The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1918-02-27
AMERICAN SOLDIERS
VICTIMS OF U-B0A1
STEAMER CARRYING WISCONSIN
AND MICHIGAN SOLDIERS Is
SUNK OFF IRISH COAST.
Hundred Lives Lost When Submarine
Sneaks Between Conveys and Sends
Torpedo at British Vessel Car
ryino Men to France.

WashingtOn.-The British steamer
Tuscania was torpedoed off the Irish
coast on February 6, at least hun
dred lives being lost, many of those
who persisted being American soldiers.
The Tuscania was under the direc-
ton Of the British admiralty when lost
and was under convoy of their de-
stroyers. The excellent work of the
destrOyers is declared to have been
directly responsible for the compara-
lively small casualty list.
Such details as have come from Eu-
rope indicate that the Tuscania was
torpedoed by single submarine which
slipped under the advance screen Of
destroyers leading the convoy fleet.
There is no evidence of an attack in
force. and the U-boat probably got into
the path of the liner largely by chance.
Sometimes as many as forty vessels
make up a conveyed feet.
The Tuscania carried total of 1897.
The saved number 2296, as follows:
Troops, 2106; crew, 100; Total lost,
101.
Among the American survivors are
seventy-six officers. There are eighty
one American troops in hospitals.
The bodies of forty-four of the miss
Ing 1O1 victims Of the Tuscania disaster
were washed up Thursday on the rocks
fifteen miles from the scene of the tor
pedOing. All were Americans and their
bodies were mutilated beyond recogni-
ton. A pathetic feature is that, al
though all the victims wore tags, no
Identification numbers had been put on
them because these Americans had not
as yet been assigned to definite army
units. Therefore there is no way to
identify them and they will be buried
in one grave.
Most of the Americans were lost
through the Tuscania's sudden heavy
list after being torpedoed, which
caused faulty launching of the life
boats.
Units Aboard Vessel.
The war department announces that
the following troops were aboard the
Inflated vessel:
Headquarters detachment and COM
| panies D, E and F of the Goth engi-
| neers.
| 10th engineer train.
10th engineer train.
10th military police.
10th supply train.
| No. 100 aero squadron.
15Sth aero squadron.
| 213th aero squadron.
Displacement detachment Nos. / and
2 of the sod division.
| Fifty-one casual officers.
| The 32d division is composed of ma
tional guard troops from Michigan and
Wisconsin. The division trained at
Camp Macarthur. Texas.
| the 1O7th engineers was composed
of the First battalion of Michigan en-
gineers; the 10th military police was
made up from the Fourth and Sixth
Wisconsin infantry, and the 10th sup
ply train from the Fourth, Fifth and
Sixth Wisconsin infantry.
Most Of Men Guardsmen.
Thus, most of the soldiers are for
mer Wisconsin and Michigan guards
men. except those in the aero squad
ron, who probably were recruited from
all parts of the country.
The TuScania was the first ship car
rying American troops to Europe to be
sunk by German submarines, but the
American transport Antilles was tor
pedoed and sunk in the war zone while
returning to the United States from
France and fourteen soldiers were lost,
with 156 other persons, including sew
eral members of the naval armed
guard.
American warships conveying trans
ports to France last June twice fought
off submarine attacks. Since then,
however, there has been no report of
an attack on a ship carrying American
troops to Europe.
Recently the navy department has
feared that the Germans would make a
concerted effort to intercept trans
ports, the recall of many of the SUBJ
marines to their bases being inter
preted as preliminary to such a cam
paign.
Navy officials have insisted that de-
spite the most careful plans and efforts
to safeguard transports, there was al
ways a chance that troop ship would
stumble upon lurking U-boat, and
the general belief expressed was that
this is what happened in this case.
The same regulations as to life-sav-
Ing apparatus govern the movement of
American troops on British vessel as
would govern their passage on an
American craft. Those regulations,
which are rigidly enforced, provide for
sufficient lifebOat and liferaft capacity
for every man aboard the ship, even ii
one-half of the boats are rendered use
less through the listing of the ship
when she is struck.
Pay Final Tribunte to John L.
Boston.-Final tribute to a great
champiOn was maid February e whop