Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, February 08, 1918, Image 1
a daily Bee HE THE WEATHER Unsettled; Colder VOL. XL VII NO. 202. OMAHA, FRIDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 8, 1918TWELVE PAGES 0 Train, tt Kt.l. Ntwi Sta.di, ttc., Jo. SINGLE COPY TWO CENTS. GERMAN U-BOA T SI. fj. TRANSPOR T CARP YING AMERICAN SOLD GOES DOWN OFF IRISH COAST 0MAH rr rp r up i . y JVJ vv Liu f , 'X : t DESTROYER PROBABLY SANK SUBMARINE THAT TORPEDOED TRANSPORT No Reason to Believe German CNboats Are Engaged in Definite Offensive Against American Troop Ships; Chance Attack Probably Sent Liner Tuscania (By Associated Pnwa.) Washington, Feb. 7. Much satisfaction is found by of ficials here in the unofficial accounts of the destruction of the British liner Tuscania by a German submarine which showed that a destroyer, presumably British, gave chase to the raider and possibly sank it with a depth bomb. No details of the attack had come tonight from official sources. They are awaited eagerly. Sorrow over the first loss of a transport laden with American troops is tempered by the j; go wing. total of survivors, and ' amy and navy men now is tlfe AN ISOLATED CASE.' Navy officials see no reason to change their opinion that the sub marine menace is being overcome. The Tuscania incident is regarded as j an isolated case, which may serve to develop additional methods for tt pelling the undersea craft and im proving the convoy system,. No de tails of the action will be passed over when ful reports from the British : admiralty are available. Many devices entr into the battle against the U-boats, some of which i have been evolved by American in ventors. Others v have been greatly improved since the United States entered the' war and the detection apparatus now installed on American craft is so successful that British craft are being similarly equipped. There have been, indications that the U-boats have learned to fear this ability" al American raft. to, locate them at a distance and maneuver to bnnsr the submerced vessel within tange. of a depth bomb. With a de stroyer in the vicinity, the i under water craft moves carefully, far be , , low the surface of the water, depend- i ing on mechanical ear which bring ' . to it the propeller beats of the-sur.- face vessel. .When a destroyer stops t to "listen" unhampered by the beat ' of its own engines, the lurking foe also stops, to lie silent below until the destroyer moves on again, f ri Probably Chance Attack. I' ' Such details, as have "come from - Europe indicate that the Tuscania ' f was torpedoed by a single submarine . ' 'vhich slipped under the advance : screen of destroyers leading the con- voy fleets There is no evidence of ' ' JxM attack in force, and the U-boat j I Improbably got into the path of the ' t lmer largely by chance. Sometimes ' as many as 40 vessels make up a con ' ' voved fleet. ' r War department officials would say nothing today as to the destination of the Tuscania It Was admitted " that American troops had been sent f '"-: forward ' by British trans-Atlantic ' 4 - liners on several occasions. There ' r are reports that the great White Star i liner Olympic, largest of the British i merchant - fleet and second only to , '". the new American Leviathan, for- merry the German Vaterland, has been-employed in that work. f it Aim at Cargo Craft ,.f There'is no indication in the loss of the Tuscania that a concentration . ' .of submarines against 'American t (Continued on I'uge Two, Colnmn Four.) The Weather v For Nebraska Unsettled; colder; , snow west portion.' v Temperatures at Omaha Yesterday. UHour. - ueg. a. m 39 a. m 40 a. m..., 41 a. m 42 a. m 4S a. m 48 m El p. m. 63 p. m It p. m 67 p. m is p. m 55 p. TT) S3 p. m (1 p. in 47 Comparative Loral Record. 1918. 1917. 191C. 1915. , tTI(thEt yesterday ... 58 61 1123 Lowest yesterday . .. 37 29 0 14 Mean temperature ... 48 40 6 21 rtviipitation 00 .00 .03 T. Temperature and precipitation departures y )m the normal: Normal temperature 22 Kxeepa .for the day 26 Total deficiency since March 1 729 NormHl precipitation 04 inch licflclcncy for the day 01 inch Total ralMall elnce March 1,... 22.49 inch's Deficiency since March 1 , ... 7.66 Inches Deficiency for cor. period 1916.. 12.72 inches Deficiency for cor. period 1915.. n.so Inches Report From Stations at 7 P. M. Elation and State. Temp. High- Kain of Weattjer. 7 p. m. est. fall. Cheyenne, cloudy ...... 14 Davenport, cloudy 34 Denver, floudy 45 Des Moinei, part cloudy. 4S Dodite Cliy. clear 5S ' Dander, cloudy 36 Chicago, clear 26 Omaha, pert cloudy 61 Paeblo, clear 64 Rapid City,- cloudy 44 r.4 i 66 70 fj 32 68 66. 