Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-03
Many Citizens of United
States Perish Thru Sub
marine Attacks.
4 <.IRITY TRAVELLED
ON UNARMED SHIPS
American Ships Not Immune From Az
taeks by Over Jealous German Com
Misunderstanding Of Lusitania, With
Loss Of Many Americana. Brought
Germany and United States 70 Verge
Of War.

Washington, Feb. 8. - Two hundred
Americans at least, probably more,
have gone to their deaths thru German
and Austrian submarine operations.
! Most OF the Americans lost were
! travelling on unarmed merchant ships
and believed themselves safe. More
than 1900 citizens of other nationaii-
ties lost their lives in the same at
tacks. but they comprised only part
of the toll of life taken by submarine
warfare. The ships lost on which
Americans met death are only frac-
| tion Of the number sent to the bottom
1 by torpedoes, most Of them without
warning.
The cases which involved the United
States and Germany are primarily
those in which American lives were
tlost. The first American of whom,
there Is record Of having lost his life
! in submarine attacks was Leo Thresh-
Ter, passenger on the British liner
Falaba, torpedoed and sunk on March
27, 1915, OF Milford, England. The
Falaba, after q hopeless attempt to es-
cape, stopped and while boats were
being loaded and passengers still vera
taboard the submarine drove torpsdp
lin her side. OF the 242 persons ON
board 1856 were saved.
4 American ships Attaeted, I,
The Arst American ship AStaoked
lwa1 the H6Ifliskt, an oil tanksSs n0R
Port Arthur, Tex. to Rousnsz 5lE1anEss.s
Itorpedoed without warning o6 tho
iScilly Islands on May /, 1915 Two
linen jumped overheard and we're
drowned. Her captain died Of heart
failure. The Gulflight did not sink and
| was towed into port. The German
government acknowledged the attack
as an accident, expressed Its regrets
| and promised to pay damages.
Lusitania Almost Brings War.
/ The next attack brought the United
States and Germany for the first time
to the verge of war; 1t was the de-
struction of the Lusitania, on May z.
1915. Unarmed with 1857 passengers.
Of whom 159 were Americans, and
crew Of 702, she was torpedoed with
out warning as she was nearing Liver
pool In all 119S lives We're lost, OF
which 124 were Americans. many OF
| them men of national prominence.
/ Everything pointed to a pre-ar-
ranged German plan to torpedo the
ship. The German embassy had pub
llished advertisements warning Amer
tcans in veiled terms and at the wharf
q number Of prominent Americans re-
ceived kilograms warning them not to
sail. It had been char rged the German
am bassador himself knew she was to
be sunk The case passed into diplo-
| matte negotiations which never took
final form.
Second v. S. Ship Attacked.
Before this case passed from the
public mind German submarine tor
pedoed another American ship, the Ne
braskan. without warning on May 20.
1918. The Nebraskan's name was
painted on her side in letters six feet
high, but the flag had been hauled
down at darkness, as is the custom at
sea. The Nebraskan reached port
damaged but under her own steam.
The German government again prom
ised to pay damages.
| Twenty American negro muleteers on
the liner Armenian We're killed on June
IS, 1915, by shell fire and drowning
when the ship failed to escape from
/ a submersible on the Cornwall coast.
The Armenian was warned and invited
destruction by flight. -
The next submarine attack In which
/ Americans were endangered was un-
lsuccessful, the Ordnna being too
speedy for her pursuer. The subma-
/ rine after sending a torpedo under
the Orduna's stern rained shells after
4 the liner and then gave up tho chase
4 Three Americans were in danger
when the Russian ship Leo was tor,
,pedoed without warning. Fourteen,
+, were lost. but mono was American.
4 On July %, 1915, came the first de-
! struction of an American ship by q
submarine. 1t was the Leelanaw. OF
New York, bound from Archangel to.
\ Belfast with flax. which Is contraband'
She was caught northwest Of the Ork-
lney Islapds.
4 Ten Drowned on Steamer Essonits.
London. Feb. 3.-Ten members OF the
Icrew of the steamer Essonite. previ-s
lously reported sunk. were drowned,
lLloyds shipping agency announced tor
i .s; !.
crew have been landed.
Two Ships Torpsdoed. VI
Madrid. via London Feb. - = !. The
Spanish steamer Butron and the Greek