OCR Text |
Show , OUR LOSS AT SEA. First reports of the Tuseania disaster indicated successful rescue work and inspired the hope that the loss of life would not be great in comparison with the number of men aboard. Although more than C?00 men were on the liner, only about 200 were sent to their death by the torpedo from the U-boat. In view of the appalling proportions which the disaster might have attained the American people have reason to congratulate con-gratulate themselves that so many escaped es-caped from the first transport torpedoed by a Hun submarine while crossing the Atlantic with troops. The British convoying destroyers and other warships took up the rescue work with the utmost promptness and efficiency ef-ficiency and did everything possible to reduce the loss of life to a minimum. They braved the attacks of the lurking U-boat and one of them barely escaped the fate of the Tuseania. Another destroyer de-stroyer was able to locate, the general position of the undersea viper and raced across the position, dropping depth bombs, which, it is thought, may very well have blown the submariue to pieces. Although British warships have escorted es-corted millions of men across the British Brit-ish channel andacross the Atlantic, not a single troop transport, if we remember remem-ber correctly, had been sunk in Atlantic waters while attended by British convoys con-voys until the Tuseania was sent down. It is a marvellous record of efficiency and one that will draw from the Amer- j ican people due meed of homage. A much more dreadful disaster was avoided by a hairbreadth last spring when our first contingent was on its way to Kurope. German spies in the United States had given Berlin complete com-plete information concerning the departure de-parture of our transports and warshps and U-boats were able to intercept them at two points and make close-in attacks. Providentially not one of our ships was hit and there was no loss of life. It is a commonplace to say that we must look for such disasters. Already we have moved nearly if not quite 300.000 men of our army to France and England and so far thft loss has been comparatively light. We nave more German sailors interned at Fort Douglas Doug-las than the number of men we have lost at sea in nearly one year of war. Soon long lists of casualties will be coming from France. We must steel our hearts for the ordeal. We must remember re-member how our forbears accepted the losses in every war and kept up the fight unflinchingly until victory was j achieved. |