The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1917-09-14
FIGHT GOES AGAINST
THE GERMAN U-BOATS
CONVOYS TO MERCHANT
MEN BEAT OFF ATTACK
Six Under-Sea Craft Attack
Fleet of Vessels Off Coast
of France.

graphical error in transscribing a
statement of the press today from
an official report to>the navy depart
ment made it appear that six Ger
manman submarines probably had
been sunk off the French coast when
they attacked fleet of merchant
men, including at least two Ameri-
can vessels. The facts are. so far
as known tonight, that one subma-
rine probably was destroyed, and two
of the steamers went down. A cor
rected statement was issued by Sec
1etary Daniels as soon as the error
was discovered
The department has only a mea-
gre account of the fight and addi-
tional details have been asked for
by cable. The report came from the
American tanker Westwego, through
Paris. The names and nationality
of the two ships lost were not given.
Under Naval Convoy.
The Westwego was en- route to
Europe, and from the fact that she
was cruising in company with other
merchant crafts, navy officers as
sumed that the feet was under con-
voy of naval vessels, probably of
American destroyers.
The tanker's report is dated Sep
tember s, the fight having occurred
September 5.
hn ic
sell
In preparing for the press in the
bureau of operations of the navy de-
partment a statement of the con-
tents of the dispatch it was written
that all of the six submarines proba-
bly, had been lost. Later, on check
ing over the message and the state
ment issued to the press, it was
found that the word was "one" in
the dispatch.
or Special Interest.
Officials were Interested in par
ticulars of the fight, since the vessel
were under convoy, and If either of
the two steamers lost were Ameri-
can, the first conveyed American
merchant craft has fallen victim to
the submarines.
The fact that the submarines at
tackled the merchant fleet in such
force led to the conclusion that the
German commander enormously
thought he had to deal with troops.
transports or with army supply
ships.
Daniels Statement.
Secretary Daniels issued the fol-
lowing statement:
my attention has Just been call
ed to serious error made in. trans
cribing the report of the attack
made on the Westwego and other
vessels. l gave the report to the
press this morning exactly as it was
presented to me, stating that two
of the steamers attacked were sunk
and probably all OF the submarines
were lost The cablegram, / now
find. stated that one of the subma-
rines was probably lost"
Earlier Statement.
The earlier statement by the navy
department read as follows:
THE navy department has re-
ceived report from Paris which
states that the steamer Westwego
reports on September that while
cruising with several other ships
they were attacked by a massed
force OF six submarines off the coast
OF France on September 5, the re-
suit Of this attack being that two
OF the steamers attacked were sunk
and probably all OF the submarines
were lost"
1t was announced recently that a
policy of conveying fleets OF mer-
chant ships across the Atlantic had
been adopted and since the Westwe-
go and the other merchant craft
which were the objects of the sub
marines attack were bound for Eu-
rope, IL is regarded more than prob
able that American warships guard
ed the merchant ships on the way
across.
American warships have all been
equipped with depth bombs for
fighting submarines. This weapon