The Dolores star. [volume] (Dolores, Montezuma County, Colo.) 1901-current, 1918-07-05

nght of March 2O2l (1917). The tOrpedoIng OF
this hospital ship Is Included In the list of achieve
ments claimed by U-bOats reported In the Ger
man wireless press message yesterday.
The Asturias didn't sink although 43 died in
the tragedy. including two women. and ID were
injured. The torpedo rendered her helpless, ms
her rudder had been carried away. Captain Laws
drove the sinking ship for shOal water. AS she
off the rocky shore of Cornwall II he did sue
ID In Bleaching her the chances of saving the ship
would be slight. All Captain Laws thought of was
to get her somewhere where she wouldn't sink ere
her wounded had been removed.
As luck would have 1t. the Asturias took matters
into her own hands and in the darkness missed
reef, rounded hendand and brought up one
Of the few sandy beaches to be found along the
Cornwall shore line. After three years In com
mand Of her. several times week crossing the
Channel and running the risk of Mines well as
seeing the agony of human beings he transported,
Captain Laws. like many other hospital ship skip
pers. collapsed. He's made several attempts to go
to sea again. but his nerve is gone.
The nation responsible for the murder of Nurse
Cavell accepted the Asturas incident with COM
posture. If rot with satisfaction. For the Germans
stated blantlly:
ut would. moreover, be remarkable that the
English In the case Of the Asturas should have
abstained from the customary procedure of using
hospital ships for the transport of troops and
nltions."
The Asturias was returning from France. That
is a sufficient answer to Germany.
Ten days later the Gloucester Castle was tor
pedoed without warning In midchannel. All the
wounded were successfully removed from the ship
and the casualties were Ave medical officers nine
nursing sisters and 80 Royal Army Medical corps
men. On April II the Berlin official wireless again
cynically published notification that the Gouces-
ter Castle was tOrpedoed by U-boat, thus re-
moving any possible doubt in the matter.
Then on April II the hospital ships Donepa, and
Lnnfranc were sunk by U-boats. The British ad-
miralty announced:
1.-THE Donegal carried slightly wounded cases,
all British. OF these. % men. as well as IL of the
crew. are missing and presumed drowned The
Lanfranc in addition to 234 wounded British Off
GERS and men. carried 1877 wounded German pris.
oners a medical personnel of 50 and a crew of
l23. OF these the following missing and pre-.
sumed drowned
1.-TWO wounded British officers.
ELEVEN wounded British. other ranks
Zone r. A. NJ. c. staff.
give crew.
1.-TWO wounded German officers
Thirteen wounded German, other ranks.
zone hundred and fifty-two wounded German
prisoners were rescued by British patrol boats at
the imminent risk of being themselves torpedoed."
And then on the Goth of February they sank the
Glenart Castle, bound from France to England
Yes she carried troops. but they lay in white cots
within the Glenart Castles white sides. Nice chap
Fritz for he'd agreed to respect hospital ships II
they carried q Spanish officer to guarantee theiI
Red Cross mission. The Genart had her Spanard
and he too was nearly drowned in the catastrophe
One pleasing thing about the tragedy was that II
gave an American destroyer at the risk Of being
herself torpedoed. chance to do a rescue worE
which makes the blood run faster in ones veins
The sea vile and the destroyer couldn't launch
boat. Yet as she passed men clinging to wreck
age-men too weak to catch the fe-lines thrown
to them-American seamen jumped overheard
into icy water. swan to the poor devils and helt
them up till they could be rescued. Mr.. Daniels
I'm glad to say. has fttingIy rewarded such gal
lantry. -a -rs. f.- Is. "a. ~
And shortly after the Glenart Castle the bi,
IS Llandovey Castle, on mercy bent, was torpedoed
She also carried a Spanish officer. have a lette
from an officer on the hospital ship Araguaya
which has been transferred from passenger ant
food service to the work of mercy to replace los
hospital ships, and he tells his ship is most par
ticular about living up to the Geneva convention
No nurses are carried except those who make tn
round trip between England and Canada For
Canadian nurses worked their passage home Ger
many might say they were troops