64 44 Salt Dako, cloudy '.ante Fe, clear... .01 .00 .00 j Shiridan. cloudy 36 4ii' Klour Pity, clear. . . . S 4s . VlnUne, elfir 44 C4 ' .03 j .00 to Bottom. the dominant emotion among desire to strick back. DESTROYERS DROP BOMBS ON U-BOAT WHICH FIRED SHOT Eye Witnesses Tell of the Sink ing of the tuscania Withv i n 2,000 Sammies Aboard Londonderry, Ireland, Feb. 7. The subtparyie that torpedoed the Toscania' was attacked', by:"i stroycr. " ' ? t An American ofiicef gave an inti mation that the submarine was ' de stroyed. . Second. Torpedo Misses Mark. , This officer was next to the last to leave the Tuscania. He gave the As sociated Press a vivid account of the disaster.' . . The second torpedo fired by the submarine missed its mark, he said. Thereupon a destroyer which was near the sinking-liner dashed off to ward the submarine, using a bomb dropping device. "he claim is made that the, sub marine was "done in'' by the bombs thus exploded. ' The American officer said: "Everything went well with us during the voyage. Many of our men had never been to sea before and (Continued on Page. Eight, Column Four4 CONDITION OF ROOSEVELT IS ' QUITESERIOUS New York, Feb. 7. Colonel Theo done Roosevelt was resting easy to night irr Roosevelt hospital, where he was operated on yesterday for fistula and abcesses in both of iiis ears. New York, Feb. 7. The sudden ar rival this afternoon of the three phy sicians attending Colonel Roosevelt at the hospital where yesterday he underwent an operation foe abscesses gave rise to reports that the colonel's condition was not as favorable as had been indicated earlier. None of the physician swould make a statement, although they admitted they had been summoned- hurriedly. They went immediately to Colonel Roosevelt's room. It was later announced, in explan ation of the arrival of the physicians, that the inflammation from the ab scess in Colonel Roosevelt's left ear Khad entered the internal car. After a consultation the physicians decided that no further operation at present was necessary, although it was stated that the colonel's condi- Chicago Judge to Arbitrate Packers' Fight with Employes Washington) Feb. 7. Judge Sam uel Alschuler of Chicago today was appointed arbitrator" of the differ ences on wages and hours between the five, big packing companies and their union employes. Another Cunard Liner Is Hit by a Submarine . New York, Feb. 7. The Cunard liner Aurania, 13,400' tons was tor pedoed by a German submarine within the last 48 hours while bound for the United States, it was learned from officials of the Cunard line today. Although badly damaged by the explosion, the ship was not sunk and is believed to be making its way back to port with the assistance : of ;overnment.ve3sels, it was caid. The ship carried but little carga. German Subs Sink t . Ships in Irish Sea (By feKe iated rreai.) Ottawa, Feb. 7. A dispatch to -Reuters' Limited from London dated February 6s says announce ment of the sinking by the Ger mans of a channel passenger ship bound for a French port, was made in the House of Commons by H. J. McNamara, under secretary of the admiralty, who said thfet of a crew of 20 and 25 military and naval passengers -aboard the vessel, 14 and 18 respectively were lost. The under secretary also said the captain was the only survivor of 25 persons aboard a steamer from Ireland 0 Liverpool bay, which also carried 400 head of cat tle and 200 sheep. y The information was given in re sponse to questions from a mem ber of the house, who further asked whether a steamer had been sunk in Liverpool, bay January 26 with a loss of 12 lives, 156 cattle, 361 sheep and 139 pigs. Mr. Mc Namara admitted that the details of the cargo were as stated. He added that the percentage pf losses of vessels making the, voyage from Ireland to Britain was extremely small compared with the numbers of voyages. While it is r not unlikely that some of the ships mentioned were sunk by mines the most fogical in ference is that German submarines again have penetrated into the Irish sea and are now carrying on extensive operations there as well as at other points off the coast of Ireland. , STRICKEN LINER STAYED AFLOAT SEVERAL HOURS v t ; RumorThat Tuscania is Still Afloat Not Confirmed; Off ciais ceueve uiaiiGe oiiui Hit Ship. v Washington, FeDV7.r-The Tuscania. must have remained afloat for a con siderable tirnt. Rumors were current today, which conld not be traced to any source, that it was still afloat. It was thbught possible here that survivors of, the British crew of the vessel, not reported in War depart ment advices, might account f6r the difference in figures as to the number of missing. There' was some speculation among naval officers on the possibility that the Tuscania might have struck a mine. The indicated location of the disaster is. in a region not previously frequented by s subriiarines. Boat Was Torpedoed. But the text of the official an nouncements say the ship was1 tor pedoed and until detailed accounts of the incident are. available for study, there is nothing to justify going be hind the formal announcement. Itis doubtful that the Tuscania was in a route usually followed by American transports. As a British ves sel