The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1917-03-21
3 AMERICAN SHIPS
SUNK BY U-bOkTS;
48 MEN MISSING
Vigilancia, City of Memphis and
Illinois Destroyed.
ATTACKED WITHOUT WARNING
Dispatch From London Declares Four
teen of Crew From the VigiIancia
and Several from the City of
Memphis Have Not Been
Landed-Washingto Gets
Report.

Report.
London, March 19.-The sinking Of
the American steamships City Of Mem
phis, Illinois and Vigilancia was an
| nounced here.
Fourteen men from the Vigilancia
are missing, as are some of the men
from the City Of Memphis.
The crew of the Illinois was landed
safely.
The City of Memphis, In ballast
from Cardiff for New York, was sunk
by gunfire. The second officer and
10 men of the crew have been landed.
a patrol boat has gone in search Of
the other members of the crew.
Illinois in Ballast.
The Illinois, from London for Port
Arthur, Tex, in ballast, was sunk at
| eight o'clock Sunday morning.
The VigilaGcia was tOrpedoed with
| out warning. The submarine did not
appear. The captain, first and second
mates; first, second and third engi-
| neers and % men of the crew have
been landed at the Sicily islands. The
fourth engineer and - men are miss
ing.
Carried Crew of Fifty.
The City of Memphis carried crew
of about fifty officers and men, vir-
tually all American-born citizens or
Americans by naturalization.
The captain, three mates and chief
engineer and three assistants and the
steward were Americans by birth.
Most of the crew were born ia Nor
way and the fireman in Portugal or
Spain, but had taken out final citizen
| ship papers in the United States.
The cook was an American negro.
Captain BOrum Of the City of Mem
phis was a Virginian.
The vessel was owned by the Ocean
Steamship company of Savannah 1t
left here on January % for Havre,
France, with cotton. It arrived there
on February 6 and word was received
here by owners of the departure for
Cardiff to take on bunker coal for her
voyage toward New York.
The City of Memphis was of $3.50
tons gross. It was 377 feet long, 40
feet of beam and was built in Ches-
ter, Pa, in 1902.
Washington Told of Attacks.
Washington, March 19.-The official
information of the sinking of three
American vessels by submarines in the
barred zone reached the state depart
ment from Consul Frost at Queens
town and told of the sinking of the
City Of Memphis. 1t read:
american steamer City of Mem
phis, Cardiff to New York, sunk by
German submarine 4 p. NJ, 18th inst.
35 miles south of Fastnet.
Fifteen survivors landed at Hull,
z a. m. today.
"Thirty-four additional survivors are
| on admiralty vessel, which continues
search for eight missing.
"Will land Baltimore, Ireland"
Consul General Skinner at London
cabled the department a meager re-
port on the sinking of the three ships
| in which he said:
American steamer City of Mem
| phis, Cardiff to New York, reported
sunk. Some of crew landed. Patrol
boat gone to pick up rest. American
steamer Illinois, London to Port Ar
| thur, reported sunk. American steamer
| Vigilancia reported torpedoed without
warming"
Consul General SINNERS report was
believed to refer to the Vigilancia.
Illinois Was Tankship.
New York, March 19.-rhe Illinois
was q tank steamship owned by the
| Texas company of New York. 1t sailed
from Port Arthur February II for Lon
| don. Marine records do not chronicle
| the arrival or departure from London.
The Illinois was of 1925 tons gross.
1t was 800 feet long, 81 feet of beam.
and was built in Newport News, Va.
| in 1913. Its master was Captain Iver-
sen.
The steamship Vigilancia, owned by
| Walker, Armstrong & Co. of Savan-
| nah, sailed from New York for the
Azores and Havre on February IS. ac-
| cording to latest marine records. 1t
was Ais tons gross, a freighter, SO
| feet long and 45 feet of beam. 1t was
| built in Chester, Pa, in 1890.
In Transport Service.
The City of Memphis had an inter
| esting career. In May, 1914, during the
| Tisis in the affairs between Mexico and
| the United States it was hurriedly pre-
| pared for transport service while at
| Boston and was chartered by the gov
| eminent. On May IA 1t sailed from
| New York under orders to proceed to
| Galveston to take on stores for Ameri-
| can troops occupying Vera Cruz.
After the war began the City of
| Memphis was ordered fitted out for
transatlantic transport service, with
orders to proceed to Europe to bring
| home Americans stranded there
| The City of Memphis was formerly
In the service of the Savannah line.