The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-07-04

ships before entered the and were driving
neutral ambulances.
When entered the naturally they weren't
going to return the Uuite.i States to enlist when
they could enlist In their ccuntrys military forces
in France and get at Furnishing the Hun earlier
than the fellows at home. These captured Amen
can aviators Germany speaks about apparently had
them certificates Of service they had rendered
while driving American neutral ambuiances
As usual, Germany has distorted the truth. In
this instance she simply wishes to give a sembance
of excuse for the attempts she Is going to make to
lessen the number Of ships available to transport
boys Overseas because every hospital ship
sunk has to be replaced with some ship in military
civil service.
The first hospital ship the Huns sank the
Portugal flying the Russian nag. She was anchored
on Rick. a Black port. when at about eight
O'Clock the morning of March IL, 1915.
periscope was seen approaching. The Portugal had
wounded ON board-smply her hospital stan,
which Included many nuns and her full crew. The
Russian. government bad notified the central pow
sfs that the Portugal was q hospital ship and had
obtained from them q recognition OF her status
She was properly marked under the ruling Of both
the Hague and Geneva conventions.
OF course nobody thought for one instant that
the submarine would attack the Portugal. and
there was panic until. when about 200 feet away
the submarine nred a torpedo which missed Its
mark. Then the beast circled arou'.d the anchored
ship OF mercy and fred a second torpedo at close
range. The second missile struck the Portugal In
the engine room. There was terrific explosion
within her and the hui broke in two
The loss of life on the Portugal was q nuns,
who were acting as nurses p others Of the Red
Cross staf as well 81 Of the Russian crew and
10 Of the French. totaling IS. all Of whom were
ruthlessly murdered without any reason whntso
The next torpedoing Of note was that Of the
new White Star liner Britannia. the largest British
ship anoat and which the Germans wished to
remove from competing with their ships a. the
end of the The Britannia was sunk In the
Egean sea. and that but 50 lives were lost cut OF
the LOO wounded and large crew she had aboard
is remarkable. considering she went down in hs
minutes. German newspaper. the Keller Eel
tung, the FIRST to admit publicly that torpedo
and not a mine had caused the disaster. and fur
ther stated: ..a a 1a
The Britannia was transporting freeh troops for
our enemies II she had not been doing 70 our sub
marine would never. Of course. have torpedoed
her"
On November "a. 1916. shortly after the Britain
ME was SUNK the British admiralty published
complete list Of all persons on board. There were
no troops. Germany continued her props ganda to
dull the mind Of the world as to her real Intent
sinking hospital ships by asserting that she had
conclusive proof that in several instances enemy
hospital ships had misused for the trans
port of troops and munitions. Under the princi-
pies Of the Geneva convention governing maritime
belligerents have the right to stop and search
hospital ships Germany never utilized this right.
Evidently 1t was easier to sink the ship outright
and trust the world to believe the imperial Ger
man word
The big Asturias, commanded by Captain Laws,
known to many Americans who Travelled to Ber-
muda. had her first experience with U-boat on
February 1, 1915 She was the star hospital ship
the fleet for at that time neither the Britannia
nor Aqnitania was doing hospital work. Only the
prompt action Of the second officer in turning the
ship he the torpedo saved her and the
scores Of wounded she had on board. Having
made one miss at the Asturias. the Germans kept
at 1t till they finally got her. The British ad-
miraty announced the following:
'The British hospital ship Asturias. while steam
ing with all navigating lights and with all the
proper distinguishing Red Cross signs brilliantly
Illuminated. was torpedoed without warning on the