Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1917-03-16

submarine operations of the centrai
powers is one long record Of Outrages
perpetrated on American citizens ana
American property; succession vi
protests on the part of the government
of the United States, and of assur-
ances and promises made ana 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, I'M
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
part of the toll of life taken by SUBJ
marine warfare. The ships lost. on
which the Americans met death are
only a fraction Of the number sent to
the bottom by torpedoes-mOst 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. a passenger on the British
steamship Falaba, bound from Liver
pool for West Africa. which was tor
pedoed and sunk on March q, 1915,
of Milford, England.
The Falaba, after q hopeless attempt
to escape. stopped, and while boats
were being lowered and passengers
still were aboard, the submarine drove
a torpedo into her side. and she went
down in ten minutes. OF PAP persons,
1876 were saved. The American was
among the lost.
The first American ship attacked
was the Gulfiight, an oil-tank vessel,
from Port Arthur, Tex. to Rouen,
France, torpedoed without warning of
the Sicily islands on May 1, 1915. TIVE
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 &C
knowledged the attack as an accident
expressed its 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 1887 pas
sengers, of WHOM 159 were Americans
and a crew Of 7O2, she was torpedoed
without warning and sunk in % min
utes off Old Head of Kinsale, as she
was nearing Liverpool.
In all 1,198 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 owl
steam, and no one was injured. The
German government again expressed
its regret for q mistake and promised
to pay damages.
The Leyiand 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 a submersible near
the Cornwall coast. The Armenian
was warned and invited her destruc
tion 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 a torpedo just under
the Orduna's stern, the submarine
rained shells after the fleeing vessel
without hitting her and then gave uI
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 9. 1915.
On July 25. 1915. came the first de-
structiOn Of an American ship by q
submarine. 1t was the Leelanaw OF
New York, bound from Archangel tC
Belfast, with fax, which Is contra
band. She was caught northwest OF
the Orkney islands.
The American sailing ship William
P. Frye was the first American vessel
sunk In the war, but she was de
destroyed in different circumstances
Vessel Carried Contraband.
The Leelanaw, besides carrying con
traband, attempted to escape. AS q
neutral ship. her destruction was q
doubtful right of any belligerent She
finally stopped, as the German subma
rine was firing after her, and then