New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-20
Antilles Goes Down
Within Five Minutes
All Officers Aboard
Safe Except Three of
Crew - Vessel
Bound Home
lstan Currespndencel


WASHINGTON, Oct. 19.-Thc United
States Army transport Antilles was tor
pedoed by a U-boat on Wednesday
while returning from France and sank
in five minutes.
About seventy Of the 237 men aboard
arc missing and believed TO be lost.
Although navy and army officers wers
among those returning on the Antilles.
the casualty list includes the names Of
only three officers, and those are ships
engineers.
The Antilles was under convoy at the
time. Neither submarine nor torpedo
was sighted. The roar Of the explo-
sion was the hrst warning. The missile
struck abreast Of the engine room bulk
head, and, naval officers agree, must
almost have torn the 7,000-ton vessel
apart.
Besides the three ships engineers.
those who were lost were forty-seven
members Of the crew, sixteen of thirty
three soldiers on their way home for
various reasons, and four enlisted men
Of the navy.
Casualty List Incomplete
The complete casualty list 10 unsvail-
able until the roster OF the vessel has
been received from General Pershing.
It was not until after 3 o'clock this
afternoon that news Of the loss Of the
transport reached here. 1t was the
briefest Of messages, directed 10 New
ton ID. Baker, Secretary OF War, and
simply stated that the Antilles had
been torpedoed. Three-quarters Of an
hour later the ravy's report began 20
trickls In by wireless. Until o'clock
it was not known how many lives we're
lost nor which way the vessel was
bound.
Daniels's Statement
Secretary Daniels issued the follow
ing statement:
"The department Is in receipt OF
q dispatch from Vice-Admiral Sims
which states the steamship Antilles,
an army transport, was torpedoed on
October II. while returning TO this
country from foreign service. This
vessel was under convoy Of American
patrol vessels at the time.
"The torpedo which struck the An
titles was not seen, nor was the sub
marine which fired il. The torpedo
hit abreast of the engine room bulk
head, and the ship sank within five
minutes. One hundred and sixty
seven persons out Of about two hun
dred and th,rty-seven on board the
Antilles were saved. About seventy
men are missing. All the naval Of.
fcers and officers of the army who
were on board the ship at the time
were saved, as were the officers Of
the ship, with the exception OF the
following:
walker, third engineer officer.
BOYLE. junior engineer officer.
"O'ROURKE, junior engineer off,
Enlisted Casualty List
"The following enlisted naval per-
sonnel were lost:
az. L. kinney, seaman, second
class; next OF kin, Thomas NJ. Kin
zey, father, Water Valley, Miss.
~. W. HUNT, seaman. second
class; next OF kin, Isaac Hunt,
father, Mountain Groye, BIO.
&C. l.. AUSBURN, radio electrician.
first class; next Of kin. r. Ausburn.
brother, $500 Louisiana Avenue,
New Orleans.
N. F. WATSON, radio electrician,
third class; next Of kin, Mrs W. l..
Seger. mother, Rutland, Mass.
There were about thirty-three of
the army enlisted personnel or
board. of whom seventeen were saved.
The names OF the missing OF the
army enlisted personnel and OF the
merchant crew OF the ship cannot be
given until the muster roll in France
Of those on board has been consulted.
As soon as the department is in re
ceipt of further details concerning
the casualties they will be made pub
lie Immediately"
War Zone May Be Extended
The length OF time which elapsed
between the sinking of the Antille.
and the receipt of the news, despite
the fact that she was under convoy
may mean that the submarine zone ha.
been extended and that the vessel was
we'll started on the homeward trip.
The submarine zone has been consid
cred 10 extend about 500 miles into th'
Atlantic from the coast OF France. Thi'
would take in the path ordinarily fol.
+ lowed by vessels going from the Strait
I Of Gibraltar and the Azores to the Eng
! lish Channel. and would cover the grair
boats bringing food supplies from thy
East TO England.
Up to the entry of America into IN
war and the beginning of the transpor
tation Of American soldiers across IN,
Atlantic. the 500-mile zone was all tha
Germany considered it necessary 4
cover. With the beginning OF tn
transport Of American troops 10 Franc,
il seems that the U-boats began 70 op
crate in wider zone. II has been re
ported more than once that they hav.
been met in mid-Atlantic.
Less Protection on Return Trip
Transports going eastward lade'
with soldiers are heavily conveyed A.
the way across the ocean Thoxa re