U.S. TRANSPORT TORPEDOED

Taihape Daily Times, 23 October 1917, Page 5

U.S. TRANSPORT TORPEDOED

SINKS IN FIVE f MINUTES WITH LOSS of SEVENTY JIVES Oct. 21. The American tVapsg&rtjHorpedoed on was the Pacific 19-knot liner Antlli^,' ''iinvafd bound from France not offward bound, ag li was at first surmised, kO . • Seventy men, including'soldier and members of Die. crew, . missing, and it is belld£V4M & t all,Hgyc been, drowned.,’ „ News of the sinking vbf the transport came as a shock, the death roll including the first real casualties of the Avar, forcing a realisation of the fact that the nation is at war. Reports show that 33 officers and soldiers were aboard, of whom 17 were saved. The third engineer and two offisers perished.- , • _ The newspapers point out that, the sinking will consolidate support for president ‘Wilson, defeat thc ! obstruc- .. tionists, gadigiye a fillip-to the Liberty ■Loan. -.A ./Us, , k The New York “World’s” corres---; pondent believe's that the suddenness . of the explosion on the Antilles .trap-,L ped. the. men in the engine-room, and ’ that the - staff .on duty perished. i : The - attack- was made will out to sea. No high officers were aboard. The men showed perfect discipline. New York newspapers, comment on the fortunate circumstance that the Antilles was bound to America, other- , wise the death roll would have been far heavier. A total of 167 -were saved from the transport. "V ice Admiral Sims forwarded the news of the disaster. The Antilles were convoyed by United States patrol vessels, but the U-boat was not seen. The torpedo struck abreast of the engine-room, and the Antilles sank, in five minutes.