Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-03


cans. at least. have gone to their
deaths through German and Austrian
submarine operations.
Most of the Americans lost were
travelling on unarmed merchant ships
and. under the practices of interna-
tonal law and humanity, believed
themselves secure. More than 1000
citizens of other nationalities lost their
lives in the same attacks which cost
the lives of Americans. but they com
pose only part of the toll of life
taken by submarine warfare. The ships
lost on which the Americans met death
are only a fraction of the number sent
to the bottom by torpedoes-mest of
them without warning.
Issue Between U. S. and Germany.
The cases which involve the United
States and Germany are primarily
those in which American life was lost
or endangered. The first American, of
whom there is record, to lose his life
in submarine attacks was Leon T.
Thresher, a passenger on the British
liner Falaba, bound from Liverpool
for West Africa, which was torpedoed
and sunk March 81, 1915, off Milford,
England. The Falaba, after a hopeless
attempt to escape, stopped, and while
boats were being lowered and passen-
gers still were aboard, the submarine
drove a torpedo into her side and she
went down in ten minutes. OF 242 per-
sons, 1876 were saved and the American
was among the lost.
The first American ship attacked was
the Gulhight, an oil tanker. from Port
Arthur, Tex, to Rouen, France; torpedoed
without warning off the Scilly Islands;
Nov 4 TNxxo INN nod pxravf lnl nd
and were drowned her captain died of
heart failure. The Gulfiight did not sink
and was lowed to port by British patrols
The German government acknowledged
the attack as an accident, expressed its
regrets and promised to pay damages.
Shock to Civilized World.
The next attack was the one that shock
ed the civilized world and brought the
United States and Germany for the first
time to the verge of war.
1t was the destruction of the Lusitania
May Z, 1915. Unarmed, with 1881 pas
sengers, of whom 159 were Americans. and
crew of 7o2. she was torpedoed without
warning and sunk in twenty-three min
utes off Old Head of Kinsale, as she was
nearing Liverpool In all. LIS lives were
lost. of which 124 were Americans, many
OF them men OF national prominence Ev-
erthing pointed to a prearranged German
plan to torpedo the ship. The German
embassy had published advertisements
warning Americans in yelled terms, and
Americans received kilograms warning
them not to sail.
1t has been charged that the German
ambassador himself knew the liner was to
counted her progress across the ocean
day by day, and as the hour of her de-
struction drew near they watched for
the extra newspapers which they knew
would announce her destruction. The
case passed into diplomatic negotiations.
which never took fnal'form.
While the Lusitania case still was
fresh in the public mind, German sub
ship-the Nebraskan-without warn
ing. May IS, 1915, south of Fastnet
Rock. The Nebraskan's name was
painted on her sides in letters six feet
hauled down at darkness, as is the
custom at sea. Like the Gulflight. the
Nebraskan owed her safety to her sea-
worthiness and she reached port dam
aged, under her own steam. and no one
was injured. The German government
again expressed its regret for a mis-
take and promised to pay damages.
Twenty American Muleteers Die.
Twenty American negro muleteers on
the Leyland liner Armenian were killed
June %, 1915, by shell fire and drowning
when the Armenian failed to escape with
her cargo of army mules from a sub
mersible near the Cornwall coast. The
Armenian was warned and invited her
destruction by flight. The American
muleteers suffered by the action of the
British captain.
The next submarine attack in which
Americans were endangered was I'M
successful, but only because the Cunard
liner Orduna was too speedy for her
pursuer;. After sending torpedo, just
under the Orduna's stern, the subma-
rine rained shells after the fleeing
liner without hitting her, and then gave
up the chase. A score or more Ameri-
cans were on the ship. and the attack,
coming close on the assurances for the
safety of passenger liners during the
course of the Lusitania negotiations.
aroused American public opinion to a
high pitch. Germany explained that
the submarine commander had failed
to observe his orders, and that more
explicit instructions had been issued.
Three Americans were endangered
when the Russian steamer Leo was tor
pedoed without warning on her way
from Philadelphia to Manchester, En-
gland. July Q, 1915. An American bark.
the Normandy, which had just been
man submarine. picked up the sur
vivors- Fourteen were lost. but none
was American.
1mSIlCdu 0u1PS ouuhs
On July 25. 1915. came the first de-
struction of an American ship by sub
marine. 1t was the Leelanaw of New
York. bound from Archangel to Belfast
with fax, which is contraband. She was
caught northwest of the Orkney Is
lands
The American sailing ship William
i. Frye was the first American vessel
sunk in the war, but she was destroyed
under different circumstances which
still are under diplomatic negotiation,
and the Leelanaw became the first case
involving submarine operations.
The Lee1anaw, besides carrying con-
traband, attempted to escape. AS a
neutral ship her destruction was a
doubtful right of any belligerent. She
finally stopped as the German subma-
rine was firing after her. and then sent
her papers over to the subnaersible by
evidently proceeding on the theory that
into port, decided to destroy it by sink
ing the ship. He not only gave the
Leelanaw's crew all the time they re-
CyIii:;d to take to their boats, but after
sinking their ship by shot and torpedo
took Re crew on board the submarine
aid t1-ve6 their boats toward the Ork-
ney mainland.
Eign. miles from land a strange
steamer appeared and the submarine
commander set the crew in their boats
and disappeared beneath the surface
The men reached Kirkwall the mex
morning. 1t was the first instance in