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Show AMERICAN RELIEF BOARD IN BELGIUM TO LEAVE AT EARLY DATE; CRISIS IS NEAR Submarining of Relief Ship Storsiad Intensifies Situation No Excuse for Ruthless Act Vessel Ves-sel Stops and Hoists Abundant and Unmistakable Un-mistakable Signals of Identity. WASHINGTON. March 13 Early withdrawals of all American participation partici-pation in Belgian relief, including the withdrawal of Brand whit lock, American Amer-ican minister, from Brussels as a re-BUlt re-BUlt of the pressure of the German submarine sub-marine campaign, was forecast today at the state department. The official report on the submarining of the relief re-lief ship Storstad intensified the situation. situ-ation. Consul Frost at Queenstown reported as follows Norwegian steamship Storstad. Buenos Aires, bound Rotterdam. 9.000 tons false, Belgian relief, under Eng-j Eng-j llsh charter, sunk b German sub-' sub-' marine seventy miles west of Skelligs, 111:30 a. m., March 8. Submarine at i i first shelled ship from three miles, 15 minutes, during which Storstad stop-' stop-' i ped ancl hoisted abundant unmistak-. unmistak-. 1 able signs Belgian relief errand. Aft-,ler Aft-,ler 15 minutes interval submarine tor-it tor-it pedoed Storstad without warning from 400 yard-. B I lau relief signals being 1 prominently visible. Ship carried . neither gun nor wireless, no shelling . during abandonment. ! Submarine interviewed captain's boat for all particulars, refusing re-1 quest for towage. Then fired additional addi-tional shell and torpedo sinking ship. Weather heavy, sea strong, east wind, dull, showery skies Three boats be-1 came separated, captain's boat res j cued by patrol near Skelligs, 9:30 p. I id , March 9. After a severe battle with sea, fourth engineer died exposure ex-posure and shock. Sole American on i board. Roy Christian, 121 Mercer street, Seattle, saved; affidavit taken. Other two boats landed Capireiveen on the evening of the 10th. Have telegrapher Consul Liverpool to take an affidavit from officers. Total deaths three. This report is also from tho ambassador, consul general." , Germany Breaking Up Relief Work. Arrangements have been made for some time for the replacement of Americans by a joint Dutch-Spanish commission, but as there are practically practical-ly no Spanish in Belgium it is pos sible that the Swiss share in the work. Germany's unwillingness to guarantee safety of relief ships leads officials here to the belief that she is trying to break up the relief work. |