The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-10-25
A U. s. TRANSPORT SUNK
ANTILLES, ON WAY HOME, GOES
DOWN AT SEA.
VictOm of a German Submarine.-7O
Lives LOst.-DisaSter Oc-
Cured Wednesday.

ward bound, was sunk by German
submarine in the war zone on We'd
nesday and about 10 men are missing
and probably lost.
All the army and navy officers
abroad the the ships master were
among the 167 survivors. The miss
ing are members of the crew, three
civilian engineers, some enlisted men
of the navy and 16 of 33 slodiers re-
turning home for various reasons.
Neither the submarine nor the torpe-
do was seen and the transport, hit
squarely amidship. sank in five min
utes.
This tragedy of the sea, the first in
which an American ship engaged in
war duty has been lost, is the first
of it's magnitude to bring home to the
people of the United States the rigors
of the war in which they have engag-
ed against Germany.
It carries the largest casualty list
of the war, so far, of American lives,
and marks the first success of Ger
man submarine attack on Americans.
Secretary Daniels announced the dis
aster tonight in statement based
upon a brief message from Vice Ad-
miral Sims. which gave few details,
and did not say whether it was a day
or night attack.
An accurate list of the missing can
not be issued until Gen. Pershing re-
ports the names of the army men on
the vessel and the list of the merchant
crew. Following is the announce
ment:
.DanielS'S Announcement.
The department is in receipt of a
dispatch from Vice Admiral Sims
which states that he Steamship An
titles. an army transport, was torpe-
doed on October II, while returning
to this country from foreign service.
This vessel was under convoy Of
American patrol vessels at the time.
The torpedo which struck the An
titles was not seen, nor was the sub
marine which fired it. The torpedo
hit abreast of the engine room bulk
head and the ship sank within five
minutes. One hundred and sixty-sev-
en- persons out of about two hundred
and thirty-seven on board the Antilles
were saved All the naval officers
and officers of the army who were
on board the ship at the time were
saved. as were the officers of the
ship, with the exception of the fol-
lowing:
walker, third engineer officer:
Boyle, junior engineer officer. and
O'Rourke, junior engineer officer.
There were about thirty-three of
the army enlisted personnel on board
of whom seventeen were saved. The
names of the missing Of the army en-
listed personnel and of the merchant
crew of the ship cannot be given until
the muster roll in France of those
on board has been consulted. AS
soon as the department is in receipt
of further details they will be made
public Immediately.
Kept it's Promise.
Upon receipt of the cablegram from
Admiral Sims the government kept its
promise not to withhold bad news
from the public. The issuance of the
statement was delayed only until the
navy could telegraph to the families
of the men known to have been lost.
Secretary Daniels carried word of
the loss of the Antilles to the white
house when he went there late in
the day with Admiral Mayo, who
made his report to President Wilson
on his visit to England at the direc-
ton of the president.
Quick upon the wave of sorrow
at the news of the loss of the trans
port came a feeling of distinct re-
lief because she had met her fate
homeward bound and not on the way
over with troops.
The only soldiers on board were
returning to the hospital or on spec
ial assignment.
Might Have Been Greater.
Had the full compliment OF the
transport been aboard, the loss un-
doubtedly would have been written
in hundreds. as she was struck in the
most vulnerable spot and went under
so swiftly that few could have es-
capped
Officials are confident that those
who survived owe their lives to the
careful attention given by the navy
department to the equipping of trans
ports with life boats and life RATS