The sun., 1918-08-14
Morse Freighter at First
Evades Missile, Which
Turns and Hits Her.
GYROSCOPE AT WORK
Captain and Crew of 90 Es.
cape and Patrol Boat
Lands Them Here.
NO WARNING BY U-BOAT
British Armed Merchantmen
Reported to Have Fought
Submarine.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
WASHINGTON. Aug. 1s.-The
steamship Henry S. Kellogg has been
torpedoed by German submarine
on the View Jersey coast accord. :.
ing 10 q report received late tonight
by the Navy Department. No details
were available, hut It was presumed
the steamship stiT was afoat.
A German submarine sank the Nor
~egian steamship Sommerstad twenty
five miles southeast Of Fire Island Mon
day morning. She was struck amidships
and went to the bottom only a few miles
from the spot where the United States
cruiser San Diego hit a mine and sank.
There was no loss OF life by the de-
s'ruction OF the Sommerstad. Her cap
tain and crew Of thirty, putting of In
two OF the ships small boats. were
picked up by a navy patrol boat ten
hours after the sinking
That the U-boat which sank the Som
merstad had been lurking of Fire Island
many hours was indicated clearly last
night when an American fruit steamship
reached an Atlantic port with the an
nouncement that she had outdistanced q
submarine IN the zone where the Som
merstad was sunk. Officers OF the fruit
steamship said the ships engines were
pushed to the limit and that the U-boat
gave up the chase about four hours be-
fore the Sommerstad was sunk.
British ship Warned.
A British steamship that also arrived
yesterday reported she had received
radio messages when off Nantucket In
forming her that enemy submarines were
In her course. The master OF the British
vessel said one OF the messages he re-
ceived mentioned that one Of the sub
marines had sunk Danish steamship
Monday morning. No report of the sink
ing OF a Danish ship has been received
officially. 30 1t was assumed In marine
circles last night that the message re-
ferred 10 the Norwegian freighter Som
nerstad.
Fears that the Germans had perfected
a wireless controlled torpedo were ex-
pioded last night by high officials OF the
Navy Department, who studied carefully
the report made by Capt. Hansen OF tho
Sommerstad to the effect that the tor
pedo which sank his ship frst passed
under her bows and then. as the Som
merstad was piunging ahead at fun
speed turned sharply to the left and re-
turned, hitting Its victim between the
third and fourth holds on the port side.
Naval experts explained that the cir
eular course described by the torpedo
undoubtedly was affected by the
aat1 he
scope could be 30 set before the tor
pedo was fired that the torpedo could
be made to describe such a course, and
mat the trick had been done time and
again in the American navy during tor
pedo practice. thus bringing the undis-
charged weapon back where IT could be
recovered easily instead Of going to
waste
Ridicuied by Experts.
The experts rldiculed the idea put for
ward in some quarters that the odd
course OF the torpedo had been controlled
oy radio aboard the submarine, They
SAID It was not at all uncommon for tor
pedoes fired by the Germans to take
similar courses, but admitted such n
setting OF the gyroscope made the tor
pedo doubly effective, especially where.
d" IN the case OF the Sommerstad, the
Vesse that has been missed by me tor
pedo Is driven ahead at full speed.
The statement that the Sommerstad
one OF the big ships chartered by tho
United States Shipping Board-was tor
pedoed without warning was contained
IN an Official report to the Navy De-
partment by the commandant of the
Third Naval district.
lhe submarine did not show itself
upon The surface. Instead, It's periscope
appeared about six feet above the water.
IL was observed at a considera BILE dis
'anoe. but the torpedo had been launched
ana vas plunginx ahead toward the
'oHmerstad' before the speed OF :. the
Sn'ps engines could be increased.
lhe deck Of the Sommerstad was
""ash within Ave minutes after the tor
Pt'o struck. tearing large hole In the
'h'ps side. The Sommerstad was set
''rs as the crew clambered into the
ooats and dropped over the side. They
,'p'''ei seeing their ship go down stern
"st Finally, they said. the Sommer-
"a" appeared TO be standing almost up
-
orhnued on Fourth PAGE.