The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-10-16
MURDERED AMERICAN SAILORS
lsr7BMAR1NE SHELLS OPEN BOATS
AFTER ToRPEDoING SHIP.
Twenty Men Reaching Atlantic Port
Believed to Be Only Survivors
Huns Kill Many Who Escape for
Moment When Ship Goes Down.

An Atlantic Port, Oct. lU.-ScOres
of American sailors and soldiers
were killed or wounded by shrapnel
fired by a German submarine after 1t
had torpedoed the steamship Tlcon-
deroga LOO miles off the Atlantic
coast, according to the story told by
81 survivors who arrived here TO-DAY
aboard British freighter.
There were ESQ men aboard the
Tisconderoga, an American steamship
of $50 tons, and all except the 2c
who arrived here today are believed
to have perished. The survivors got
away in the only boat which was not
demolished by the shell fire from
the submarine, they said. Seventeen
Of the men who reached port were
members of a detachment Of soldiers
detailed to care for horses which were
being transported.
The Ticonderoga was attacked pre-
sumably on Ocober 2 when she fell
behind her convoy because of engine
F.! trouble.
According to the survivors the sub
| marine was not sighted until she had
sent a torpedo crashing into the side
of the ship. The torpedo did not
strike a vital spot however, and the
captain crowded on full steam In an
effort to escape, at the same time
ordering the gun crew into action
against the submarine which appear
ed about a mile off.
Our gun crews did not fire more
than five or six Shots" one Of the
survivors said. "The forward gun
| was shot away almost at once. The
after gun and its crew were done fol
almost as quickly. Then the mer
went to the boats, but it was no use
as the flying shrapnel was spraying
the decks and men fell in scores
either killed or badly wounded"
Another survivor declared that IL
OF the Tinconderoga's eight life boats
with the exception of one, were rid
died with shrapnel before they could
be launched A number of men who
tried to get into the eighth boat were
killed by shrapnel as they clamberet
over the side Of the vessel, he said.
Finally" this survivor continued
zone of men, in desperation, swan
close to the submarine and hailed al
! officer, asked him in Gods name tt
stop firing.
'The lieutenant who answered die
so with a loaded revolver, saying tha
| if he did not swim back he would
tshoot him.
when our boat had only 20 me-
1 n:
submarine and made to tie up. while
the shelling of the dead and dying OF
| the sinking ship continued.
The leader of our boat was asked
| some questions which he refused K
answer and suddenly the submarine
|. submerged and only the parting .,
| the rope with which we were tie<
prevented our going down with it.
One Of the survivors said the sub
marine was of the cruiser type ant
had the largest guns he ever had seer
on a submarine. One Of the engineer
officers, he said, whose room q wa:
pierced by a shell from the subma-
rine, declared that the shell was ar
eight inch projectile. Heretofore .oni,
six-inch guns have been reported OF
submarines.
The survivors, who were adrift fol
four days before they were picked up
said that a raft with five wounded
men on it had put off from the ri
conderoga and that they had attempt
ed to tow it with them but that i
broke away during the night and dis
appeared.