Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-02-08
English Transport is Sunk With
Wisconsin and Michigan Ma
tiOnal Guard Aboard-Cas-
ualty List Small.

Liner Tuscania, carrying 2,179 Ameri-
can soldiers, has been torpedoed and
sunk off the Irish coast, but official
reports late tonight said 1912 of the
officers and men had been saved and
indicated that the list of rescued
might prove even larger. The troops,
composed chiefly of detachments of
Micigan and Wisconsin national
guardsmen, were travelling on the
Tuscania, British vessel, under con-
voy of British warships.
A brief dispatch to the war depart
ment from London early this evening
announced the disaster and reported
the landing of only 1,100 survivors.
This was made public shortly after
10 o'clock and for more than two
hours it vast cared that probably
1.400 men, including members of the
liners crew, had gone down.
When message came to the state
department from the embassy ut Lon
don saying at IL o'clock tonight 1912
of the Americans had been accounted
for the joy Of officials almost swept
away the distress occasioned by the
earlier news. The first LOO curvi-
vors were landed at Larne and Bun
crana, two widely separated Irish
ports, and this, coupled with the evil
dent fact that rescue, ships were at
hand quickly, gave rise to hope that
nearly everybody on. board the Tus-
cania except those injured by the ex-
plosion might h ave been saved
The President, Secretary Baker and
in fact all official Washington, were
up late waiting for further news.
Only the briefest dispatches were re-
ceived and none gave details of the
attack on the liner.
Even the time was missing, but it
was assumed that it occurred early
this morning, as the first message
was filed in London at 3 o'clock this
afternoon, probably within an hour
after the relief ships reached the
Irish coast.
The President was at the theatre
when the news was received, and he
was not told until he returned to the
White House. In the meantime the
war, navy and state departments had
sent urgent messages by wireless and
cable instructing their representatives
in England and Ireland to forward
every available fact Immediately.
Because of the nature of the mill
tary organizations carried by the
ship, the war department announced
that it would be impossible to say
definitely what troops were aboard
until the list of survivors was re-
.ceiyed. Later, however, the adjutant
generals office made the list public.
1t follows.
Headquarters detachments and
Companies D., e and F of the twen-
tieth engineers.
10th engineer train.
10th military police.
10th supply train.
No. 100 aero squadron.
158th aero squadron.
213th aero squadron.
Replacement detachments Nos. /
and 20 the 32d division.
Fifty-one casual officers,
The 32d division is composed of ma
tional guard troops from Michigan
and Wisconcin. The division trained
at Camp Macarthur, Texas.
The 107th engineers was composed
of the first battalion of Michigan en-
gineers; the 10th military police
was made up from fourth and sixth
Wisconsin infantry and the 10th sup
ply train from the fourth, fifth and
sixth Wisconsin infantry.
Thus all the soldiers are former
Wisconsin and Michigan guardsmen
except those in the aero squadrons
who probably were recruited from al
parts Of the United States.
Neither the dispatch of the war de-
partment nor that of the state depart
ment referred to the fate Of the mem
bers of the Tuscania's crew. Un'
doubtedly many of them were saved
and when all reports are in official:
hope that the loss of life will be re
markably small. The liner, which i.
not regular transport, was under
convoy and the warships apparentl!
were quickly alongside for rescue
work when the torpedo struck.
The first news was given out her.
in this terse announcement from tn
war department:
"The war department has been of
ficially advised that the steamship
Tuscania was torepdoed and sunk
and that survivors, numbering Ito
as far as could be ascertained, wer
landed at Runcrana and Iarne, il