Gilpin observer., 1917-05-24
TOLL OF AMERICAN LIVES TAKEN
IN GERMAN SUBMARINE WARFARE
More Than 200 Lives Of United States Citizens Lost Up to the Time
Diplomatic Relations Were Severed-Revew of the At
tacks on Unarmed Merchantmen Which Stirred
the Government to Action.

powers is one long record of outrages
perpetrated ON American citizens and
American property; succession of
protests on the part Of the government
of the United States, and of assur-
ances and promises made and later
violated by the German and Austrian
governments.
More than two hundred Americans
had gone to their deaths through this
submarine warfare up to the time dip
lomatic relations were severed. Most
of the Americans lost were travelling
on unarmed merchant ships, and, un-
| der the practices of international law
and humanity, believed themselves Sc
cure.
More than two thousand citizens of
other natiOnalities lost their lives in
the same attacks which cost the lives
of Americans, but they compose only
a part of the toll of life taken by sub
marine warfare. The ships lost, on
which the Americans met death are
only n fraction of the number sent to
the bottom by torpedoes- of them
without warning.
| The cases which involve the United
States and Germany are primarily
those in which American life was lost
or endangered. The first American of
whom there is record to lose his life
in submarine attack was Leon T.
Thresher. passenger on the British
steamship Falaba, bound from Liver
pool for West Africa, which was tor
pedoed and sunk on March 27, 1915,
off Milford, England.
The Falaba, after hopeless attempt
to escape. stopped. and while boats
were being lowered and passengers
still We're aboard, the submarine drove
a torpedo into her side, and she went
down in ten minutes. OF 242 persons,
1856 We're saved. The American was
among the lost.
The first American ship attacked
was the Gulflight, an oil-tank vessel,
from Port Arthur, Tex, to Rouen,
France, torpedo,.d without warning off
the Scilly islandS on May 1, 1915. Two
men jumped overheard and were
drowned; her captain died of heart
failure. The Gulflight did not sink,
and was towed to port by British pa
trolls. The German government ac-
knowledged the attack as an accident,
expressed it's regrets, and promised to
pay damages.
Destruction Of the Lusitania.
The next attack was the one which
shocked the civilized world and brought
+, the United States and Germany for the
! first time to the verge of war. 1t was
the destruction of the Lusitania, on
May Z, 1915. Unarmed, with 1,257 pas
sengers, of whom 159 were Americans,
and n crew of 7G2, she was torpedoed
without warning and sunk in % min
utes Off Old Head of Kinsale, as she
was nearing Liverpool.
In all lbs lives were lost of which
124 were Americans, many of them of
national prominence. The case passed
into diplomatic negotiations which
never took final form.
While the Lusitania case was still
fresh in the public mind, German
submarine torpedoed another Ameri.
can ship the Nebraskan - without
warning, on May %, 1915, south of
Fastnet rock. The Nebraskan owed
her safety to her seaworthiness. She
reached port damaged under her own
steam, and no one was injured. The
German government again expressed
| its regret for mistake and promised
to pay damages.
The Leyland Case.
Twenty American negro muleteers
on the Leyland steamship Armenian
were killed on June %. 1915, by shell
fire and drowning when the Armenian
failed to escape with her cargo of
army mules from submersible near
the Cornwall coast. The Armenian
was warned and invited her destruc-
ton by flight.
| The next submarine attack in which
| Americans were endangered was un-
successful, but only because the steam
| ship Orduna, of the Cunard line,
proved too speedy for her pursuer.
After sending torpedo just under
the Ordunn's stern, the submarine
rained shells after the fleeing vessel
without hitting her and then gave up
the chase. Germany explained that
the submarine commander had failed
to observe his orders. and that more
explicit instructions had been issued.
Three Americans were endangered
when the Russian steamship Leo was
torpedoed without warning on her way
from Philadelphia to Manchester.
England. on July o, 1915.
On July %, 1915 came the first de-
struction of an American ship by
submarine. 1t was the Leelnnaw Of
New York, bound from Archangel to
Belfast, with flax, which is contra
band. She was caught northwest of
the Orkney islands.
The American sailing ship william
p. Frye wns the first American vessel
sunk In the war, but she was de-
destroyed In different circumstances.
Vessel Carried contraband.