Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-07

IlSt OF names ~ Sclupn gwen cut at
once
Tho ncws, serious as II js was not
unexpected. Officials have warned time
and again this sort Of disaster was TO
be expected as part OF the danger
involved in war, SO far tho American
transport service has been particularly
fortunate, 1t was explained
Coming on tho heels Of Gcrmanv's
threat to begin a submarine offensive
against American transports, the news
Indicated that this Tcuton drive has
begun.
Secretary Baker, in n recent summary
Of war operations, warned tho nation
that the lull in German T-hoat activities
was due to the rcfttiug Of the U-boats
for the drive On the American supply
system.
The position of the Tuscauia when she
was sunk is taken To Indicate she was
bound for England Her sinking def
ntcly discloscs that British ships are
being used to carry American troops
abroad, SupplcmCntiug American trans
port tonnage This fact has boon inti-
mated and probably arises from the de-
cision Of the supreme War Council to
make every effort to augment General
PerahinE's army during the present year.
Navy officials have insisted that tie
spite the most careful plans aud efforts
10 safeguard transports there was al
ways chance that a troopship would
stumble upon lurking submarine, aud
/ the general belief is this H. what hap
Ipeucd in this case.
The same regulations regarding life.
saving apparatus govern the movcmcn,
| cf American troops on a British vessel
as would govern their passage on an
/ American craft These regulations
which arc rigidly enforced provide for
/ sufficient lifohoatS ard lifccraft capacity
/ for ,vcry man aboard tho ship. cvcr
/ II onc-half of the boats are made uso.
| loss through the listing of the ship
when she Is struck.
Tho only point for cougratulation
/ brought forth by tho navy and army
officers i'm their discussions of tho sink.
! ing was tho fact, # was evident. that
such 4 great number of men rould not
have been saved unless discipline ana
b courage Of high order had been shown
by the American soldiers.
/ II is possible some cf tho nfty-unc
/ officers who wor" en- route IN France
may have been lost, and that some o.
/ thcm were from the East, hut from the
/ facts at hand It would appear that mos,
Of tuc men who lost their lives wCrc
from the. New England states, from the
Far West and from Michigan and Wis.
/ c0uein
/ The TugCauia was the first troopshn
to be sunk on route to France, but II
was not the first 70 he sunk.
The Antilles was sunk October H.
. 1917, and resulted in the loss of seventy
lives ont of a total of about 237 pas.
sengcrs on board,
The Antilles was returning TO this
country from France
That torpedo was not seen nor was
the submarine which fred II. OF tn.
number on board thirty-threc were en-.
listed men in the army, and Of thos'
seventeen were saved. -Four enlisted
men of"thc navy were lost. All the nava
officers and officers of the army or
board were saved The Antilles was
under the convoy Of American patro
vessels when the torpedo struck her
ATTACK CAUSED CONTROVERSY
American warshipa conveying trans.
ports to Franco last June twice fought
off submarine attacks Since then, how.
over, there has been 40 report of ar
attack on a ship carrying American
troops to Europe.
The FIRST Transports fired upon were
those which occasiorcd the controversy
over the details Of the encounter will
the lI-bOatS aS given out pN tinOrEf
Crecl chairman Of tho committee or
public information. Ovcr the signature
of SeCrctay Daniels on July 3, 1917
Charges were mace IN the Senate tina
tie account was exaggerated grossly
but il was coutcndod the convoy hat
been attacked "in force" and one o.
the submarines sunk
The most recent naval reverse wa,
the sinking Of the destroyer Jacol
Jones on December i. which resulted II
the loss Of about sixty men. several o
whom were taken prisoners by the crev
of the submarine.
: The Chauncay, a small American dc
stroyer, was sunk on November 10 II
, Il collision. and twenty-onc men wer'
reported lost
The United states patrol boat Alced,
was torpedocd and sunk on Novembe
with l loss of one officer and twent.
men,
An unnamed destroyer was sunk b.
a submarine on. october l6 causing tn
, death of one man and injury to five.
, Eight naval gunners We're lost whei
, the steamship Montana was torpedpe,
July 81. The steamship Westwego an,
another vessel were attacked and sum
, by six submarines In French water
, September 8. No lives were lost.
: when the news of the sinking of tn
, Tuscania was flashed to the War DE
partment last night it was ascertalnc
: that Brgader General Mcintyre pos