Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1915 — BERLIN REGRETS NEBRASKAN ATTACK [ARTICLE]

BERLIN REGRETS NEBRASKAN ATTACK

Admits Ship Was Torpedoed by Submarine. WILL MAKE COMPENSATION American Government Assured the Attack “Wai Not Meant for U. S. Flag, But la to Be Considered an Unfortunate Accident.” Washington, July 16.—The German government has apologized for the attack on the Hawaiian-American steamer Nebraskan, torpedoed by a German submarine on the night of May 25 on her way to Delaware Breakwater from Liverpool, the state department announced.

Full compensation will be made for the damage sustained by American citizens in the Injury to the vessel. Admits Responsibility. Ambassador Gerard has telegraphed the department that he has received the following memorandum from the German foreign office admitting responsibility for the mysterious accident to the vessel which has been under investigation for the past seven weeks: . ■:

“The German government received, from newspaper reports the intelligence that the American vessel Nebraskan had been damaged by a mine or torpedo on the southeast coast of Ireland. That, therefore, started a thorough investigation of the case without delay, and from the result of the investigation it has become convinced that the damage to the Nebraskan was caused by an attack by a submarine.

• On the evening of May 25 last the submarine met a steamer bound westward without a flag and with no neutral markings on her freeboard, about 35 nautical miles west of Fastnet rock; no appliance of any kind for the illumination of the flag or markings was to be seen. In the twilight, which had already set in, the name of the steamer was not visible from the submarine.

“Since the commander of the submarine was obliged to assume from his wide experience in the area of maritime war that only English steamers, and no neutral steamers, traversed this war area without flag and markings, he attacked the vessel with a torpedo in the conviction that he had an enemy vessel before him. Some time after the shot the commander saw that the vessel had In the meantime hoisted the American flag. As a consequence he, of course, refrained from any further attack. “Since the vessel remained afloat, he had no occasion to concern himself further with the boats which had been launched.