The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-03-23
VESSEL BOUND
FOR NEUTRAL
PORT IS SUNK
Standard Oil Tanker Was En
Route to Rotterdam With
Cargo of Petroleum
THIS ADDS TO LONG
LIST OF AGGREss1oNs
Unarmed Craft Was Not in Bar.
red Zone When German Sub
marine Attacked It
(AssOciated PreSs)


Philadelphia, March 23.-Thirteen
American citizens were among the 40
members of the crew of the American
tank steamer Healdton, sunk by 4
submarine last Wednesday, off Tes-
schelling, Holland. with the probable
loss of 20 or more lives. Whether
any of them lost their lives has not
been learned, but fear was expressed
that since the torpedo from the SUBJ
marine was reported to have pene-
trated the engine room and to have
been responsible for the death of IL
men, some Of them will be found
among the victims.
Tanker Unarmed.
The chief engineer and three as
sistants were Americans. Most OF the
other members of the crew were
Spaniards, Norwegians, or Portuguese.
The tanker was unarmed, having left
this port before President Wilson au.
thorized the navy to furnish guns and
gunners to merchantmen.
The HealdtOn, tanker Of 4,469
gross tons, and owned by the Stan
dard Oil company, sailed from Phila-
delphia on January 26 for Rotterdam,
with a cargo of 2,137,7ll gallons OF
refined petroleum.
According to Joseph G.. Gabriel, To-
cal agent of the Atlantic Refining
company, where the tanker was load
ed, the loss, including cargo, will ap-
proximate $2,l5O.000.
The new blockade is manifestly
aimed to prevent Russian shipments
from the port of Archsngel, which
will be free within few months.
Archangel has always been an i'm
portant center for imports for RUS
sia.
In it's account of the sinking of the
Healdton the HandleSblad Of Amster-
dam says: ...,. es..a.ea q. ..se
''The unrelablity of the German as
surances regarding the sO-callcd safe
zone is shown by the reports OF the
crew Of the Hcaldton and the crews OF
fishing boats. ... .... ..,t.
"FOr safety's sake the HealdtOn took
the northern route. All went well un-
til Wednesday evening at S:15 o'clock,
when a submarine suddenly made q
attack. Without fully EN-.
erging and without warming, it fired
two torledOes which hit the steamer
nmidship so that the vessel, because Of
the dangerous character Of her cargo,
and an explosion in the engine room,
caught fire at once.
Nearly All Drowned.
''The crew in three boats tried to
cave the ship. Two sloops with thir-
teen and seven men, respectively, sue
.eeded in getting away, but the third,
u men, capsiZed and nearly
all were drowned.
''rhe crew of the Dutch trawler
which observed the fire from great
distance believed the glow to be that
# the Aurora BOrealis. and did not go
o the rescue. The next day, however.
seeing a sloOp under sail they ut once
stopped fishing and steamed in the
of the sloop. whose occupants
we're so exhausted that they were un-
able to maneuver their boats along side
he trawler. The captain of the traw-
er finally managed to approach the
;loop and some of the Dutch fishermen
Jumped into the craft and brought it
llongside the trawler, where the men
we're taken on board. cared for and
applied with dry clothing. All Of the
property of the crew was lost.
After the attack the submarine at
nee submerged and disappeared with
ut troubling over the loss of the ship
wrecked sailors.
Among the crew Of the Healdton
rcre Is Americans, of whom six were
eScuel."