Evening journal., 1918-06-01
No CASUALTY LIST
YET FROM lincoln
Washington Doesn't Know
of Any Loss of Life on
Lost Transport
HUN SUBS MAY BE
AFTER TROOP SHIPS
BY The United Press.

bg lN5 Duibtu fltce
WASHINGTON, June i.-Germany's
sinking OF three British and American
transports In little over a week tended
today 10 confirm recent United Press
reports that the U-boats are making a
special effort 70 get troop ships
Navy Department adyices showing
that submarines were lying far out. in
GLIDING she vicinity OF the .szores;
plus the recent British destruction OF a
super-submarine of the Portugal coast
indicate that the submarine Is being
forced out Of us usual paths.
Increase in the number Of Ameri-
can and Allied destroyers and Improved
efficiency in anti-submarine devices has
been partly responsible. But Germany
apparently chagrined at her failure TO
torpedo loaded troopships has evidently
ordered a drive against them now.
Added details as TO the torpedoing OF
the big American transport President
Lincoln yesterday were expected at the
Navy Department today.
The loss Of life was manifestly small
because the vessel was homeward
bound and because she stayed afloat an
hour after she was hit.
The fact that the torpedoing OF the
vessel occurred In broad daylight, as
well as the statement that she dld not
sink for an nour, inspired the belief
that the loss OF life probably was not
heavy. She carried a crew OF 100
officers. The vessel also undoubtedly
was conveyed, and the convey vessels
would be In position to rescue surviv-
ors. But there might be considerable
difficulty in removing some OF he
wounded from the sinking steamer.
Just where the President Lincoln was
sunk was not stated, but the .act that
Admiral Sims sent the message indl-
Gates that Il was somewhere IN the
naval war zone, within his jurisdiction
and not near enough 10 American
ports for the first report TO have been
sent by wireless to this side from the
convoy vessels.
The President Lincoln is the second
American transport under AmGican
convoy that has been lost since the
United States entered the war. Botn
OF these losses were sustained while
the vessels were returning to this coun-
try from abroad. The FIRST case was
that OF the Antilles, which was tor
pedoed on October A., 1917, while re
| turning from France. The torpedo nj
l the Antilles abreast OF the engine room
/ and the ship sank within i've minutes
One hundred and seventeen persons on
OF about 237 on board were saved. Higi
seas made rescues difficult in the cas-
Of the Antilles.
Comparing the facts In the two case;
so far as disclosed, the Antilles haVln
gone down In i've minutes, the Pres
dent Lincoln having stayed above 10
an hour after being struck, the dlnei
differences Of time, leads 10 the cor
viction that the death roll In the cas-
OF the President Lincoln will not be
large as that OF the Antilles, unless u
President Lincoln, which was a mue
larger vessel. carried a very niue
larger number Of passengers.
The President Lincoln was one
four OF German vessels taken over b
; the United states, which were not n
named when the American nag wa
hoisted. The others were the Georg
Washington Of the North Germa
LLOYD Line and the President Gran
and the Pennsylvania. The Presiden
Lincoln was for months al Hoboke'
before being taken over by the Unile
States Government and repaired 10
use as a transport.
There are five army transports large
! than the President Lincoln. They ar
the Leviathian Of the Hamburg-Amer
lean Line, 5l,2s2 gross tons. formerly
| known as the Vaterland; the Georg'
Washington, $3.50 tons; the America
/ % 622 tons, formerly the Amerika' th'
Mount Vernon, 1868 tons, formerly
the Kronprinzessin Cecilie, and th'
Agamenon, 1885, tons, formerly th'
/ Kaiser Wilhelm H.