DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

SUBMARINE WARFARE. 233
leaving Liverpool, indicates that she was hit by torpedo
May 25th, in the evening. He asks Mr. Gerard whether
report of this attack has been received by German Government.
File No. 300.115N27/14.
Ambassador W. H. Page to the Secretary of State.
No. 1531.] AMERICAN EMBASSY,
London, June 2, 1915.
SIR: With reference to my despatch No. 1511 of the
28th of May, I have the honor to transmit herewith
enclosed a copy of a supplementary report on the American
steamer Nebraskan after the vessel was placed in
dry dock at Liverpool made under my direction by
Naval Constructor McBride, Assistant Naval Attache" to
this Embassy and submitted to me by Lieutenant
Towers, Acting Naval Attache.
The metallic fragments mentioned in the report as
having been found in the ship are forwarded by this
pouch.
I have, etc.,
WALTER HINES PAGE.
[Inclosure.]
Report of Assistant Naval Attache McBride.
OFFICE OF NAVAL ATTACHE,
American Embassy, London, 1st June, 1915.
From: Naval Constructor L. B. McBride, U. S. N.
To: The Ambassador.
Subject: S. S. NebrasTcan.
I have the honor to deliver herewith six fragments of
metal recovered from the American Hawaiian S. S.
NebrasTcan, together with seven photographs showing
the vessel as she appeared when first making port in Liverpool
and showing the location and nature of the damage
to the vessel.
The forehold and upper and lower tween decks in wake
of the damage were filled with a mass of several tons of
splintered wood and with fragments of the ship's structure.
This mass of d6bris was cleared from the ship on
Sunday, May 30, by a gang of labourers under charge of
the company having the contract to repair the ship. I
was personally present during this entire operation, and
I gave orders to the foreman of the labourers and to the
labourers personally that no fragments of metal were to
be taken from the ship until I had examined them. With
the assistance of the Chief Engineer of the Nebraskan
I personally examined, in so far as it was possible, all
metallic fragments. The six forwarded herewith are the
only ones which could not be identified with some portion
of the ship's structure or fittings in this vicinity. I further
kept a close personal lookout to see that there was no
possibility of passing in any foreign matter to the ship
from outside.