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Show i Disaster Occurs Ten Miles Off Fire Island at Entrance to New York Harbor; Believed to Be Work of U-Boat. SOME OF CREW PROBABLY LOST Survivors Tell of Explosion, Ex-plosion, but Are Not Certain of the Cause; Firing Heard at Various Vari-ous Points on Coast. NEW YORK, July 19. Coastguard Coast-guard patrols at Fire Island sighted a submarine off shore between 10 and 10:30 o'clock this morning, according ac-cording to seeming reliable reports 1 received in Bay Shore. Anv hour later heavy firing was heard. AN ATLANTIC PORT, July 19. The ooastwise steamer reported in marine circles today as having sent out wireless signals of distress on account of a submarine attack, had among her passengers a detachment de-tachment of marine recruits. WASHINGTON, July 19. Announcement Announce-ment by the navy department tonight that the armored cruiser San Diego had been sunk today off the Long Island coast indicated thai German submarines may again be operating in American waters. The cause of the vessel's destruction and the casualties that may have resulted were unknown at a late hour. The vessel itself was not regarded as a serious military loss. If she was a victim of enemy submarines, it is obvious that the U-boats are in the transport I lanes and close to the entrance of New York harbor, for the San Diego went down ten miles southeast of Fire island. Until the statements of survivors definitely defi-nitely establish that the vessel was sunk by a torpedo, there will be a possibility that she struck a drifting defense mine or was sent down by accidental internal explosion. STATEMENT OF THE NAVY DEPARTMENT. The only informal statement issued by the department was based on first reports. re-ports. It follows: The navy department has received ; reports from the Third naval district stating that the U. S. S. San Diego ; was sunk ten miles southeast of Fire i island light at 1 1:30 o'clock this morning. One officer and two boats' j crews were landed at life-saving station sta-tion No. S- on Long island. Other survivors are :n boats and four steamers are standing by. So far as can be ascertained, there j appears to have been no less of life. I The cau3c of sinking has not yet been j determined. Ihc San D!cgo was an i : rmored cruiser of 1 UiVi ton:; dir- I placement. j PREPARED TO HEAR OF LOSS OF LIFE. Late tnniiit Iho ra-r' dT;irlmont would i add nothing to t'nly ttiitcmcut, h'iO officers offi-cers profcs:-rr tn tiave no information 10 the caui of the lo.-s or the n';m-t.r n';m-t.r of survivor.-:. It was apparent official:; offi-cial:; were preparer! to hear some lives were lost. The return of raider wis pot unexpected. unex-pected. Tiir San fJiepo was the. firvt major wa-rHp to he lo.it tince the country coun-try entered t'ne T-ar. None but commercial commer-cial coastwise ships fell prey to the suo-manncs suo-manncs on their tirst raid, a7id in t'rre war zone none hut destroyers, t ra nrports ' (Confenued ot Pse Five.) UWMDRED CRUISER ' ll Dill IS-SIM Disaster Occurs Off Fire Island; Life Loss, if Any, Undetermined. (Continued from Page One.) and small patrol boats have been successfully suc-cessfully attacked. Despite reports of attacks on other ships and that warnings had been sent to coastwise shipping to keep close to the coast, naval officials steadfastly maintained that they had no information informa-tion on which to believe that the submarines sub-marines had come asain. The slnltiii aroused the war spirit in the capital more than the news of the great drive by Americans in France, which, as a proposition of military importance, is ot vastly more concern than the loss of a comparatively unimportant ship and the loss of probably very few lives, if any. 11 agencies which the navy department t has at its command for hunting the sub- marines are in action, and officials are still ntfttrely confident of their ability to . sVSVct the coasts. If another raid has - "Ceen started with the object of a popular 't agitation to cause the return of Amer-lean Amer-lean naval forces In the war zone, It will undoubtedly prove in that respect a fall- UIThe San Diego was hound from the life belts and the ship's boats were J launched without mishap. Many leaped into the water when the decks were almost awash, but were picked up. Several vessels summoned by wireless gave aid. Several of the small boats put ashore at Fire island. The gunners stood by until the last, that they might get a shot at the submarine. sub-marine. The survivors who landed here were given food and dry clothing, after which they walked a mile across the beach to Great South bay, where they were placed in power boats and taken to West Sav-vllle. Sav-vllle. From there they left for New York in automobiles. Several squadrons of airplanes and a dirigible put to sea soon after the San Dierfo had been hit. Late tonight one of these planes, in a crippled condition, was seen being towed across the Great South bay by a patrol boat. No information was available as to how It met its mishap. mis-hap. Goes Down With Ship. The colors of the San Diego were rescued res-cued by one of the sailors who landed here. The nag had been lashed to a bit of driftwood and was being held aloft in the boat when It came ashore. The jackie who saved the ensign climbed up the mast to get it and then dived into the water. None of those who came ashore here needed medical attention, and it was believed be-lieved that if there was any loss of life it was in the engine room and was caused by the explosion of the boilers. The sailors told of the heroic death of a quartermaster who had been ordered to stand on the bridge while the men were being sent to the boats. He remained re-mained at his post, the sailors said, until it was too late to save himself or be saved. Just as the San Diego sank, they said, the quartermaster turned until he faced the shore where hundreds - of his comrades were floating about in boats, and calmly saluted.. Then he went down with his ship. Portsmouth, N. H., navy yard for New York when she was sunk.- Captain H. H. Christy was In command and on board were fifty-one officers, 1030 enlisted men and sixty-three marines. The vessel had been undergoing repairs at the navy yaThe cruiser was 502 feet long and had a speed of twenty-two knots. Her main armament consisted of four eight-inch puns in turrets and fourteen six-inch guns. The San Diego formerly was the California, Cali-fornia, built at San Francisco in 1899. She carried a peace time complement of 874 men. The navy department early this morning morn-ing received Information that two steamships steam-ships which are proceeding to an unnamed un-named port have aboard 1158 officers and men of the United States cruiser San Diego. These are in addition to the one officer and thirty men previously reported re-ported landed. The men are said to be In good condition, condi-tion, and, so far as known, none was injured. |