The Dolores star. [volume] (Dolores, Montezuma County, Colo.) 1901-current, 1918-07-05

l. - her side. as IL 1t were a bu:s.eye
for just such murderous Shots i was
Ft717 speaking to a merchant ship captain
about It and asked him why he had given up the
command Of certain British hospital ship. berth
which to my landsman's eyes had seemed to be the
easiest ON the sea today In spite of instances like
the Rewa
He didn't look at me us he answered He looked
far out through his cabin port the tower of the
Wentworth building He finally told me that In
spite of the danger 1t was easier him to take Il
merchant ship or a transport through the war zone
tian to have his heart torn asunder by the suffer.
ing Of humanity he had seen hospital ships
men gassed and writing in agony; men wounded
or mutiiated out of sheer deviltry Frightfulness-
waste OF manhood because the kaiser wanted to
dominate the wOrld--that's what he saw on a hos
I,tal ship; and when his ship of mercy, like the
Rewa. was torpedoed without warning and he man.
aged to beach her before she sank he simply went
to pieces as have many hospital ship commanders
before him. s
Every hospital ship sunk means that the allies
must replace It with a ship which has been carry
ing food and munitions. That Is Germany's game
Finding her submarine warfare not succeeding
as she had hoped, she lessons the tonnage of her
enemies by fOuler means still and covers up her
dastardly motives by officially saying:
'The German government can no longer suffer
that the British government should forward troops
and munitions to the main theater Of war under
cover of the Red Cross and 1t therefore declares
that from now on no enemy hospital ship will be
allowed In the sea zone comprised between line
drawn from Marlborough Head to Terschelllng on
the one hand and Ushant and Lands End on the
other II In this zone after the expiry of the
stated time any enemy hospital ship is encountered
it will be considered vessel of and 1t will
be attacked without further ceremony" e~
And knowing full well that no allied hospital
ships were carrying either troops, munitions or
anything which they shouldn't in their garb of
mercy, Germany has lessened tonnage by sinking
the hospital ship Britannia 10000 tons), Asturias
dl.4OO tOns). Gloucester Castle 1880 tOns)
Donegal 1887 tons), Salta (7.284 tons). Lanfranc
(8,276 tons). Dover Castle (S,26O tons), Rewa
T.267 tons), Glenart Castle 10000 tons), Liam
dOyey Castle 10000 tons). and others amounting
to over 100000 tons. a. -
Germany has. already begun paving the way to
lessen American tonnage by sinking our hospital
ships whenever we get any. On May l, 1913, she
officially notified the world that
American aviators are crossing to Europe as
members of the Red Cross on hospital ships. This
misuse of the Red Cross appears from documentary
evidence found on American aviators who have
been shot down. An American brought down in
the region Of the army Of General Won Hutier car
ried pass which referred to him a member Of
the American ambulance for France. t
.Prisoners openly admit that it is the general
practice for aviators to enter American ambulance
service for their passage to Europe and to cross on
hospital ships. After they are landed in France
they Immediately transfer to the automobile corps
and thence into the air service.
I.sThe captured aviator referred to had. however.
transferred directly from the ambulance service
into the air service. Another carried certificate
u sGe taxes of several transfers were off,
Cdaiiy Indicated"
,Uxcept for the naval hospital ship Solace and
hospftai yacht Surf attached to our feet, and two
Ward liners being converted into the hospital ships
Comfort and Mercy. solely for the use OF the navy
and 1t this writing not yet in service. the United
States has had no hospital ships at all. Conse-
ho fuuOssihle for American 0vt0