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Show Steamship Was "Engaged on Admiralty Business" Consul Con-sul Armstrong Says 21 Americans Lost. U. S. INVESTIGATING President Wilson Keeping inj Touch With Situation ' Details Being Forwarded. Washington, July 1. The Leyland Line Steamship Armenian was "engaged "en-gaged on admlraJty business" when she was sunk by a German submarine off the Cornwall coast of England two days ago with the loss of a score o-f Armenian .lives Ambassador Page at London reported to the state department de-partment today he had been so Informed In-formed by British admiralty officials. Consul Armstrong at Bristol, who sent first word of the destruction of the steamer yesterday, reported to Ambassador Page that 21 of tho 29 men lost with the Armenian were Americans. He gave no additional names, although previous lists gave only twenty Ambassador Page could give no additional ad-ditional information on which the state department might act. He said the Armenian carried no American passengers, that all of the Americans who perished were members of the crew It was pointed out here that Americans who seek cheap transportation transpor-tation frequently travel upon such ships as passengers, although they are signed on the ship's roll as members of the crew. Department Awaits Details. The department expected further dispatches from Ambassador Page and Consul Armstrong jiving repqrts of the survivors to show whether the ship was duly warned' by the German Ger-man submarine commander and those aboard her given an opportunity to escape. es-cape. Officials of the steamship company hiO-ve stated that the Armenian was not uno'er charter to the British admiralty, but ;vas sailing merely as a merchantman merchant-man carrying contraband. president Watching Situation. At thV White House It was stated that Provident Wilson was in constant touch froih Cornish, N. H.. and that no steps wVuld be taken uutil complete com-plete roportshad been recehed. The president probably would not hasten his return to WaNjhlngtOn, it was said. Secretary Tumulty was in communication communi-cation with the president until late last night, forwarditig details The president was in communication with the White House officials again early today aTter Mr. TumultyMiad conferred with Secretary Lansing. The situation situa-tion in Mexico City also , was discussed. dis-cussed. May Cause Further Complications. In many quarters the sinking of the vessel was regarded as likely to add further complications to the correspondence corre-spondence pending between Germany and the United States over the question ques-tion of submarine warfare. Officials attached most importance to the actions ac-tions of tho Armenian at the time she was encountered by the German submarine. sub-marine. If the vessel, attempting to escape, failed to heed a warning shot from the submarine, not only the vessel ves-sel but the crew would be subject to tho risks of a successful attack One cablegram to the department spoke of a "second shot" having -been fired at the wireless house of the Armenian which gave rise to the impression im-pression that the first shot may have been fired in warning Much Speculation In Washington. The question of what effect charter- ( ing of the vessel either directly or Indirectly by the British government would have on the Armenian's status caused much speculation today. There has been, it was said at tho state department, de-partment, no explicit rules concerning the treatment of chnrtcred vessels in time of war, but, from various cases In the past the general practice has been to regard vessels as a part of the military or naval forces of a belligerent bel-ligerent only, when either manned by command of naval officers or when the vessel is on the naval list of a bellicerent. Collectors of American ports have had orders to prevent the departure of foreign military officers on board ships transporting horses or mules from the United States and similarly clearance has been refused to all British Brit-ish vessels which were armed United States Withholds Action. Secretary Lansing announced today that until more complete reports have been received from Ambassador Page at London on the torpedoing of the British linor Armenian in which several sev-eral Americans lost their lives Monday, Mon-day, the United States would take na action. Latest news dispatches from Avonmouth Avon-mouth detailing that the Armenian made efforts to escape after being ordered or-dered to stop, caused officials to bc-iievo bc-iievo the sinking of the vessel was in accordance with international law and that the United States might have no reason to take up the subject sub-ject with Gerroany)xcopt to verify through the adminffy-at Berlin tho jlctails of the Armenian's reported re- stance. Under the rules of international Jjft was poltJttjjju hnt c Ar menian, which flew the British flag, as well as any neutral vessel could be sunk for refusing to obey a warning warn-ing to halt and submit to visit and search or capture. Americans aboard such a ship lose protection of their government when the vessel offers resistance. re-sistance. Ambassador Page reported that the Armenian was engaged in "admiralty business" but the question of how far the vessel was under the control of the British government by charter or otherwise, seem to bo overshadowed, In the minds of officials here, by the reported resistance to capture. Armenian Resists Capture. There was a relaxation of tension In official quarters by the news that the Armenian apparently was resisting resist-ing capture. The law on the question of charter Is not clear, but officials indicated it would not be a violation of American Amer-ican neutrality laws for an unarmed transport carrying a cargo of munitions muni-tions or supplies for a belligerent government gov-ernment to sail from the United States and that it never had been definitely def-initely determined whether belligerent belliger-ent cruisers on encountering such a vessel were to treat it as a ship of war or a defenseless merchantman. v Captain of Armenian Reports, i London, July 1, 5:53 p. m. Captain jTrickey of the Armenian, in an interview inter-view today said that he only surrendered surren-dered to the German submarine when the freighter was afire in three places and after the ship's engines had been put out of action and a dozen members mem-bers of the crew had been killed by shrapnel fire. Most of the members of the crew who perished, Captain Trickney said, were Americans. |