Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1917-10-25
TRO0PSH|P SUNK
BY SUBMARINE
Seventy American Sailors and
Soldiers Lost When Trans
port Goes to Cotton.
ENEMY CRAFT UNSEEN
Lurking U-Boats Believed To Have
Lain In Wait Until Convoy Passed.
Rescue Work Blocks Search.
-167 Survivors Rescued.


Washington, Oct. 22.-The Antilles,
an American army transport, home
ward bound under convoy, was torpe-
decd and sunk by a German subma-
rine in the War zone Wednesday. ;
About 70 men are missing and prob
ably lost.
All the army and navy officers
aboard and the ships master were
among the 1877 survivors. The missing
are members of the crew, three civil
ian engineers, some enlisted men Of
the navy and 16 out of 33 soldiers re-
turning home for various reasons.
Neither the submarine nor the torpedo
was seen and the transport, hit square
ly amidships, sank in five minutes.
Largest U. s.. Casualty List of War.
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 wal in which they have engaged
against Germany. 1t carries the larg-
est casualty list Of the wal of Amer
lean lives and marks the first success
Of German submarine attacks on Amer
lean transports. That the loss of life
was not greater was due to the safe
guards with which the navy has sur
rounded the transport service and the
quick rescue work of the conveying
| warships.
Secretary Daniels announced the dis
aster in a statement based on a brief
dispatch from Vice Admiral Sims,
which gave few details and did not
| say whether it was a day or night
attack. An accurate list of the mis-
| sing cannot be issued until General
Pershing reports the names of the
army men on the vessel and the list
| Of the merchant crew.
Families of Lost Men Notified.
Upon receipt of the %cablegram from
Admiral Sims the government kept
Its promise not to withhold bad news
from the public. The issuance of the
statement was delayed only until the
navy could telegraph to the families
Of the men known to have been lost.
Secretary Daniels carried word of
the loss of the Antilles to the White
House when he went there with Adj
miral Mayo, who made his report to
the President on his visit to England
on the direction of the President. The
news added to the gravity of the hour
that the Secretary and Admiral Mayo
spent in conference with the Presi-
dent.
Few Soldiers Aboard.
Quick upon the wave Of sorrow at
the loss of the transport came a feel
ing Of distinct relief because she had
met her fate homeward bound and
not or the way over with the troops.
The only soldiers on board were re-
turning to the hospital or on special
assignment. Had the full complement
of the transport been aboard, the loss
undoubtedly would have been written
in hundreds. as she was struck in
the most vulnerable spot and went un-
der so swiftly that few could nave es-
capped.
Officials are confident that those
who survived owe their lives to the
careful attention given by the Navy
department to the equipping of trans.
ports with life boats and life RATS.
1t is a fixed rule that enough boats
and RATS shall be carried to afford
a place for every man aboard, ever
though the ship keels over and put
half her boats out of commission.
Missile Hit Engine Room.
The loss Of the ships engineer Of
icers indicates the probability that nc
n of the engine and fireroom forces
on duty escaped. Probably most q
them died in the blast of the explo
sion of the torpedo which tore it's way
! into the engine room compartments.
The heavy loss among the army en-
listed men indicated cannot be &C
counted for until further details com
in. Probably they and the navy me1
were in their quarters below and coult
not make their way on deck before tn,
ship took her final plunge. The army
navy and ships officers and the Others
rescued we're probably on deck, or il
cabins, from which a step took then
to the decks and q chance for thei
lives.
Think U-soat Lay In Wait.
Lacking details of the attack, be
yond the fact that the submarine wa
unseen and hat the first warning t
those aboard the Antilles came wit
the shock of the explosion of the tol
pedo, many theories were current a
to how the U-boat crept through th
Antilles Was Crack Liner.
New York, Oct. 21.-The Antilles,
freight and passenger steamship of 6
S76 tons gross, owned by the Souther
paciin Staamshin ma lNIorra