Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-09-13
TORPEDO KILLS
IS ON i. 5. SHIP
MOUNT VERNON
Senator Lewis Escapes Injuries
and Lands Safe.
VESSEL RETURNS TO FRANCE
Navy Department Says Dead Were
Members of crew-Announceme
Was Made Last Week That
Vessel Had Been Attacked.

Washington. Sept. 9.-Thirty-f1ye
persons, principally members of the,
fireroom crew of the q. S. S. Mount
Vernon, formerly the German. liner
kronprinzessin Cecilies were killed
when the ship was struck by a torpedo
Thursday last, 200 miles off the French
coast, it was announced by the navy
department.
Senator Landed Safely.
The official announcemnt states that
Senator James Hamilton Lewis of IHi-
nois was one of the passengers re
turning from Europe, and is among
those reported safely landed
The Mount Vernon is one of the
great German ships taken over by the
United States, and has been used as a
transport. She was on her return to
the United States when struck.
Casualties Cause Surprise.
The news that so many of the ships
complement had been killed was a
great surprise to the navy officials, as
the first reports indicated that there
were no casualties.
The belief that there were no fatali-
ties, however, was based principally OF
the fact that the Mount Vernon was
able to put back into port under her
own steam and at a 14knot clip, which
was an indication that she had not
been hit in vital part so far as her
motive power was concerned.
The official dispatch from Vice Ad-
miral Sims, however, states:
The torpedo struck the ship on the
starboard side. flooding No. 4 fireroom.
but the extent of the damage is not
stated.r
This transport is the first of the
big United States ships to be hit
Whlle senator or other distin-
gufshed official was on board. When
she was obliged to return to the
United States upon the declaration of
war she had on board among her
passengers Representative Richard
Bartholdt of Missouri.
Ship Has Interesting Past.
The Mount Vernon has an interest,"
Ing history. AS the Kronprinzessfn
Cecelie she was a well-known liner
plying between theSAmerican and Eng
llsh and French ports. On her last
attempted voyage to Cherbourg and
Plymouth, she was caught at sea by
the declaration of war against Ger
many. She had on board a consign-
| of h1r nj 4
S12,000000 for account in Europe. The
agents of the ship in Germany sent
her code message which apparently
referred only to member of the
family of the captain of the vessel.
He understood it, however, and turned
back.
She was lost for several days and
it was supposed that she had been
captured by one of the cruisers of
the British North Atlantic squadron.
AS a matter of fact, her course would
take her near the cruising areas of
British ships of war. However, she
was maneuvered out of sight and
took advantage of fog to dash back
; recklessly to the United States coast
, She loomed out of a fog one morning
off Bar Harbor and got safely with
!. in the three-mile limit of the United
. States.
, When it became evident that the
United States would enter the war
The crew damaged the ship as much
= as possible. On taking her over, the
, | United States repaired her and made
her a better ship than before and nat
urally took her as one of the crack
transports.
Following are the names and ad
dresses of men from the central West
who were killed:
Peter Joseph Bergemann, fireman
second class, Madison, Wis. NJ. Stall
engineman, second class. CThis name
, could not be found in the navy depart
ment records; Daniel Terrell, fire
, man, second class. Sa. Joseph, Mo.
!, James E Crabtree, fireman. second
class, Beaver. O.; Gustaf Oscar Green
. . fireman. first class, Minneapolis
Minn,; Lion Heath, fireman, second
: class, Hinckley, Mimi; Frederick r
! Huffman, fireman, third class, New
berry, Ind: Sewell Mckinley Rivers
water tender. Buena Vista, o.