DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

SUBMARINE WARFARE. 281
ing food to enemies of Germany he was obeying bis
orders in sinking her. He retained ship's register and
manifest and sent captain, accompanied by third officer
of submarine and one sailor, back to Housatonic. Germans
took one of ship's engineers below decks and
opened sea cocks then removed hatches and having taken
off three cases soap ship was ordered to be abandoned.
Total crew of thirty-seven put off three boats at eleven
fifty. At twe ve thirty submarine hoisted German naval
ensign and torpedoed Housatonic which sank twelve fifty.
Submarine took three boats in tow and for one hour and
half towed them north by east when British patrol boat
sighted and submarine cut boats adrift at same time
firing signal attract attention patrol. Submarine then
proceeded southward at three o'clock afternoon. Crew
taken aboard patrol boat, landed Penzance."
File No. 300.U5L98/10.
Case of the "Lyman M. law."
PAGE.
Ambassador T. N. Page to the Secretary of State.
[Telegram—Paraphrase.]
AMERICAN EMBASSY,
Rome, February 20, 1917.
Mr. Page reporting in regard to the sinking of the
American vessel Lyman M. Law states that the affidavit
of Captain McDonaugh of the Lyman M. Law states that
the submarine flew a flag until the hoisting of the American
flag when the submarine flag was hauled down but
that owing to the great distance the nationality of the flag
on submarine could not be distinguished. No action
was taken to insure the safety of the crew, but the weather
and sea were moderate. The vessel was about twentyfive
miles distant from land. The Captain of the Lyman
M. Law, using the vessel's motor boat and towing another
boat, approached land and coasted along to Cagliari,
where they arrived after being in the boats for twenty-five
hours. The affidavits of the entire crew, two of whom
are English, the others Americans, confirm above recited
facts. In answer to a question by the Captain of the
Lyman M. Law, an officer stated that the submarine was
Austrian, but from conversation with officers and crew
and their appearance generally the Captain believes the
submarine was German.
The Captain further states that the lieutenant who
boarded the vessel gave him permission to proceed, but
later received orders to take to the boats, as the vessel
would be sunk on account of carrying contraband.
The cargo of the Lyman M. Law consisted only of
shooks, but the vessel carried several months' stores for
her own use. It is believed by the Captain of the
Lyman M. Law that the sinking of the vessel was caused
by the submarine's need for the stores.