| OCR Text |
Show SUBMARINE SIS JUVU SHIP VESSEL CARRYING CONTRABAND CARGO OF FLAX DESTROYED BY GERMANS OFF ORKNEY ISLAND Commander of Steamer Given Ample Warning and Crew Permitted to Collect Col-lect Their Effects and Take Them Aboard Underwater Craft. Washington. An American ship has been sunk by a German submarine, subma-rine, the vessel being sunk in sight of land and all of the crew saved. The vessel sent to the bottom was the Leelanaw, carrying a cargo of flax, which is regarded by the Germans as contraband. The vessel was sunk of the Orkney .island. Destruction of the American ship Leelanaw by a German submarine drew sharply to the attention of officials offi-cials of the United States government Monday the fact that Germany was insisting on her own interpretation of the Prussian-American treaty of 1828, In disregard of two American notes on the subject. In three instances of American ships destroyed or damaged the Gulf-light, Gulf-light, the Nebraskan and the William P. Frye Germany has agreed to pay damages, and in the last case the Berlin Ber-lin government took the position that it had not violated the treaty of 1828, but had exercised a right given her by inference from the language of the pact. Officials of the Washington government govern-ment were 'surprised at destruction of the Leelanaw, but beyond adding an-other an-other incident to the already strained relations between the two governments- there was no indication that the case would lead to a new turn in the general situation. Only meager accounts of the destruction de-struction of the Leelanaw have been received here, but it is clear that the submarine gave the commander of the steamer ample warning, even permitting permit-ting the crew to collect part of their effects before taking them aboard the underwater craft, which then, through the combined use of shell fire and a torpedo, sent the vessel to the bottom. The fact that the crey of the vessel ves-sel were saved caused a feeling of relief in official quarters, but there were many evidences of apprehension ' that if Germany continues to promise payment, yet destroys more American ships, a new situation might be created creat-ed which would require further warning warn-ing to the Berlin government. . The fact that the Leelanaw carried a cargo of flax, declared absolute contraband con-traband by Germany on April 18, does not alter the view of the United States government that the contraband contra-band might have- been removed and the vessel spared. " Under the general gener-al rules of international law the de struction of a neutral vessel carrying contraband was not admitted until the famous Knight Commander case in the Jtusso-Japanese war. The declaration of London in 1909 embodied the principle prin-ciple as applicable in extreme cases, but stipulated that passengers and crew must be transferred to a place of safety and the case itself later sent to a prize court for determination determina-tion as to the legality of the act. |