under Britist! convoy the security of theN American troops beyond ques tion was entrusted to British handling. So far as now known, no American naval craft shared in the task. Trob afjly numerous other transports or army supply vessels were in the con voy. - , Convoyed by British. . The process of convoying has be come almost routine through practice in both the British and American navies. A screen of destroyers or other swift craft travels ahead of a con voyed fleet. .The destroyers are spread eut over a. considerable area. It is known that virtually all of the German U-boats are equipped with listening devices of considerable dis tance so the approach of the destroy ers may have become known to the U-boat commander even before the vessels themselves were sighted. Fear of depth bombs would drive the U-boat below toJurk motionless at some depth until the sound of the destroyers' propellers had faded out, showing that they had passed. The U-boat probably would come to the surface then to explore. , ; Might Have Been Chance Shot. Navy officials say that the on! chance against absolute precaution wili not guard is that the submarine will come in the path of the approaching-transports, obtain a sight that will -permit Ht to train its torpedo tubes by compass and again sub merge. As the listening devices show- that (Continued on Page Two, Column Three.) TWO MORE U.S. SHIPS SUNK BY GERMAN U-BOATS Six , Lives Reported Lost in Sinking of American Steam ship; Sailint, Vessel Miss ing Since August. New York, Feb. 6. Word of the loss of the American steamship Alamance, owned by the Garland Steamship Corporation, and the re sultant loss of six TTves was received in shipping circles here today. Alamance, which left New York, January 17, was "torpedoed yesterday olf the English coast, it was reported. It was a vessel of 3,000 tons. No Americans were lost. The ship had a crew of 55 and a naval gun complement of 23 men. Its commander was Captain E. E. John son. American Bark Lort. Buenos Aires, Feb. 6. In shipping circles here it is believed that the Am erican hark Normandy has been lost while on a voyage from the United States. The boat left an American port last August with coal for Buenos Aires, but has not been reported itnee. Captains of vessels recently arrived here say they did not sec the Normandy. There is an American bark Nor-1 mandysof 543 tons, owned nt Bangor, Me. A British bark Normandy of 1,208 tons, formerly owned in New York left a gulf port on August 30 for Buenos Aires. Tuscania Sinking Wipes Out Anchors Line of Steamships 4 New . York,'; Feb. ' 7 According; to the records of the Anchor line here, the Tuscania carried a crew of 220. under command of Captain r Peter McLean, the majority of the crew being subjects of Great Brit ain". . ' The loss of the Tuscania, which was under charter to the Cunard line, completes the destructidn by submarine of a fleet of five pas senger ship aggregating 57,818 gross tonnage owned by the An chor line at the beginning of the war. The other ships were : Caledonia, sunk in 1916; Cameronia, April, 15, 1917; Transylvania, May, 4, 1917; California, February, 1917. Hold Prominent Business Men on Disloyalty Charge Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 6. G. A. Streitz, vice president of the National bank of Arizona, aqd Richard Part ham, wealthy business man of this city, were taken intoustody tonight by United States officers on the charge of aiding the escape of an in terned enemy alien. Will Richards, Omaha Boy, Was Aboard Ill-Fated Tuscania Will H. Richards, Omaha boy, was aboard the ill-fated Tuscania, sunk by a German U-boat. He was a member of the 158th aero squadron. , His mother, Mrs. Minnie Millray, lives at 2964 Woolworth street. She is a widow. She received a letter from-her son January 21. He expressed the belief at that time that he was soon "going across." The letter was written from Long Island, N. Y. ; Richards was 25 years old. He was graduated from the public schools of Omaha and was a draftsman for the Union Pacific for six years. He is well known at Union Pacific headquarters. He. went to Alaska last year, but returned to the United (States in the fall, enlisting in J the 158th aero squadron at San Francisco Novem ber 24. UNI1S ON SHIP SUNK BY U-BOAT Washington, Feb. 6.The War department announced that its records showed the following were on board the Tuscania: , Headquarters detachmctft arid Companies D, ,E, and F of the 20th engineers. I lQ7th engineer train. 107th.' military police. 107th supply train, 100th aero squadron. 158th aero squadron. 213th aero squadron.. Replacement detachtnents Nos. 1 and 2 of the 32d division. rihy-cne casuals officers. SAMMIES ARE LOST AT SEA WHEN BIG CUNARDER IS TORPEDOED IN i NORTH ATLANTIC BY SUBMARINE Ship Convoyed by British Vessels; Survivors Land at Different Ports in Ireland; Sol- ) diers on Transport Were Fi'oni- All . Section's of the United States ' 4 !TII.MlllllllJIWMaMMMMMMM II III I in II Wll I 1 1 . II Hl TlV STEAMER TUSCANIA, TORPEDOED BY GERMAN SUBMARINE. , BULLETIN. V An Irish Port, Feb. 7.