No. 375.]

The Secretary of State to Ambassador T. N. Page.

[Telegram.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, November 10, 1915.

Reported Italian steamer Ancona sunk by submarine and surviving passengers landed Bizerta. Telegraph facts available and whether any Americans among passengers.

LANSING.

Ambassador T. N. Page to the Secretary of State.

Rome, (Received) November 10, 1915.

Reported here one American first ?-class passenger, Cecil Grey, and twenty-six American third-class passengers conjecturally naturalized lost on Ancona.

No. 427.]

NELSON PAGE.

Ambassador T. N. Page to the Secretary of State.

Later report Americans believed lost on Ancona: Alexander Patattivo of New York, his wife and four children; Mrs. Francis Mascolo Lamura; also about twenty other third-class passengers believed Americans. Mrs. Cecile L. Greil, first called Gray, now reported safe. NELSON PAGE.

Official announcement of the Austro-Hungarian Admiralty.2

Official Austro-Hungarian Admiralty reports foreign press spreads false reports about sinking Ancona, which took place as follows: sub

1

1 For additional correspondence concerning the Ancona, see Special Supplement, 1916, pp. 297-305.

Transmitted to the Department of State by the Austro-Hungarian Chargé, November 15, 1915.

marine fired one shot before steamer's prow, upon which steamer fled full speed, according order Italian authorities, which runs flee or sink submarine. Submarine pursued steamer and continued firing. Steamer stopped only when hit several times. Submarine allowed 45 minutes abandon steamer, where panic reigned, but only small number boats were lowered and occupied principally by crew. Great number boats, probably sufficient for save all passengers, remained unoccupied after 50 minutes. Submarine in presence other approaching steamer submerged and torpedoed Ancona, which sank after 45 minutes. If passengers lost life, this by crew's fault, because steamer tried escape when received order for stopping, and then crew only saved themselves not passengers. Foreign press reports submarine fired on lifeboats mendacious inventions. When steamer stopped submarine ceased firing.

Consul White to the Secretary of State.

AMERICAN CONSULATE, Naples, December 6, 1915.

SIR: In compliance with the Department's cabled instruction of the 13th ultimo to obtain if possible affidavits of survivors of the S. S. Ancona and a subsequent instruction received through the Embassy at Rome, there are inclosed herewith statements and affidavits as follows:

1. Statement of the captain in command.

2. Statement of the first officer.

3. Verbal statement made by the first officer in the presence of J. P. Jackson, lieutenant commander, United States Navy, assistant attaché, naval, American Embassy at Rome, and William Garguilo, clerk of the American consulate at Naples.

4. Copy of an affidavit made by Mrs. Cecile L. Greil, in the presence of Lieut. Com. J. P. Jackson and Edward H. Capp, employed at the American Consulate at Naples, and sworn to before Jay W. White, American consul at Naples.

5. Copy of an affidavit made by Mrs. Greil before Dean B. Mason, American consul at Algiers, Algieria.

1 Not printed.

6. Copy of an affidavit made by Irlando Patalivo, American citizen, in presence of Dr. Buonacore, American Public Health Service, contract physician, and William Garguilo, signed by Jay White, American consul at Naples.

7. Statement made by Dr. Tomasso Giordano, senior doctor of the S. S. Ancona, made in the presence of Lieut. Com. J. P. Jackson and Dr. Buonacore.

8. Statement made by Mr. Alberto Piscione, cabin passenger on the S. S. Ancona, made in the presence of Lieut. Com. J. P. Jackson and William Garguilo.

9. Statement made by Isaac Strachlevitz, a British subject, and passenger on the S. S. Ancona, made in the presence of William Garguilo and Edward H. Capp, and sworn to before Jay White, consul of the United States at Naples.

10. Affidavit made by Domenico Tamboni, steerage passenger on the S. S. Ancona, made in the presence of Dr. Buonacore and Nicola Guarini, clerk in the Naples consulate, and sworn to before Jay White, consul of the United States at Naples.

11. Ilazione Azzolini, copy of affidavit made by Ilazione Azzolini, steerage passenger on the S. S. Ancona made in the presence of R. F. St. Leger, clerk in the United States Public Health Service, and Edward H. Capp, and sworn to before Jay White, consul of the United States at Naples.

