Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-12-28
LE|NSTER CARRIED
Guns AND TROOPS
WHEN T0RPEDOED
Manager of Line Reveals That
War Office Had Long Taken
70 Per Cent Of Steamers
Passenger Capacity,

| Especial Correspondence to The New
York World and Albuquerque Jour
naL)
London, Dec. 10.-Interesting facts
about the Leinster sinking, which
caused great indignation in Great
Britain and horror throughout the
world, are given in London Truth,
which carries a formal report of the
! half yearly meeting of the City of
| Dublin Steam Packet company on
November -.
The Leinster, an Irish mail boat
was sunk by a German submarine
without warning on October 10 with
loss of almost 500 lives The British
press likened the sinking of this boat
to the Lusltania horror. Addressing
the proprietors of the steam packet
company, Edward Watson, managing
director, said
Had 492 Military Passengers.
when the Leinster left Kingston
ON the morning of the / 9th she had
III people on board. Civilian pas
sengers, 1870; Military and naval
ratings, 492; postoffice officials, 20;
captain, officers and crew, &c. or
tNe SlNIlltIs we ulluelStdhu 10 were
! lost.
Since the war began the mail
packets have always been under con-
troll of the admiralty, as well as of
the postoffice. Early in the present
year they came directly under the
war office. We are only permitted to
carry a limited number of civilian
passengers and are obliged to reserve
10 per cent of the passenger accom-
mediation for officers and military
and naval ratings.
THE first submarine attack that
came under our notice occurred on
January 81, 1915, and from that time
we urged for escort protection A year
ago the submarine menace became
very great. Lord Justice Duke. then
chief secretary. dealt with the mat
ter and strongly supported our repre-
sentatiVeS and on December rs mail
! packets were escorted.
"On December 81 the secretary told
me they would be escorted in future,
| but the escort was Withdrawn on Jan
uary 8. On some later dates when
American troops were on board. we
| had an escort, but it was not. con-
| tinued. | was informed at the adj
miralty that they were short of de-
stroyers, but that an escort would be
| provided if the local representatives
| said it was necessary and | was after
ward told that the local representa-
tive in Dublin SAID one was not re-
| qured. On some occasions the day
mail packet was escorted by an air.
ship.
Ordered Mail Boats to Arm.
| AT the close of last year a new
state of things arose: The admiralty,
which had previously considered guns
unnecessary, suddenly ordered the
mail packets to be armed
II had been given reasons at the
| admiralty why there were difficulties
in the way of escorting the vessels ut
night. The primary ground for de-
| string the vessels to sail in daylight
was to do away with risk from coli
! lision and risk from floating mines,
| but we trusted that when the sailings
were altered the escort would be pro-
| Vided.
I'm this we were disappointed. and
there is no doubt whatever that had
| the Leinster been escorted, even if
she had been torpedoed, the greater
! portion of those on board would have
| been saved" The reasons or excuses
| given by the admiralty were that the
! speed of the mail packets Is so great
! that they were not liable to subma-
| rine attack. and there were no armed
/ steamers capable of keeping up with
| them.
! "As a matter of fact. according to
| evidence | gave at the inquest, but
| which was supp ressed by the censor,
! the speed of the packets is. under
present circumstances. at the most
| 81 knots, and not 23h, as stated by
! the admiralty. and both before and
| since the Leinster disaster, destroyers
which have been employed have had
no difficulty in keeping up with them.
You may have seen answers given
| in parliament on the subject; appar-
emily the ministers repeat only re-
/ plies received by their subordinates,
! ] have read the reports in Hansard
| (the official parliamentary record
! and can say that every reply is either
| erroneous or absolutely misleading
| some obviously absurd, as. for in
| stance, that the S. Q. S, wireless mes
| Sages sent out took twenty five min
i utes in transit, and that 2O-knot
! destroyer was in close proximity tn
| the scene, which vessel did not APP
! pear for over an hour and half,
| I'VE conclude that the dependents
| of all soldiers, sailors and postal Of
| fcials will be treated as Il those men