Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-16
PHILADELPHIA SAILS,
bRAV|NG THE BLOCKADE
Is First American Vessel to Leave
European Port Since Ruthless
Warfare Began.

BY til. Associated Press.
| LIVERPOOL, February Is, IL noon
(delayed) 1.-The Philadelphia, the first
American liner to leave Europe since
| Garmanys declaration of unrestricted
submarine warfare, sailed from here
late Wednesday afternoon. She carried
ninety five passengers of all classes, of
whom thirty-eight were Americans.
| Among the few cancellations We're
those of Frank Simonds and Winfield
r. Sheehan, who had planned to sail.
but were prevented at the last moment
| by business reasons. DR.. Henry van
Dyke, formerly United States minister
to Holland, had originally intended to
sail on the Philadelphia, but decided
earlier in the week to postpone his de-
| parture until Saturday.
| The Philadelphia was unarmed, car
rying neither mounted nor an I'M
| mounted gun. In addition to her pas
sengers she carried a general cargo OF
| what is known as express freight ana
two tons of dispatches from the Amer
! lean embassy in London for the state
| Department in Washington. Inc as
patch bags contained important docu-
| mentS forwarded from American en-
| bassies and consulates in nearly all the
| countries of Europe, including large
quantity from Germany. which was dis
| patched before the break in diplomatic
relations.
| A Jolly and good-natured crowd waved
| farewell from the Philadelphia's decks
to anxious friends as the ship left the
dock Prior to embarking the passen-
| gers had discussed the prospect OF the
| liner being attacked by a submarine,
but most Of them treated it lightly.
Il Tried to Insure Lives.
However. many tried to take out
large life insurance policies before
leaving, especially in view of the fact
that when they engaged their passage
the company made them sign a, waiver
not to hold it responsible for any loss
lin the event that the ship was sunk by
a mine or submarine.
| Most of the passengers comforted
themselves with the bel1ef that Ger
many, in spite of threats to torpedo
anything in the prescribed war zone,
would not go to the length of sinking
an American passenger liner. Although
mono but passengers who mad passed
the examination of the military and
customs officials were permitted on the
landing stage prior to embarkation,
numbers of Liverpool residents crowd
ed the streets In the neighborhood to
watch the first American passenger
ship sail from English shores since
the German blockade order became OPP
erative.
| There were comparatively few Brit
ish passengers. and this was explained
by the fact that the authorities refused
passports except in few instances.
Even the London daily newspapers
tried in vain to procure permission 1or
staff men to make the voyage. The
editors of these papers had to content
themselves with engaging the few
American neWSpapermen on board TO
send them stories in the event OF dis
aster Detailing the ship Some even ar
To Of q frt
cabled after the liner reached America.
Believed Outside Danger Zone.
LONDON, February 16, 1879 pm
Officials of the American line assumed
To-day that the Philadelphia has passed
outside the danger zone, as no word
has been received from her since her
departure last Wednesday.
Among the Americans who sailed on
the Philadelphia are:
| First class-William Armour, Prince
ton, n. J.. Frederick s. Bowen, Boston;
Robert Bowman. Lake Forest. Ill. Miss
Gertrude Cohen, San Francisco; Thomas
Cochran, New York; J. Francis Dooley,
Freeport. L. l.; Selmer 3. Fougenor,
New York; William Griffith. Philadel-
phia; H. William Gudmens. New York;
John Charles Koran, New York: George
II. Kummerer. Buffalo: r. c. Rawson
and wife. New York; Carrie Sayles.
| Freeport, L. l.; Russell Shanahan and
wife, Forest Hills, L. l.; DR.. Arthur W.
Stevenson. Newport, r l.; Miss Bernice
Smell, Fulton. Mich; c. Steenstrup.
Schenectady, N. Y; H. Trabinger, Jer-
sey City, N. j.; Remson 7. Williams,
| New York
Second class-Charles Boyle, Dawson,
Yukon Territory: Mrs. Dorothy Con-
tillo and infant, New York; Douglass
Randolph Carter. St. Louis; George
Eccles. Fresno, Cal; John and Gerald
Fitzgerald. Uniontown, Pa; Mrs. Il E.
| Greaves, New York; Robert Mountpier,
! New York; Robert M Mcbride. New
York; ]. T. Toomay and wife. Brook
line. Mass; Stanley ]. Wheeler and
wife, Toxic.