HOISTED THE STARS AND STRIPES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 70, 24 March 1915, Page 7

HOISTED THE STARS AND STRIPES

» LUSITANIA'S RUSE. The incident of tlie hoisting of the American flag on the Cunard liner Lusi' tania, in the Irish Sea last month, is described in a special cable to the New York Sun. The message, which is dated 6th February, runs: — The Cunard liner Lusitania arrived at Liverpool this morning flying the 'American flag. Captain Dow received a wireless on Friday morning from the Baltic, of the White Star line, saying that German submarines* were in the Irish Sea, whereupon the captain of the Lusitania hauled down the British Ensign and hoisted tho Stars and Stripes. The Lusitania stopped off Queenstown and was busy for an hour sending wireless messages. _ Captain Dow's explanation of his action in hoisting the American flag was that he took this action in order to save his passengers and the mails owing to the German threat to sink British ships. The use of the American flag was immediately called to the attention of the Foreign Office by American newspaper correspondents. Neil Primrose, the Under-Secretary for, Foreign Affairs, exemplifying the friendliness felt for America, had previously arranged with the censor to transmit anything by cable that the correspondents might desire. " England desires neither the suppression nor compression of news. The Foreign Office is ignorant of the Lusitaniu incident, but the Merchant Shipping Act of 1891 says that if a person uses the British flag and assumes the British national character aboard a chip wholly or partly owned by persons unqualified to own a British ship, for the purpose of making the ship appear to be British, the ship shall be subject to forfeiture unless tho act was done for the purpose of escaping capture by ah enemy or by a foreign warship in the exercise of its belligerent right. Therefore, if England acknowledges and grants t.h© right of non-English ships to escape capture England holds that ehe is entitled to the same privilege " Undoubtedly Captain Dow, as well as other English captains and shipowners, is familiar with the Act of > 1894, which is a perfect answer to the^ German charge that England is notifying hej % ships to use neutral flags. No such oroers were ever issued by the British Government." The Lu6ita.»na arrived after an exciting passage. The ship was darkened and ran at reduced speed Only two turbines were working on the fourth day of the voyage, Tlie weather was terrifying. Buffeted by great rollers, which tossed the passengers about like dolls. _ the Cunarder struggled through the night. More than a dozen saloon passengers were hurt) the injuries including broken heads, broken ankles, and black eyes After leaving Queenstown Captain Dow worked every boiler and turbine at top speed as the Lusitania drove through file Irish Sea. The passengers were awake all night, and -were gravely anxious. Even the iron-bound rule that a pilot must be taken on was disregarded as the ship dashed into the Mersey. Mark Sullivan, editor of Colliers Magazine, of New York, describing the change of flag, said that the passengers were delighted. If a submarine got the Lusitania It would be dangerously near a war between America, and Germany-.