The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-02-08
TUSCANIA SUNK
BY TORPEDO IN
SIGHT OF ERIN
Second Torpedo Crosses Wake of
Ship but One Blow Proves
Sufficient
SINKS ON AN EVEN KEEL
Good Order at Time Of Mishap and
Men Take to Boats in Great
4. Courage

Washington, ID. c., Feb. s.
Much satisfaction is found by Of
icals here in th4 NnoIiiclal o.
counts of the destruction Of the
British liner Tu,cania by a Ger
man submarine which showed that
a destroyer, presumably British,
gave chase to the raider and pos
sibIy sank her with a depth bomb.
No details Of the attack had
come last night from official
sources.
They are awaited eagerly. Sor-
row over the first loss OF a trans
port laden with American troops
is tempered by the growing total
OF survivors and the dominant en-
otion among army and navy men now
is the desire to strike back.
Incident an Isolated One
Navy officials see no reason to
change their opinion that the submar-
inc menace is being overcome. The
Tuscania incident is regarded as an
isolated case which may serve to de-
velope additional methods for repeling
the undersea craft and improving the
convoy system. No details Of the &C.
ton will be passed over when full re-
ports from the British admiralty are
available
Many devices enter into the battle
against the U-boats, some of which
have been evolved by American in
ventors. Others have been greatly
improved since the United States en-
tered the war, and the detection ap.
paratus now installed on American
craft is so successful that British
craft are being similarly equipped.
Location Finding
There have been indications that
the U-boats have learend to fear this
ability of American craft to locate
them at a distance and maneuver to
bring the submerged vessel within the
range of a depth bomb. With des.
troyer in the vicinity, the underwater
craft moves carefully, far below the
surface of the water, depending on
mechanical ears which bring to her
the propeller beats of the surface YES
sci. When a destroyer stops to Ills
ten unhampered by the beat of her
own engines, the lurking foe also
stops, to lie silent below until the des.
troyer moves on again.
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 con-
voy fleet. There is no evidence of an
attack in force, and the U-boat prob
ably got into the path of the liner
largely by chance. Sometimes as many
as forty vessels make up conveying
fleet.
Tuscania's Destination.
War department officials would say
nothing today as to the destination
of the Tuscania. It was admitted that
American troops had been sent for
ward by British transatlantic liners
on several OCCASIONS. There are re-
ports that the great White Star liner
Olympic, largest of the British mer-
chant fleet and second only to the now
American Leviathan, formerly the Ger.
man Vaterland, has been employed in
that work.
There is no indication in the loss
OF the Tuscania, that concentration
of submarines against American troop
ship lines has been made. On the con.
trary, the efforts OF the German high
command still appears to be directed
primarily against tho cargo craft
bound for British ports.
Small Loss Of Life.
AS the roll of missing from the Tus