-The Tuscania carried a total of 2,397. The saved number 2,296, as follows: r r , Troops, 2,106; crew, 190. Total lort, 101. V r Aniohg the American suryors are 76, officers, , There are 81 j American troops in nospital. y:r-wx v--- .t: iA-'v':"-";'--'! !v:- ? Washington, Feb. 7.-Torpedoehd : sunt hy a German submarine, the Cun ard jirier Tuscania,1 bearing 2, 1 79 officers and menof the 32d National Guard di vision, lies at the bottom of the north Atlantic ocean today, and at least 210 troopers-probably more-are missing -?; -: ; i ; ' 1 v Ori thebasis of figures reported to the War and State departments here the missing would be 267; the figures of the British admiralty as they stood early to day, however, placedthe missing American troopers at 2 10. Tumulty Wot Candidate. For U. S. Senate, He Says Washington, Feb. 7. Secretary Tunmlty, in a formal statement, today decla.ed he was nfct a candidate for appointment as senator from New Jersey nor would he be a candidate at the election, in November". He said he considered it more iin porta: for him to remain as secre tary to the presidenc. 1 .... L --'.xif vi i i m;:i: ;:ds. ! . .... ;: iilfllliff ' LOSS IS MINIMIZED. , ' Thefei ii every hope that the lower number will prove to be correct. . i . British convoys neaMo the torpedoed ship closed in quick ly and did heroic work, as the comparatively small number of losses show. ' ' " . The position of the Tuscania off the north coast of Ireland evidently headed for England, also was such that numbers of British patroj ships and other vessels rushed to its side and in that way the losses were minimized. -' STUMBLED ON U-BOATi Such reports as were at hand early today gave no details of how the transport,- supposedly heavily convoyed, fell in with the submarine, but it was regarded as more probable that the ship stumbled on the submersible, rather than that the disaster was the first shot in the much advertised Ger man offensive against the line of American troops and supplies, ' r ' Nineteen hundred and twelve officers and men, according to the State department dispatches from London, have been landed, and officials today anxiously await further details of the first disaster to American soldiers en route to France. They believe that most of the 267 missing have been saved. First news of the sinking came in a report to the War department early last night, announcing that 1,100 survivors had begn landed at Buncrana and Larne, two widely separated Irish ports. This was made public about 10 o'clock and until the arrival of the State department dispatch 'two-hours later it was feared that more than 1,400, including the Cunarder's crew, had perished. , ' FIRST BIG DISASTER. The State department said 2,173 troops were aboard the Tuscania. . No mention of the fate of the crew was made in the State department advices nor was the landing points of the rescued American troops in dicated, but the War department's message saying that "1,000 survivors' had been put ashore at Buncrana and Larne indicated that the convoy vessels got alongside the sinking transport quickly and relief ships made the scene of the disaster within a few hours. ' - j - News of tfie first great disaster in the war to America's armed forces came in a brief dispatth to the War department from London. 1 ' It did not mention the possibility of i -a m .a 1 .' . tere upon tne tact tnat au ot tne i.ivu were janaea ai iwo wiaeiy ae Irish ports and indications that relief vessels were at hand quickly. " The soldiers on board the Tuscania were small detachments from . . every section ot uie country, j Instructions were sent by wirefess departments to their representatives I ffttl Ix (A-mHai1 ha a t- II at 1 The 32d division is composed ot and Wisconsin. The division trained PRESIDENT WILSON The president, Secretary Baker and up late waiting tor turther news, uniy and none gave details ot the attack on cut it was assumed it occurred early this morj filed at London at 3 o'clock this afternoon, the relief ships reached the Irish coast. .Tb when the news was received and he White House.'' In the meantime the sent urgent messages by wireless and in England and Ireland to tocwar,d The State department's dispatch as 2,173, six less than the War department t made for caring tor the survivors, the ment: ' ' "The latest advices received by the at London regarding the Tuscania is information was that 1,912 officers an . . Jl if . further survivors, but hope was built l a t 3 - t A aW and cable by the War, Navy a in .ngiana ana ireiana, aircc tB. AI CI I I A mnmTtT. , J national guara troops irom at Camp McArthur, Tex. AT in fact tne on the linei . was n War. cablsl every . gaye' f I "7' iud.cnt-j- t.-aca j're-jlpilr.lion. L. Av W'iiiDoii, iie-oi-oHt. i for out of 2,173. " t V I