The Washington herald., 1918-06-07
FOURTEENTH VICTIM
SINCE RAIDS BEGAN
Apparent Hun Commander
Thought He Was Bagging
a Transport.
PREVIOUS SnNKINGS WERE
BY BOMBS OR SHELLFlRE
Believed Submersible Same as That
Which Destroyed Eidsvold
Wednesday.

The British steamer Harpathian
was torpedoed at 9 o'clock We'd
nesday morning by German sub,
marine one hundred miles east oi
the Virginia capes, the Navy De
partment announced last night
The crew was rescued. The fol
lowing statement was issued by
the Navy Department:
"The Navy Department was in
formed tonight that the British
steamer Harpathian was torpedoed
at 9 a. m. yesterday morning
June 5, about 100 miles east oi
the Virginia Capes. The crew
were all rescued by the steamer
Palmer, which arrived at Cape
Henry late this afternoon One
man was slightly injured. The
Harpathian was a 4, 4,5oo-ton vcssel."
Fourteenth U-Boat Victim. .
Later reports to the Navy Depart
nnent said that the Hsrpathian
sank from seven to ten minutes
after she was hit
The Harpathian Is the fourteenth
victim of the enemy undersea boats
in the Atlantic coast raid.
It was forty miles off the Vir-
ginia 'Capes that the Norwegian
steamship Eidsvold, reported We'd
nesday night. was sunk by she'll
IRE. 1t Is thought that the German
submarine may have hoped that in
bagging one of these vessels he was
landing a transport In both cases
ne was mistaken. The EidavOlC
was sent TO the bottom at o'clock
Tuesday evening, and the assump-
tion is that the same U-boat ac-
counted for both vessels.
The Harpathian is the second
case in which it has been definitely
stated that the submarine used a
torpedo. The previous instance was
that of the steamer Wihneconnc.
Reports on previous sinkings said
that bombs and shclI-fire were used,
the U-boats evidently desiring tC
conserve their costlier torpedoes
for transports.
Identity Uncertain.
Navy officials expressed doubt tina
the identity Of the two German sub
marine raiders had been definitely es-
tabIished. Official reports show thai
the boats are the U-l51 and the U-37
The fact .h2. GCrm; mines have
been found give support to tns LeIie
that the so-clIieI U-l%1 Is probably
/ the U C-5l. No evidence has ever teen
obtained by The allies which would
prove that the Germans have built 81
submarines. It - known that they
have passed he lVj mark, but Lat
was acconpl'S"..1 less tnan six r::.,rths
ago.
No explanation for the placing OF
mines on Cape May was foTthcom-
ing until late yesterday. when il
was disclosed that a recent order
calls for the shipment of all ex-
plovises, both Canadian and Ameri-
can, from one port. 1t is believed
that the Germans were led to be.
lieye that the munitions transport:
were forced to proceed in a course
oT Cape May.
Mine Laying.
The Navy Department has not re-
ceived a description of the mine.
found OF Cape May. Much interest
attaches to the description. as il
may give a clew to the identity OF
the mine layer.
In discussing the possibility Of ram.
ming a submarine. one of the navy
officers said:
THE danger of Tamming has in,
duced the Germans to make a radi-
taI increase in the length Of their
periscopeS Some Of the latest Ger
nan U-boats have perisc~---s that are
bout thirty feet or-. oy the use
" this improvement, 1t is possible
10 keep n lookout IN fairly rough
Weather with several feet Of peri-
|cipe exposed end at the same time
blaintain a sufficient depth OF water
bove the vessel to preclude tfe Dos
ibility Of i successful ramnning."
Replying to criticism against the
avail intelligence. bureau on the
round Of failure to discover the
resence of the submarines sooner
nd against the department for fail
bg soone rto send out warnings to
hippers. Acting Secretary Of the
Tavy Franklin d. Roosevelt said.
RosseyeIt's Reply.
Warnings were sent out on Fri
ny and Saturday, May "A and D
chooners at sea without wireless ab-
aratus could not. OF course, get
leSe warnings. but all vessels with
lreless should have gotten them.
essels in port, seeking clearance,
ere advised by the collectors OF the
tisfence Of reports Of the presence
submarines of the coast, but at
bat time we had not confirmed their
resence."
NJ Roosevelt added that there hac
zen repeated rumUrs OF submarines
the coast eyer since the United
bates sntered the war. In every In