New-York tribune., 1917-04-09
Navy Gets New Warning OF
Mysterious Craft Off
Nantucket
Officers Silent on
Rumor Of Fight
Phantom Ship May Be Only
Derelict American
Schooner

Boston. April s.-Anothcr report OF
"sus2icious' vessel of Nantucket,
where y supposed commerce raider
was sighted yesterday. and MANY ru-
mors that a raider had been sunk
kept shipping circles excited to-day.
The suspicious craft was reported
TO the Boston Navy Yard by a British
vessel The radio message. as ar
nounced by Lieutenant Edward 6.
BIakeslec. district communication
superintendent Of the New England
Radio District, said:
sight suspicious vessel or object
forty-fve miles south. six degrees
west true. from Nantucket Light yes
sci at 3:15 d. m. to-day.
Cd. Signed BRITISH VESSEL
Later the position OF the mys'cri-
ous vessel was given as latitude 1O.lo
north. Longitude 692, west. almost due
south from the shoals.
Raider" May BE Dereict
Naval officials tonight were inter-
csted i'm comparing the position gwen
a that Of the mysterious yesScl or Oh
jcct" with reports made first on Friday,
and again. tonight. Of the presence OF
derelict schooner in the same waters.
The steam trawler Wave had re-
ported that on Tuesday She passed a
derelict schooner in latitude A2;3o
north, longitude $3.50 west. Tonight
the Navy Department announced the
receipt Of another report Of vessel
having passed a dangerous wreck OF
schooner. very low in the water. m
1.., n .
west.
Il was pointed out that the position
given as that Of the "mystcriOus yes
sci or object" iO:lj north latitude,
69:2S west longitude. differed but lit
tie from that Of the dCrclICt ship
Maritime men have expressed tho be
lief that the derclct was the schooner
y. T.. Aver. Of Nachiasport. Me. which
was recently abandoned by her crew
of the coast.
Chances Against Raider
Whether the craft reported to-day
was the same seen from the NautucE-
e. Lightship yesterday naval officials
declined TO state. The censorship,
which was lifted momentarily to al
low shipping 20 receive warning OF
danger. was n Onct clampcd down
tightly
Conditions to-day. however were
much more favorable for observation
than they were yesterday. when the
war-gray "raider" loomcd out Of the
fog for a moment and then vanished
in the thick mist. The air to-day was
clear and shipping men expressed the
opinion that any enemy ship playing
q game of hidc-and-seek with the
coast patrol feet would be on the los
ing end
The Nantucket Shoals are only
eighty-five miles east of the naval
base at Newport. and commerce RAID
ing could hardly be carried on with
the boldncss which characterized the
operations Of the U-53 on October ;,
when she did not have the swarm cf
destroyers to reckon with. as she
sank siN ships during her days work.
Report Vessel sunk
Whether II was because all the
chances were against an enemy ship
playing a lone hand at the war game
to-day or whether there was ioun-
dation Of truth. there were rcpor's
from widely separated sources that a
raider had been sunk Oft NantucNet.
one rumor had it that the raider
mad bpeU SUNK DN Il h'Ht 'N''- -
other had il that she had been sent 20
the bottom by one Of the American
submarines. To queries on all such
-tolics naval men had but one an
swer. I've can say nothing about lt.
No reports Of any victim OF a RAIDER
IN these waters have been received, so
far as known. Prompt action by the
navy Yesterday in getting all shipping
under cover the instant suspicious
Looking ship was sighted effectively
cleared the coast OF prey for a foreign
warsbip. Under the more fayorac't
conditions to-day shipping movea
more freely.
Captains Of merchant vessels re
ceived instructions to-day TO report
promptlv TO the naval authorities tho
presence of submarines or mysterious
vessels. Full details are requested III
order that patrol boats may be direct
cd on the search. with no loss OF TIME
The steam trawler Swell, when re-
ports Yesterday said had been one OF
tbe two trawler victims OF German
raider. reached port here to-day atleI
AN uneventful trip 70 the western
banks. nearly OIL the Nova Scotia coast,
Captajn william Williams said he had
mel a Canadian trawler on patrol duty
on the fishing bank.