IROQUOIS SAFE AT NEW YORK

Southland Times, Issue 23947, 13 October 1939, Page 7

IROQUOIS SAFE AT NEW YORK

Escort Of Planes And Destroyers GERMAN SHIPS TAKEN BY BRITISH BIG BALANCE IN ALLIES’ FAVOUR (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received October 12, 10.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, October 11. The United States steamer, Iroquois arrived safely at New York at 9.30 p.m. She was accompanied by an escort of destroyers and five naval aircraft. The master of the Iroquois (Captain E. A. Chelton) said that he received' the warning 2000 miles from New York. He advised the officers but did not tell the passengers.

The passengers’ baggage was searched for explosives and valves were taken from radios.

When a cutter and two destroyers appeared the captain explained the situation to the passengers but there was no hysteria; on the contrary, they cheered. Captain Chelton said that, personally, he did not believe the threat of sinking.

The First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr Winston Churchill) stated in the House of Commons that between September 24 and October 9 Britain had lost by submarine action, 5809 tons of shipping but had taken from the enemy, 13,615 tons. “So there is a balance in our favour of 7806 tons,” he said. Mr Churchill added: “There have been no more losses since October 9 and during that period 50,000 tons of new shipping has come into commission. So we are 58,000 tons better off than when I made my last statement.”

How two U-boats were sunk while attacking a British convoy in the Atlantic was told on the arrival of the ships at a Texan port, says a New York message. Three German submarines tried to attack and two of them were sunk, one less than 200 yards from the bridge. The French Navy has so far seized 150,000 tons of goods destined, for Germany, including 40,000 tons of oils, 40,000 tons of food and 30,000 tons of liquid fuel. A Marseilles message says that the maritime police arrested six persons after an inquiry into a shipping company’s alleged attempt to sell ships to foreign agents. The company’s vessels are reported to have been seized. A message from Valparaiso says that the Chilean Navy has begun patrolling the neutrality zone. A destroyer picked up a British linei- and accompanied her to Valparaiso. The escort implied that in the event of the liner being attacked, the destroyer would come to her defence.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty (Mr Geoffrey Shakespeare), replying to a question in the House of Commons about rumours that mother-ships were being used by the Dominican Government to refuel German submarines operating in the Carribean, said that the British Government was satisfied the Dominican Government was fulfilling its duties as a neutral and that no foundation for any suggestion of this kind existed.