Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-10-23
GERMAN SUBMARINES
LURKING IN PATH Of
LOADED TRANSPORTS
Sinking of Antilles ConvinCeS
Officials Kaiser Is Centering
U-Boat Activity on American
Troop Ships ~.

WASHINGTON, Otc. 22.-Germany is
centering a large part of the attention
of her U-boats on getting" American
transports.
That conviction was borne in on navy
men today as a result of the first tor
pedoing of an American transport-the
Antilles-while homeward bound with
20 missing.
That a Hun U-boat got this Morgan
liner, however. was largely a matter
of fate-of luck" Nobody saw the sub
marine, even though the Antilles was
part of convoy. And, she went down
in five minutes. victim of a square hit.
The disaster to the Antilles shocked
American officialdom. And, they hoped
that IL would serve to awaken the Amer
lean people to a realization of exactly
what may be expected from the Hun,
that only the utmost precaution and the
umost force is sufficient to conquer
such an enemy.
The luck" IN the Antilles case Is
one of the incidents of U-boat warfare.
Officials explained today that the An
titles must almost have run over the
U-boat, whose surprised commander was
able to get the range and deliver a
torpedo surely. Had the U-vessel been
running with her peroiscope exposed,
she would have been visible to the con-
voy. Between the destroyer patrol and
the armament of the Antilles, she pro-
badly would have been an easy victim
AS 1t was, the U-boat apparently got
one sight of the transport, while lying
in wait for loaded transports, Europe
bound, and ducking quickly fired her
torpedo and made off.
Recent reports indicate that the Ger
mans are lying in wait for the American
transports especially. The fact that
this lurking submarine was on the trail
and did her work unseen clinched the
stories as to Germany's intentions.
The point that authorities empha-
sized today about the disaster was that
it is no of airy great military impor-
lance. Inasmuch as the transport was
empty, the German score was no more
than the torpedoing of a merchant craft.
The fact that American military men
lost their lives, however, costly, though
IT was, may serve as an impetus TO the
war spirit here, according to the view
of experts If it does this, then the
American lives have. not been sacrificed
in vain, it is held.
The war department early today had
received no reply to it's request upon
General Pershing to check up on the
casualty list and ii was doubtful If this
would be forwarded for a day or two.
Meantime, the best estimate from in
formation at hand is about seventy
missing" 1t may run a few more or
less. but there will be no appreciable
increase.
Incidentally. the handling of the pub
licity in Connection with this first big
disaster of the war convinced the men
in charge that there must be a revision
of their system.
DELAYED ANNOUNCEMENT
From the public viewpoint, the bung-
ling came from the fact that Secretary
Daniels, Baker and the public Informal
ton committee refused to say anything
even a mere announcement of the
sinking-before the official bulletin was
made public at p. m. despite the fact
that the affair was known then for
hours. An announcement had been prom
Used for 4 o'clock. Officials were con-
WINGED today that in case of big dis
aster hereafter it will be necessary to
make at least a skeleton announcement.
without giving undue alarm to relatives
of those aboard, instead of following
the antiquated system of Withholding
everything until all relatives are noti-
fled
When big casualty lists come in,
such a system would involve enormous
delays, II is held.
incidentally. the announcement in
tween the army and the navy. The
army was on the point of announcing
the story hours earlier than it was Of
ficially released, but the navy insisted
on following it's time honored custom of
advising relatives.
Navy officials frankly warned today
that no matter how efficient the Ameri-
can conveys may be, just such incidents
as the Antilles affair are bound to hap
pen now and then There can be no alb
solute reckoning with a submerged
U-boat though with convoy and arma-
ment, the chances of trouble are greatly
reduced.
The Antilles was struck amidships,
the shot penetrating the engine room.
She went down in five minutes. Had she
been loaded with troops. hundreds must
have persisted.
Incidentally II developed today that
every American transport is equipped
with life RATS and life beats more than
sufficient to take care of every person
aboard But in the case of the Morgan
liner there was no chance for many
aboard to get on such craft.