The Washington herald., 1917-08-13
Captain FATE
CAUSES WORRY
Germans May Have Treat.
ed Commander of the
Campana as Pirate.

Is an American sea captain facing
the fate Of Capt. Fryatt? Will he
be executed as a pirate for defend.
ing his ship from submarine attack
The Navy Department yesterday an,
nounced that the captain and four
OF the gun crew of the tanker Cam.
pana are probably prisoners aboard
the submarine which sank their ship.
Here is the brief official announce
ment of the Navy Department.:
THE Standard OIL tanker Campana,
an American steamer, was sunk by
a submarine on the morning of Au-
gust 6. 145 miles west of lie de Re
Forty-seven survivors reached land
In safety. 1t is believed that the
captain ard four of the armed guard
are prisoners on board the German
submarine"
Accompanying this announcement
the Committee on Public Informa-
tion, through whom the news was
made public:
For grave military reasons the
Navy Department urgently requests
that no details beyond the facts con-
tained in the foregoing official an
i4OAAlNtlINiil be lhLCus no
from what source obtained"
officials Seem Interested.
Lacking any further facts, Wash
ington officialdom was last night
plainly worried over the fate Of the
captain and crew II was recalled
with feelings akin TO horror that
when the Germans captured the COM
mander of a British merchantmen
who had presumed to defend himself
and his ship against submarine at
tack. this Capt Fryatt was taken
to Germany, tried and shot as a
pirate.
Germany has taken the stand that
any merchantmen which attacks q
submarine in order TO defend her
self is guilty Of piracy, under The
international law which defines the
attack OF private vessels upon ships
OF war as such a crime. InternadOn-
al law permits the arming OF mer-
chant vessels for defense. But, de-
spite the methods OF attack with
out warning which the German sub
marines have adopted in total defiance
Of international law, the imperial ad-
miralty has held that any defensive
measures in advance which merchant
ships may Use are crimes punishable
by execution.
WASHINGTON believes. inasmuch as
the Campana had an ermed guard,
that she was not sunk without resist
ance. The State Department last night
was awaiting news from Germany
that the captain OF the Campana has
been hauled before court composed
OF men who operate submarines In
the Germany way. II such be the
case they feel very little doubt as
TO what the fate of the captain and
his gunners will be.
Can't Make Effective Protest.
There is no method by which this
government can make an effective
protest to Germany. She can threat
en- reprisals, but threats OF reprisal
have weighed TO. little in checking
such other German frightfulness as
the air raids on the women and chill
dren of London.
The question of reprisal was
brought up in the State Department
when the men of the crew OF the
Belgian Prince were stripped 10 the
skin and drowned from the deck OF
the submarine which captured them.
At that time Secretary of State Lam
sing said in answer TO question
about reprisal:
What would YOU have us DO? Can
we take the inteTned Germans we
have here. send them to sea and
drown them"
1t is nevertheless expected that
there will be a radical change i'm the
kindly treatment which the United
States has meted out 10 all the nn-
tionals of Germany i'm this country.
il a merchant captain and a naval
crew should meet the fate Of Capt
Fryatt
The Campana. a twin-screw vessel
was formerly rhe Dunholme and was
sold by the Clinchield Navigation
Company to the Standard OIL Com
pany She had a gross tonnage OF
S.SlS, was 325 feet long and a. feet
beam.
The vessel was built in 1901 by W.
Gray and Company. Ltd, Of West
HaTtlepool, England.
A few years ago the Campans, then
the Dunholme, was burned and sunk,
but re1oated shortly afterward.