BRITISH FEARS RELIEVED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19269, 10 March 1937, Page 15

BRITISH FEARS RELIEVED

VESSEL UNDER FIRE IDENTITY REVEALED SPANISH ARMS CARGO (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (llecd. March 9, 3 p.m.) LONDON, March 8. The vessel which, earlier to-day, sent out SOS signals stating, that she was being tired upon by ail unknown warship in the Bay of Biscay, has been identified as- the Spanish motor vessel Mar Canlabrico, which, laden with arms for the Spanish Government, slipped out of New York on January 6. just in lime to beat the United States l Neutrality Act. Fears that she was a British vessel, which were roused by the early messages, were allayed shortly before midnight- by a British Admiralty announcement that a report bad been received from the destroyer Echo stating: '-'Have been in communication with the cruiser Cannrias, which slates that the Alar Cantabrico lias been sunk and lu*r crew arc aboard the Canarias.” While destroyers . and many other vessels hurried to tho scene, conflicting messages from French and Spanish sources deepened tho fear that a British liner had been a victim of a Spanish rebel cruiser. The confusion apparently arose from the mutilation of the SOS messages, suggesting that the Mar Oaiitalnieo was owned by a Bilbao company.