Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-02-08

two hours later it was feared that
more than 1,400, including the Cunard
er's crew, had persisted. The state de-
partment message said 2,173 troops
were aboard the Tuscania.
WARSHIPS At SCENE.
No mention of the fate of the crew
was made in the state department ad.
vices nor was the landing points Of
the rescued American troops indi
Gated, but the war departments mes
sage saying that "1,1cO survivors had
been put ashore at Buncrana and
Larne indicated that the convoy yes.
sells got alongside the sinking trans
port quickly and relief ships made the
scene Of the disaster within a few
hours.
Buncrana is on Tough Swilly, on the
north coast of Donegal, not far from
Londonderry, while Larne is north
channel port in east coast Of Antrim.
near Belfast The landing points in
dicate that the Tuscania was taking
the northern route around Ireland to
England and the distance between
Buncrana and Larne leads officials to
believe the number of rescue ships
searching the vicinity is large.
FoRESTERS ON VESSEL.
The Twentieth engineers (foresters)
IL the largest regiment in the world,
although only one battalion was on the
Tuscania. The aggregate strength of
the regiment is 1900 officers and men.
Some of the units are still in training
IN camp near here. Col. w. A. Mitch
ell of the regular army commands the
regiment and Harry S. Graves, chief
forester of the United States depart
ment Of agriculture, is lieutenant
colonel. Neither, however, was with
the battalion on the Tuscania.
The work of the Twentieth regiment,
/ which was raised with the active CO.
operation Of the American forestry as.
Sociation, is to cut timber in the
French forests tor military uses in the
fighting front; for hospitals, Y. NJ. c.
4 buildings and other purposes.
RELIEF PARTIES ON WAY.
/ The oficial table Of organization OF
the 32nd division shows that the
10th engineer train is composed OF
the first battalion of Michigan engi.
neers and the first battalion of Wis.
consin engineers. The organization is
distinct from the 10th engineer regi-
ment, which was not represented on
the Tuscania.
The 10th military police was made
SIN infantry and the 10th supply
train from the fourth, fifth and sixth
Wisconsin infantry.
MICHIGAN UNIT REoRGANlzED.
!. Conflicting information as to
whether the first Michigan engineers
were aboard the Tuscania as part of
the 10th engineer train developed
this information at the war depart
inert.
while the Official statement of the
composition of the 10th engineer
train gives the first battalion of
Michigan engineers and the first bat
talon of Wisconsin engineers; the
hrst Michigan recently was reor-
4anzed. Those Michigan engineers
Loft over after the reorganization
formed the 10th train, on the Tus-
CANA. The others remained in this
country where they are training.
Which men went abroad can be
shown only by the Tuscania list.
The aero squadron probably was re-
cruited from various sections and the
place they trained was not mentioned
by the war department.
The state departments dispatch
said Ambassador Page had sent two
army officers to Belfast and represen-
tattves OF the American Red Cross and
the Y. M. C. A. had gone with full
power to spend the money needed in
the relief
Although the American transport
Antilles was torpedoed and sunk in
the war zone while returning from
France and fourteen soldiers and
156 others were lost, the Tuscania is
the first ship carrying American
troops TO Europe to be sunk by a sub
marine. American warships, convoy
ing transports last June twice fought
06 Submarine attacks and since than
there have been no reports of attacks
On ships carrying American troops to
E1Rnce.
The Tuscania until last fall. had
1een in the transatlantic trade, but
the sinking indicates that she recently
had been engaged in transporting
American troops. She carried Brit
lii crew and British armed naval
guard and was conveyed by British
VRships.
EFFORT WAS EXPECTED.
1hs use of British ships to carry
American troops has been limited at
Iecsntly in connection with decisions
Of the supreme war council to make
every effort to increase General
Pershing's army.
Navy department officials have be-
heved that the Germans might con-
0ontrat0 tAeir submarines on ships
transporting American troops and the
recall Of many submarines to their
bases recently was interpretated as
preliminary to such campaign
Despite the most careful plans, navy
men say, there is always a chance Of
troop ship stumbling upon a sub
marine and the general belief here is