Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1917-10-25
TRANSPORT SUNK
BY GERMAN U-BOAT
SEVENTY SAILORS AND SOLDIERS
-ooe THEIR LIVES WHEN
TRANSPORT GOES DOWN.
conveys Of Vessel Returning to tho
United States Rush to Scene of
DISASTER and Rescue Number
OF Drowning Men.

Washington - Seventy American
sailors ana soldiers lost their lives Oc-
'oDer H. when German submarine
'orpedoed the army transport An
titles.
News Of this first heavy blow struck
against America by Germany reached
lhe navy department from Vice Ad-
hlfal Sims on October 10. The An
ulles was torpedoed while returning
10 this country from France. She was
under convoy at the time but neither
the torpedo which sent her to the bot
tom nor the destroying submarine was
sighted.
The men had no chance for their
lives Struck abreast the engine room,
the Antilles sank like a plummet, go
Ing down in five minutes. There were
about 237 aboard her and there was
little or no chance to take to the
boats.
or the lG7 saved. many were report
ed To have been fShcd from the wa
tens by vessels Of the convoy.
Three Naval Officers Lost.
The death list includes three navy
Officers. four sailors and sixteen sol
diers. The rest of the victims were
members Of the merchant crew.
Coming on the heels of Vice Adj
miral Sims report Of the torpedoing Of
an American destroyer, the sinking of
the Antilles caused distinct shock
TO the military and naval establish
ments
The Sims dispatch reached the
bureau of communications at the de-
parimcnt shortly after , o'clock Friday
afternoon. AT time when the presi-
dent and his cabinet We're in session
and discussing. ii is stated. the report
Of Admiral Mayo as to the real situa-
ton abroad.
In war department circles it was
stated unoificially thar important
American officials were on board the
Inflated Antilles. returning from mis-
sions Of observation abroad. This may
account for the fact that she was
picked out" by the submarine, but
general opinion is that the U-boat took
a shot in the dark, trusting to luck to
bag one American ship and not dar-
ing to show herself because of the
convoy.
Conveys Rush to Rescue.
That the loss Of life was not heav-
Ter. considering the almost immediate
sinking of the Antilles. is declared by
experts TO be due solely to the fact
that she was in a fleet of ships and
that the fast conveying destroyers
could Immediately rush to the rescue
and pick UP many OF the men from
the water.
In case of such attack 1t is the
navy policy for the other ships under
CONVOY TO scatter as widely as posi-
bic. steering zigzag in order to save
themselves. The policy has been es-
tahlished rs the only safe one to pur-
sue. despite the apparent brutality OF
leaving men 10 drown.
Germany Hopes to Intimidate.
one view is taken in naval circles
of the two attacks in week on
American ships. and that Is this: That
Germany has concentrated upon a
campairn of intimidation against the
United States.
There are many angles visible to
..i,., b,eis tn this belief. and officials
nf Standing point them out. They say
that Germans. 10y sinking Il few trans
ports. expect TO "Sicken' America ana
give strength to paciiiSts and propa-
candils in this country-that she can
cripple Americas war preparations in
fhis way. cause opposition to further
drafts and create generally an anti
war spirit in America.
They say that the recent falling of
I'm thc loss of British tonnage and the
increasing attacks on American YES
soils indicates that the German admir-
ultv. now that the close of activities
I'm thc North sen is near. has deter
mined upon winter campaign against
American transports. and proposes to
cnrry on such campaign on large
scale.
The Antilles, freight and passen-
ger steamship of 6S7S tons gross, own
cd hy the Southern Pacific Steamship
company Morgan linc) was one OF
the crack American coast liners. She
nlied between New Orleans and New
York and had carried thousands of
ncrsons to the Mardi Gras celebration
I'm the southern city. The vessel was
taken over by the government as n
transport early in the war.
The Antilles was built hy the
Cramps ut Philadelphia in 1907. She
was l2I feet long. with beam of
n feet and depth of 81 feet.
Yaquis Threaten Hermosillo.
FL Paso. Texas.-An uncontirmed re-