Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-03-15
j. S. SHIP SUNK
WITHOUT WARNING
Algonquin Shelled until Crew
Leaves-Vessel Is Then
Blown Up with Bombs.
NO LIVES ARE LOST.
C-bOat Commander Refuses tc Tow
1lfe-Roats Because He LIZ "Too
Busy" He Says.
NO LIVES ARE LOST.

Plymouth. via London, NArcn 1s-
Captain A. NordberE OF the American
steamship Algonquin. which was torpedoed
by a German submarine on March IL, is
now at Pcnzance He will arrive with
his crew in Plymouth tomorrow morning.
In an interview Captain Nordberg said
that the Algonquin was bound from New
York for London with foodstuffs
"On Monday morning. he said. "just
after daylight l was OH the bridge 1t
was the mates watch. l saw two steam
ers, apparently golfers, steaming west,
one on the starbosrd and the other on
the port side Two minutes later the
mate called my attention to another object
and at once, s said. I think that is a
submarine
THE submarine was about three miles
distant as were also the steamers. Inn
mediately saw flash Of n gun and n
shell fell short. At once ] stopped the
engines and went full speed astern indi-
eating this by three blasts on the whistle.
The submarine kept on firing. the fourth
! shot throwing up a column Of water whicn
drenched me and the man at the wheel.
1t was a close thing.
The NTH shot struck the ships side
and tho next went aft. The submarine
was using two guns. Twenty shots were
1
boats and we pulled away two ships
lengths. All this time the submarine was
| firing at us: some Of the shots came very
close.
| Once we were in the boats the Germans
ceased firing. and the submarine dived.
Later we saw the periscope which circled
the Algonquin half dozen times. Then
finding her abandoned. the submarine
came to the surface and boarded the
steamer
The first thing done was to lower
American flag. Then I concluded they
were going to sink my ship. Ten min :
utes after heard the crackle Of an ex-
plosicn ana saw smoke They had
blown the ship up with bombs. In ff-
teen minutes the Algonquin had sunk
THE submarine was flying the Ger
man ensign. Her commander asked
my name. nationality. destination and
cargo df the ship, which had the Am
erican rolors painted on her side and
flew the American flag day and night
asked him to tow us toward land
but he rcfuscd. saying Tn too busy;
expect a couple Of other steamers
THE Weather was fine and the sea
smooth. After being twenty-sever
hours in the boats we reached Scilly
without seeing any vessel Of any kind
New York. March A.-The Algonquin
a freighter was one of the first Ameri
can vessels to sail from the United
States after Germany announced her sub
marine campaign of unrestricted warfare
She carried about 1000 tons of cargo
and was commanded by Capt A. Nord
berg. a naturalzed American of Nor
lwegian BIRTH.
When she left here on February 20 he
lowners expected her to reach the sub
marine zone about March s. 1t was as
sured here to-day that she went consid
lerably out Of her course. The vessel wa.
worth s45O.O0O and her cargo was valued
at 81. .250.0O0.
She was n vessel of 2S32 tons gross
PSI feet long and 43 feet OF beam. Sh,
was built in Philadelphia in 1890 Sh,
was a single screw steamer and wa!
commanded by Capt A. Nordberg
Among the American citizens on boart
were William II. Holmes Of Chicago
mate. and Charles Schultz of Brooklyn
chief engineer. Her owners agreed t.
give the officers war bonus OF so pe
cent i'm wages and the crew a bonus o
25 per cent. with the provision that il
case the vessel was captured or destroyed
the men were to be paid the bonus with
their wages until they returned to tn,
UNITED States.