Salt Lake Tribune | 1915-02-07 | Page 1 | Lusitania Flies the American Flag

mm flies IEMFUS6 Cunard Liner Uses Old Glory to Escape the Submarines Sub-marines of Germany. LONDON, Feb. 6, 11:20 p. m. The British steamer Lusitania of the Cunard lino, which sailed from New York January Jan-uary 30 and arrived at Liverpool this afternoon, flew the American flag from the time she passed Queenstown until she entered the Mersey. This is vouched for by American passengers, who crossed on her. According to a statement by Will Irwin, an American writer, the Lusitania Lusi-tania carried the regulation large American Amer-ican flag at her stern, with a small American flag and mail pennant at the forepeak. Former United States Senatar Lafayette Lafay-ette Young, another passenger, while he did not personally see the flag flying, said it was accepted aB a fact by ail on board. The Lusitania received a wireless message from the Baltic, of the White Star hue, that two submarines had been sighted from that vessel, i The captain of the Lusitania, in reply re-ply to a question of one of the passen- fers, declared that he had a right to ljl the flag of a neutral country for the protection of neutral passengers and mails, which his ship was carrying. After being delaved by heavy storms, which raised 6eas deckhigh and injured eleven passengers, the Lusitania arrived off Queenstown late yesterday. She cruised off the Irish port for two hours and, without picking up a pilot, as is usually done, proceeded for Liverpool at full speed, arriving at the Mersey channel at daybreak, with the stars and stripes still flying. WASHINGTON, Feb. 6. Federal officials of-ficials examined United States statutos tonight, following the report from London Lon-don that the Lusitania went into port flying the American flag, to see what provisions are set down for such cases. Tbey found that there is no law prohibiting pro-hibiting the misuse of the American flag by foreign vessels, though the department depart-ment of state has in the past ordered its consuls always to communicate full Information as to such incidents. Upon the outbreak of war with Chile in 1S79, Peru inquired of the United States as to what conditions must be complied with in order that a merchant mer-chant vessel might be considered as belonging be-longing to the United States and under' un-der' what conditions the United States flatr might be used. The American legation in Peru sent i a note in reply which was supplemented by a memorandum from the secretary of state, Mr. EvartR. who Faid that "there is no prohibition of the use of the American flag by a foreign vessel beyond the jurisdiction of the United f?iates or any penalty provided therefor.''