The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1918-09-09
TORPEDO KILLED
50 MEN Of CREM
ON MOUNT VERNON
Explosion Flooded FirerOOm
Where All Victims Were.
SENATOR LEWIS ABROAD
Secretary Bakers Vessel Was Near
Which Probably U-6oat Hoped
10 Sink.

Washington, Sept S-The tor
pedoing Of the American troop trans
port Mount Vernon, formerly the Ger
man merchant steamship Kronprinzes-
sin Cecllie, off the coast of Fraroe
last Thursday, assumed a more seri.
Gus aspect today when Viye Admiral
Sims cabled from London, stating
that thirty-hve men Of the crew had
been killed by The explosion Of the
torpedo
The fact that the submarine was
able to cellver a torpedo SO effective
| ~ as to cause this toll of death, when
aiken in association with the warn
ings cdhied in press dispatches from
! London last nicht that German
| 4 boats might be expected TO take
greater risks in an EFFORT to sink one
Or more American ;r0opships, is re
,arded as significant
The announcement made by Sec
raJary Daniels today, based on word
from Vice Admiral Sims, said tnal
Senator James Hamilton Lewis OF Il
nons was aboard the Mount Vernon
When the torpedo struck. and vas
imong those reported safely landea
when th- Mount Vernon got back info
por.
Secretary OF War Baker could not
have been very lar from the zone
where the MountVernon was attacked
lie sailed from this side of The Allan
tic on Saturday. Aug 81 and formaI
announcement OF his arrival IN
France was authorized by the WaI
Department early this evening. or
Thursday when the attack on the
Mount Vernon was made. 200 miles
from France, Secretary Baker was
probably drawing very close to that
oast on the troop transport on which
le and his party we're travelling.
Whether German submarines had
been secretly warned OF the departure
{ Secretary Baker for France ant
We're making q concerted attack tt
! ink the ship on which he Travelled Is
)f course wholly a matter for specu
'ation The warning cabled in new,
dispatches from London is believed t,
have been inspired hy the attack OF
he Mount Vernon, and the interpre
alton placed on it here Is that In,
ierman Admiralty, driven to desper
alton by demands for explanation
rom the German people as to why n,
american conveyed troop transports
have been sunk. has embarked on
more determined campaign against
american troopships.
- The record TO date is the transpor
ation of 100000 American officer
md soldiers 70 Europe with the los
1t sea of only 29l of them. These %
we're lost through the sinking of thI
}ritish transports Tuscania and Mo
] laya, the former off the northwest
, srn coast of Ireland and The latter II
/ he English Channel Neither O
hese transports was conveyed b
american war vessels No America
transport carrying troops to Franc
I has yet been sunk Some America
o, transports have been sunk comm
back, but they had been used in tn
& supply service.
lt is hardly likely that the Noun
fernon was not under convoy at III
+ ime the attack was made on that We.
. lel, for the region 20 miles from tn
( french coast would be in the wa
I. sons. How near the torpedo cam
% making fatal hit is evident frol
the fact that it struck on the sta
= board side of the shin and noode
No. 4 fire room All thirty-fve me
= Of the crew killed were probably
:. his fire room at the time. The III
}, shows that thirty were hremen. tvs
g anglnemen. and three water tender