At the time of the arrival of the captain, first officer, and crew of the S. S. Ancona on board the S. S. Cagliari at the port of Naples, the consul at Naples made a request to the Italian port officer at Naples for permission to visit the ship. It was explained by the port officers that an Italian commission was about to visit the steamer and take the testimony of the officers and crew of the S. S. Ancona.

The port officer explained that his instructions were to allow no one on board aside from the Italian commission.

The Department's instruction was then called to his attention and he extended the courtesy to the consular officer to go alongside to ascertain if there were any Americans on board, and to the query a negative answer was received. It was further explained that no doubt a copy of the testimony taken by the Italian commission would be duly furnished to the American Embassy at Rome.

As the instruction received by the Naples consulate pertained to American citizens only, the matter was not further pressed at that

time. The material evidence, however, was subsequently obtained and transmitted to the American Embassy at Rome; that is that which is embodied in the within inclosures and in compliance with the instruction received from the Department through the Embassy but not received until the officers and crew had been dispersed.

All of the inclosed data is now transmitted to the Department as a confirmation of the evidence previously furnished to the Embassy. It would be considered a courtesy if the Department would approve the action taken by the Naples consulate in the matter and any further testimony obtained will be duly forwarded to the Embassy and the Department of State.

Up to the present time but two American survivors, Mrs. Greil and Irlando Potalivo, have been reported and they have returned to Naples and their testimony taken and transmitted as indicated above.

I have, etc.,

JAY WHITE.

[Inclosure 1-Translation.]

Statement of Pietro Massardo, Captain of the Steamship "Ancona.”

The undersigned captain, who commanded the steamer Ancona, of the Maritime Department of Genoa and belonging to the "Italia" Society with directing headquarters at Naples, hereby reports to Your Excellency as follows regarding the sinking of the steamer: We left Naples on November 5, 1915, at 5.30 o'clock p. m. for Messina with the following passengers:

Having arrived on the 5th at Messina, we left again on the same day at 5 o'clock p. m., having embarked the following passengers:

Third class, 45, for New York.

Second class, 16, for New York.

General merchandise, about 500 tons.

At 5.30 a. m. of the 7th we were at the Traverso di Marittima at a distance of about 25 miles.

About 10 a. m. we sighted toward the prow on the right a steamer which we were gradually approaching.

At almost the same time the telegrapher reported to me that he had heard the following signal from the steamer France: "We are being cannonaded and torpedoed by German submarine."

It did not give its position and nothing else was heard.

I directed the course about 4 degrees more to the north. At 10.30 we were wrapped in a more or less dense fog, wind from southeast, light, sea hardly moved. However, giving the command "Beware at the engine," we continued at full power, whistling from time to time and increasing our vigilance. Taking into account the notice received, it did not appear to me suitable to reduce speed.

About 11 o'clock, from the direction of the prow and a little to the right, the whistle of a steamer was heard; we answered regularly, considering that it must be that of the steamer which we had sighted about 10 o'clock.

At 12.30 o'clock the fog began to thin out from the south towards us, and to the north gradually.

About 11.55 I was scrutinizing the horizon ahead toward the north with the fieldglass, trying to sight the steamer that was whistling, because still in the fog, and all of a sudden there appeared to me a rather long hull which I judged to be quite a large submarine, at a distance of about five miles. Descrying the submarine, hearing a cannon shot, and seeing the water splash up from being struck a short distance from us was all one thing. The officers were at that moment intent upon taking the height of the sun. I ordered the national flag hoisted immediately; at the engine, to close the watertight bulkheads, to stop the right engine in order to present the stern to the submarine, and then immediately afterwards, engines with full force ahead and in zigzag, in the hope of being able to escape pursuit and the projectiles.

I watched the submarine with the fieldglass in order to ascertain whether it was gaining on us. The fire of the cannon became more accurate. The telegrapher immediately sent forth the signal: "Ancona cannonaded and torpedoed," together with the position just given by me as 38° 08′ N. Lat., 10° 08′ E. Long. The wireless having been injured by the first cannon shots, there could no longer be any certainty that the signals had been received by any station, Italian or French.

The passengers and crew were of course panic stricken and all ran to the lifeboats with cries of despair.

Having become convinced that we had to deal with a very rapid submarine, and that it was approaching us quickly, I ordered the engines stopped and directed the helmsman to come clear to the right, in order to let it be known that we had stopped.