The Garland City globe. (Garland, Utah) 191?-1925, 1917-10-25
TRANSPORT SUNK
!. BY GERMAN U-B0AT
SEVENTY SAILORS AND SOLDIERS
LOSE THEIR LIVES WHEN
TRANSPORT GOES DOWN.
Conveys Of Vessel Returning to the
United States Rush to scene OF
Disaster and Rescue Number
Of Drowning Men.

Washington. Seventy American
sailors and soldiers lost their lives Oc-
tober II, when German submarine
torpedoed the army transport An
TILES.
News of this first heavy blow struck
against America by Germany reacheu
the navy department from vice hu-
mlral Sims on october I'D. Inc An
TILES was torpedoed while returning
to this country from France. She was
under convoy ut the time, but neither
the torpedo which sent her to the DOT
tom nor the destroying submarine was
sighted.
The men had no chance for their
lives. Struck abreast the engine room'
the Antilles sank like plummet' GO
ing down In five minutes. There were
about 23T aboard her and there was
little or no chance to take to the
boats.
OF the 1877 saved, many were report
ed to have been ilshed from the wa
tiers by vessels of the convoy.
Three Naval offiaers 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
mlrnl 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 Mt the de-
partment shortly after 3 o'clock FRIDAY
afternoon, ut time when the presi-
dent and his cabinet were In session
and discussing, II is stated, the report
Of Admiral Mayo as to the real situn-
ton abroad.
In war department circles II was
stated unoffclnlly that 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
"plcked out" by the submarine, nut
general opinion Is that the U-boat took
shot In the dark, trusting to luck 10
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 henv-
Ter, considering the almost Immediate
sinking of the Antilles, Is declared by
experts to be due solely to the fact
that she was In 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 II Is the
navy policy for the other ships under
convoy to scatter as widely as posi-
BILE, steering zigzag In order TO save
themselves. The policy has been es'
tabllshed us the only safe one to pur'
sue, despite the apparent brutality OF
leaving men to drown.
There are many angles visible To
give basis TO this belief, and officials
OF standing point them out They say
that Germans, by sinking a few trans
ports, expect to "sicken" America ana
give strength to paciiists and propa-
gandlsts In this country-that she can
cripple Americas war preparations III
this way, cause opposition to furthc,
drafts and create generally an anti
war spirit In America.
They say that the recent falling on
In the loss of British tonnage and the
increa"ing attacks on American yes
sells indicates that the German admir-
atty, now that the close of activities
In the North sea Is near, has deter
mined upon winter campaign against
American transports, and proposes tt
carry on such campaign on a large
scale.
The Antilles, freight and passen
ger steamship of CS7S tons gross, own
ed by the Southern Pacific Steamship
company Morgan line) was one OF
the crack American coast liners. Sh'
piled between New Orleans and New
York and had carried thousands Of
persons to the Mardi Gras celebration
In the southern city. The vessel was
taken over by the government as ;
transport early In the war.
The Antilles was built by tn
Cramps ut Philadelphia in 1907. Sh'
was 421 feet long, with beam o.