| Show R REPORT E P 0 R T SPREADS SHIP SUNK BY BYI OCEAN MINE I Unconfirmed Rumor Attributes At At- Attributes Attributes At- At tributes Sinking to Floating Floating Floating Float Float- ing Explosives s. s By ay International News Service W WASHINGTON Feb Fe-b. 7 7 The The list of missing from the torpedoed British transport Tuscania carrying American troops to France is being materially reduced as the meager dispatches fil filter filter tIl- tIl ter tel through from the other side Officially so far as the figures available available avail avail- able at the state navy and war de departments departments de de- are concerned out of 2173 officers and men on the transport when attacked 1912 had been accounted account account- ed for This was the navys navy's official I report which was cabled from London Checked against this was an an announcement announcement an- an I noun cement of ot thirty officers an and 1 men landed in Scotland not believed to have been listed In London which reduced re reduced reduced re- re the number missing to Unofficial Unofficial Unofficial Un Un- official word vord that reached the war de department department department de- de i Indicated that there still were survivors on the convoy and this report made the number n missing from the American forces force's The war department department department de de- de- de was anxiously checking all lists by toy cable and hoped to be able to tomake tomake tomake make a definite announcement before night SHIP MAY BE AFLOAT One dispatch from London said that the Tuscania was reported in London to be still afloat This was not confirmed confirmed con con- firmed and navy department officials made it plain in discussing it that London London London Lon Lon- don had simply transmitted the report for what it was worth Officers hoped that it was so BO but accepted it with the utmost reserve Details of the attack are still withheld withheld withheld with with- held by the navy department It is known that a report on this line has been received from Admiral Sims but It has been withheld for military reasons reasons reasons rea rea- sons for the present Later on it will willbe willbe be he made public However it is known I that the convoy ships commissioned to I j j defend the Tuscania and the other transports which accompanied her were prepared for any possibility owing owIng ow- ow j I ing to the threats that had been made by the German admiralty that the German German German Ger- Ger j man U-boats U would concentrate their attacks upon the transports There also was a report that the Tuscania had struck a floating mine Instead of having been torpedoed But this report was without any official confirmation and like the one that the transport still floated was accepted simply as a It rumor Neither th the navy nor the war de department department department de- de wo would ld say whether the Tuscania Tuscania cania was under the direction of the American of or the British admiralty ItIs It Itis Itis is accepted that she was manned by her original British officers and crew and that as they all are members of the Royal Navy Reserve the British admiralty was in control However It was entirely likely that ven even though I this was so American destroyers formed part if not all of the convoying flotilla with British I officers in command it was i explained that they would re report report re- re port all of the facts of the attack re-I re to the British admiralty The latter Iatter however however however how how- ever was working in complete cooperation cooperation coop coop- with Vice Admiral Sims COOP I and I his aides and they were kept fully I posted on all that was going on In connection with this it was understood l that while all reports received by the i nav navy department dealing with ith the Tuscania were signed as a matter of routine by Vice Admiral Sims they I were not sent forward by him but by his chief assistant The vice admiral is at present on a trip to consult with I the Italian naval authorities While his department was making I every effort to get a a complete list of the missing from the Tuscania the at attitude attitude attitude at- at of the government was sharply I express expressed Id I'd by Secretary or ol d War Baker Declaring that the sinking of the Tuscania Tuscania cania had brought the nation face to face with the losses of war In its most relentless form he declared WE MUST WIN We Ve must win this war and we will win this war I The majority of the officers on onboard board the Tuscania are bell believed eyed here hereto I to have been saved The men on board were former Michigan Michigan Mich Mich- igan and Wisconsin national guardsmen guards guards- i men and three companies and headquarters headquarters head head- quarters of the Twentieth engineers regulars The Twentieth engineers is I the biggest regiment in the world It Itis Itis I is a forestry regiment and its aggregate aggregate gate strength Is fa officers I and men Colonel W. W A. A Mitchell U. U S. S A. A I is commanding officer and the regiment regi regiment regi- regi ment was trained here in Washington I at Camp American University The regiment was organized to cut timber in the French forests for military military military mili mili- tary uses at the front for hospitals for the Y M M. C. C A. A huts and for timbering timbering tim tim- I bering trenches |
