Norwich bulletin., 1917-04-09

Boston, April s-A suspicious vessel off Nantucket Lightship was reported to the Boston navy yard by Brltlsn a announced by Lieutenant Edward G. Blakeslee, district communication su- perfntendent of the New England ra- dio district, said:
 Sight suspicious vessel or object 45 miles south. six degrees west true, from Nantucket Light vessel at 3.15
 "(Signed-] British Vessel"
 Mysterious Vessel in Ocean Lane.
 Later the position of the mysterious vessel was given at latitude 40.15 north, longitude 69.2S west. almost due south from the shoals.
 The report of a mysterious craft in the steamship lane to Europe was the second to be announced officially with sent word of ga commerce raider of 10000 tons burden passing west. Whether the craft sighted today was the same one naval officials declined to lifted momentarily to allow shipping to receive warning of danger. was at once clamped down tightly.
 Runor That Raider Has Been Sunk.
 Conditions today, however were much more favorable for observation than they were yesterday when the war-gray raider loomed out of a
  in the thick mist. The air today was clear and shipping men expressed the opinion that any enemy ship playing a game of hide-and-seek with the coast patrol fleet would be on the los ing end. The Nantucket Shoals are only S5 miles east of the naSral base at Newport and coRsnerce raiding &ould hardly be carried on with the bOldneSS which characterized the op- erations of the U-53 on October 8, when she did not have the swarm of destroyerS to reckon with. as she sank six ships during her days work. Whether because all the chances were against an enemy ship playing lone hand at the war game today or whether there was a foundation of truth there were reports from widely been sunk off Nantucket One ru- nor had it that the raider had been sunk by a destroyer. Another had 1t that she had been sent to the bot tom by one of the American subma- | rfnes. To queries on all such stories naval men had but one answer:
 We can say nothing about it'
 No Victims of Raider.
 No reports of any victims of a | raider in these waters have been re- ceived so far as known. Prompt ac- ton by the navy yesterday in getting l all shipping under cover the instant a | suspicious looking ship was sighted | yesterday effectively cleared the coast l of prey for a foreign warship. Under | the more favorable conditions today, l with patrol boats having wide | range of visibility, shipping moved | more freely.
 Captains and masters of merchant l vessels received instructions today to | tsstort promptly to the naval authori- 1
 s through the nearest radio station | OA by other means. the presence of | Submarines or mysterious vessels. Full | details are requested in order that | patrol boats may be directed on the | seach with no loss of time.
 During the day there was a report | of a strange ship off the New Hamp- | shire coast. Prompt investigation, however. developed that the ship was |
 Dereliet Reported. Naval officials were interested to- night in comparing the position given obJect' with reports made first on Fri | day and again tonight, of the presence | of a derelict schooner in the same | waters. The steam trawler Wave mad | that on Tuesday she passed a derelict schooner in latitude 42.50 north, longitude 67-30 west. Tonight the navy department announced receipt of another report of vessel having passed dangerous wreck of a schoon- CT, very low i'd the water, in latitude 40.2S north, longitude 71.16 west. It was pointed out that the position given as that of the mysterious vessel or ObjecP 48.15 north latitude, 69.2S west Iongitude, differed but little from the dereric- reports. Maritime men here the belief that the derelict " 4s the schooner N. E. Aver of Ma --fiasport, Me, which was 5ecenely I 51ndoned by her crew off the coast.