The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1918-07-06

ships before we entered the war and were driving
neutral ambulanceS.
When we entered the war, naturally they weren't
going to return to the United States to enlist when
they could enlist in their country's military forces
In France and get at Furnishing the Hun earlier
than the fellows at home. These captured Ameri-
can aviators Germany speaks about apparently had
on them certificates of service they had rendered
while driving American neutral ambulances.
AS usual, Germany has distorted the truth. In
this instance she simply wishes to give a semblance
Of excuse for the attempts she is going to make to
lessen the number of ships available to transport
our boys overseas, because every hospital ship
sunk has to be replaced with some ship in military
or civil service.
The first hospital ship the Huns sank was the
Portugal, flying the Russian flag. She was anchored
off Rick, a Black sea port, when at about eight
o'clock on the morning of March II, 1916, a
periscope was seen approaching. The Portugal had
no wounded on board-simply her hospital staff,
which included many nuns and her full crew. The
Russian government had notified the central pow
ers 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 ubmarine would attack the Portugal, and
there was no panic until, when about 200 feet away,
the submarine fired a torpedo which missed its
mark. Then the beast circled around the anchored
ship of mercy and fired a second torpedo at close
range. The second missile struck the Portugal in
the engine room. There was a terrific explosion
within her and the huh broke in two.
The loss of life on the Portugal was 81 nuns,
who were acting as nurses; "a others of the Red
Cross staff, as well as 81 of the Russian crew and
10. of the French, .totaling So, all of whom were
ruthlessly murdered without any reason whatso-
ever.
The next torpedoing Of note was that of the
new White Star liner Britannia, the largest British
ship afoat and one which the Germans wished TO
remove from competing with their ships at the
end of the war. The Britannia was sunk in the
Egean sea, and that but 80 lives were lost out of
the LOO wounded and large crew she had aboard
Is remarkable, considering she went down in 30
minutes. A German newspaper, the Keller Zei-
tung, was the first to admit publicly that a torpedo
and not a mine had caused the disaster, and fur
Their stated:
1.-THE Britannia was transporting fresh troops for
our enemies. If she had not been doing so our sub
marine would never, of course, have torpedoeo
her."
On November "a, 1915, shortly after the Britain
mic was sunk, the British admiralty published a
complete list of all persons on board. There were
no troops. Germany continued her propaganda to
dull the mind of the world as to her real intent
in sinking hospital ships by asserting that she had
conclusive proof that in several instances enemy
hospital ships had often been misused for the trans
port of troops and munitions. Under the princi-
pies of the Geneva convention governing maritime
war 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 a U-boat on
February 1, 1915. She was the star hospital ship
of the fleet, for at that time neither the Britannia
nor Aquitania was doing hospital work. Only the
prompt action of the second officer in turning the
ship as he saw 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-
miralty 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 t~orpedoed without warning on the