAOS boxes of fresh fruit, 1900
tons of shell castings and other war
supplies and 5000 tons of provisions.
1t was stated positively by officials
of the line that there were no explo-
SfveS on board.
Had 5000 Bags of Mail.
In addition to the cargo and passen-
gers the Laconia carried 5000 bags
of United States and Canadian mail,
1900 sacks of which had been trans
ferred from the American liner st.
Louis. The Laeonia, sailing on the
same date as the Holland-America
liner Ryndam returned to port after
being turned back from her voyage TO
Rotterdam by the submarine menace,
had on board nine of the Ryndam's
passengers.
The Laconia when she left here was
armed with one defense gun, mounted
aft. The report that the ship was
torpedoed at night and without warn
ing indicates that no opportunity was
given to make use of the defense gun,
according to officials of the line
Both vessels were taken over by the
british admiralty soon after the war
hogan. and the Laconia for a while.
was used in the service of the gov
eminent. as a transport. She was
only recently restored to her owners
for commercial purposes.
The registered gross tonnage of the
Iaconia was 1850, her length was
625 feet. and she had beam of Y
feet. Designed for high-class pas
senger trade, her fittings were models
of modern marine architecture.