The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-03
Steamer Aztec, Armed
American Vessel, Is At
tackled at Night by Ger
man Submarine and Sunk
Several of Grew Perish
ing.
Vessel Carried Naval Gun
Grew Believed to Have
Been Rescued = Attack
Made in Heavy Seas and
Without Any Warning.

dIsSs ytAPI1A nv ~AAASA ASe~AA
steamer Aztec has been sunk by a
submarine near an island off Brest.
Some of the crew were rescued and
are being brought into Brest. A
number of the men are missing, and
little hope is held that they can be
saved as the steamer was torpedoed
at night while heavy sea was run
ming.
A French patrol picked up % of the
crew of the Aztec. Twenty-eight men
are reported missing.
William Graves Sharp, the Ameri-
can Ambassador, was informed yes
terday afternoon by the French gov
eminent Of the torpedoing of the AZ
tee and Immediately cabled the State
Department at Washington.
Representatives of the American
government will proceed to Brest to
take the dispositions of-survivors o:
the disaster.
Bluejackets and Officers Saved.
washington, April S-French Adj
miralty dispatches to the French En-
bassy here last night announcing the
sinking without warning Of the first
armed American merchantmen, the
freighter Aztec, by German submar-
inc, said apparently Lieutenant w. f.
Gresham and IL American bluejack-
cts. constituting the armed guard of
the vessel, had been saved, but that
II Of the crew were r~ported miss
Ing.
The Admiralty report said the Aztec
bound IA New II erk to Havre, was
torpedoed without warming yesterday
off Ouessant. The torpedo struck
squarely amidshiis emitting a pow
erful gas and putting the wireless out
of commission.
The guard with the captain and
three other members of the crew in
the second boat to put off apparently
were picked Nv by the French patrol
boat SIRIUS after three hours. Eleven
men are thought to have been drown
ed when tho arst boat to put off was
smashed.
The third boat, containing the Sec
ond officer and 18 men, is not directly
accounted for, but the fact that only
IL are reported missing leads to the
belief that it must have been picked
up.
The Navy Department gave out the
names Of the navy members on the
Aztec as fellows:
Officer in .charge-Lieut. William
F. Gresham Of Tennessee.
Crew-Johh I. Ecoplucci, boat |
swain's mate; mother, Annie M. Ec- |
polucci, 649 street, Southeast, Wash
ington-
Jacob J. Hilfker, electrician; father.
Jake Hilfker, 2208 Preston street,
Baltimore. Md "a
Thomas E. Dillon. quartermaster;
father, Thomas L. Dillon. 70 Boyd av-
enue. Jersey City, NJ. j.
William III. Douglas, coxswain; !
mother, Sarah d. Douglas, 1859 South |
Second street, Terre Haute, Ind.
Adolph Hendrickson, coxswain;
father, Charles Hendrickson, 1904
Eleventh avenue, Minneapolis. MINI. |
Samuel : Earl Israel, seaman; |
mother, Annie Israel. Kelferman, Ala. |
Clarence III. Kelley. quartermaster; |
mother. Margaret Kelley, asa South !
Broad street, Trenton, N. J.
Joseph Klewinsky, seaman; father, !
John Klewinsky. Rural Free Delivery, |
Route 8, 30 40, Newburg, w. Va.
William F. Romfnger, gunner's |
mates brother, Donnie Rominger, |
Elizabethton, Tenn.
Joseph A. Rucker, seaman; guard |
ian, Joseph w. Rucker, Roanoke, Ala. !
Clarence w. Whitney, quartermas-
teri father, James H. Whitney, Front |
and Broadway, Cincinnati, Ohio
All the naval crew were taken from |
the United States dispatch boat Dol |
phin at Washington to be placed on |
the Aztec.
Officials said the disaster would not /
affect the policy of arming ships |
which would be continued in the most I
efficient manner possible.
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson