The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1918-06-07
HUN U-BOATS OFF
OUR Shores
Raid Unprotected Ship
ping-Sink Many
Vessels.

submarine warfare to American
shores and are attacking and sink
ing ships off the Atlantic coast.
| Submarine attacks were reported
this morning on vessels off the New
Jersey shore, and number of craft
are known to have been sunk, as
many as fifteen, according to one re-
port.
| New York, June 3.-One steam
ship, one schooner and two or three
other vessels have been sunk off the
Jersey coast by German submarines
during the night, according to in
formation received here, while in
formation received at the maritime
exchange here indicates that as many
as fifteen vessels have been sunk by
U-boats on the Jersey coast.
One o The ships sunk was the Ed
ward II. Cole, sailing vessel.
The crew of the Edward II. Cole
was subsequently picked up by an
American auxiliary naval vessel,
! brought to an Atlantic port last night
and thence sent here by train. They
were taken in charge by navy officials.
| According to the survivors the Ed
ward II. Cole was sunk seventy-five
miles off the highlands of New Jersey
yesterday afternoon.
Two U-bOats Attacked.
Two submarines attacked the Ed
ward H. Cole, according to the COM
mander of the vessel, Capt. Newcomb.
They appeared simultaneously, one on
each side of the vessel, and signalled
the captain to heave to. The COM
mander of one of the submarines then
boarded the schooner in a small boat
and gave the crew ten minutes to
leave the ship.
The crew took to their own boats
Immediately and the German sailors
then planted bombs on the vessel and
blew her up.
Just before the explosion occurred
an American steamship appeared in
the offing and the U-boats immediate
ly gave chase.
Reports OF Activities.
There have been reports for some
time that the German Admiralty con-
templated submarine attacks on ship
ping on this side of the Atlantic
! The first intimation Of this decision
by Germany came in an address de-
livered in Paris by George Leagues,
French Minister of Marine, on May
IL.
NJ. Leagues, in a review of the sub
marine situation, stated that the Ger
mans had constructed new type of
submarine cruisers with which to
prey on shipping on allied transports.
Late in May it was officially report
ed in British Admiralty statement
that German submarine of the
cruiser class had been sunk by a
British conveying submarine 'in the
latitude of Cape st. Vincent" which
is the southwestern point of Portu-
gal.
Then came, in rapid succession, re-
ports of submarines operating in
West Indian waters and last week a
captain of a steamship landing at
Norfolk reported having sighted what
he believed to be German submarine
somewhere off the Carolina Capes.
Later it was explained by Washington
that this boat might have been an
American submarine on its way to
Europe.
The sinking of the vessels off the
New Jersey coast finds precedent in
the exploit of the German submarine
U-53, which on Octobr z, 1916, sud
denly appeared at Newport, r. l.
After a stay of three hours at that
port the U-bOat, which was command
ed by Commander Rose, left Newport
and the next day sank six vessels in
quick succession off Nantucket. She
was sighted off Fire Island October 3,
and later it was reported she had
gone south, but this seems not to have
been true, for she returned safely to
German port ON October 81.
Norfolk, Va, June 3.-Nayal Of
ficers here said tonight their reports
indicated five German submarines had
been operating along the Atlantic
coast, and that two had been sight
ed off the Virginia capes.
Read Admiral Fechteler, command
ant of the Norfolk Navy Yard, said
two U-boats had been sighted off
the Virginia Capes, and Rear Adj
miral Mclean, commandant of the
Fifth Naval District, said in addition