New Britain herald., 1917-10-20
TRANSPORT SUNK
 BY SUBMARINE
Continued from First Page)

| listed personnel and of the merchant crew of the ship cannot be given until l the muster roll in France of those on board has been consulted. As soon 1 as the department is in receipt of further details concerning the casual ties they will be made public immed- lately"
 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
 engaged against Germany. It carries
 the largest casualty list of the war,
 of American lives, and marks the first
 success of German submarine attacks
 on American transports.
 That the loss of life was not greater
 is due to the safeguards with which
 the navy has surrounded the trans
 port service, and the quick rescue
 work of the conveying warships.
 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 direction of the president The news added to the gravity of the hour that the secretary and Admiral Mayo spent in confer ence with the president.
 | Quick upon the wave Of sorrow at the news of the loss of the transport came a feeling of distinct relief be- cause she had met her fate homeward bound and not on the way over with troops. Had the full complement of the transport been aboard the loss un- doubtedly would have been in hun dreds, as she was struck in the most vulnerable spot and went under so swiftly that few could have escaped. It Is a fixed rule that enough boats and rafts shall be carried to afford a
 place for every man aboard, even though the ship keel over and put half her boats out of commission.
 The loss of the ships engineer off, fcers indicates the probability that no one of the engine and fireroom force on duty escaped. Probably most of them died in the blast of the explo- sion of the torpedo which tore it's way 1 into the engine room compartments. 1 The heavy loss among the army en- l listed men indicated cannot be ac- 1 counted for until further details come l III. 1TODdUly tIley dHAi L1AC A1eIFJ AAAS"i 1 were in their quarters below and coul,' l not make their way on deck before the <, ship took her final plunge. The army
 navy and ships officers and the others who were rescued probably were or i deck or in cabins from which a steI took them to the deck and chance l for their lives. Naval officers who discussed th' 1 disaster last night said frankly tha 1 there is little chance of guarding ef 1 Actively against a submarine whicl i is not even sighted. They assumed ! that weather conditions at the tim 1 of the attack were favorable to th | U-boat.
 1 This dsaster-the first of the kint l that has occurred since the American 1 government began it's enormous tasl 1 of shipping it's army of more than { [ million men to France-marks tht l heaviest toll of American lives taker l in submarine warfare since the de l struction of the Lusitania, and the l large number of deaths was prob 1 ably due to the fact that the Antilles 1 like the Lusitania, sank very rapidly l The official announcement states tha 1 the torpedo hit abreast of the engine
 room bulkhead, and that the steamer 1 went down in five minutes.