Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-02-14
Tuscania Was Part of Well Guard
ed Convoy and in Sight Of the
Irish Coast When TOrpedoed
WASHINGTON THINKS
SUBMARINE SANK
Apparently Quick RetributiOn
Overlook the Under-Sea Boat
Bomb the Destroying Agent
(From Fridays daily.)

All the information reaching the
government at Washington on Thurs
day bearing on the torpedoing OF the
Cunarder Tuscania off the northeast
coast Of ireland confirmed the theory
entertained by naval officers late We'd
nesday night that when the full facts
were known the number Of American
soldiers lost would be considerably
less than 200
There was nOthing-up to late hOuf
received officially confirmatory OF
the latest unofficial figures from Ire
land indicating that the total loss was
probably around 101, but it is expect
ed bv officials that the official reports
will confirm this information. The
latest official advices came in cable
gram. which Secretary Lansing re-
Ceived at 1O:3O Thursday night from
3he American consul at Belfast, stating
that the Tuscania was torpedoed at 3
O'Clock the evening Of February 3, that
the vessel carried 2,163 officers and
4bat there were approximately 1900
survivors.
MAY BE BASE IN IRELAND
NAVAL OFFICIALS BELIEVE
This message said that the Tuscania
was "torpedoed north of Rathlyn'
which means that it was attacked
north of Rathlyn island, in the north
channel off the northeast coast OF Ire
land. The message also said that the
attack was made near the coast.
Further particulars were not given
and the message did not say whether
the tOrpedOed vessel had sunk or was
still afoat. It was learned from hlgh
naval official that the north coast Oh
ireland has recently been a focus
pOint for operations Of German suDma-
rines. Vessels following the north
channel route follow route pretty
near the coast, and for that reason the
convoy vessels have to be on very
close lookout, as it is possible Tor SUD-
marines to station themselves near
fhe islands off the coast and dart out
at vessels. The theory that the Ger
man U-boats may also have base
somewhere off the north coast OF Ire
land is held pretty strongly III some
naval quarters, where 1t was learned
that the north channel, the Engllsh
channel and the Mediterranean have
been the places where most vessels
have been sunk by submarines recent
ly.
SUBMARINE WAS SUNK,
ACCORDING TO REPORTS
Apparently retribution at once be-
fell the enemy underwater boat. Ac-
,ording to the testimony of an Amerl-
can officer, who was one OF the last
men to leave the Tuscania, British
DESTROYER dashed toward the evident
location Of the attacker and dropped
depth bombs that resulted, in the eX-
pressive phrase of the submarine hunt-
ers, in the enemy being "done in"
The explosion Of the torpedo had i'm
mediateIy caused tremendous list
and made the launching Of life boats
and RATS extremely hazardous in the
darkness. Almost all the loss of life
md the sustaining of injuries occurred
because of this condition, as there
was no panic and the liner remained
afoat two hours. Many patrol boats
assisted the destroyers in the work
If rescue and the survivors were land
ed at various Irish and Scottish ports
where medical attention was given the
injured and the others were made
omfOrtable.
NO ARMED GUARD
ON THE TUSCANlA
The Tuscania was not manned by
nv naval armed guard and was, sc
FAR as is known in this country, mo-
conveyed by American destroyers. The
navigation of the vessel was in the
hands of the British admiralty, which
las been cooperating thoroughly will
American naval officers in London
Nice-Admiral Sims, the senior Ameri
can naval officer in London, is under
stood to have started for Rome, anC