CAI?TAI? THURATEN SALE
American Seamen Frightened by Shock, Says London Dispatch, and He Fuses to Work at Bars Until Officer Shows Revolver.
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WASHINGTON, March 20/?Consul-general Skinner, in London, forwarded to the State Department today a dispatch from the consul at Plymouth, giving the most complete official report yet received on the unwarranted torpedoing of the American steamer Virginia, with a loss of fifteen lives, including several native Americans.
The report follows:
"Virginia, of Wilmington, Del., from New York for Havre with general cargo of smelter structural iron, asbestos, dried fruit and straw, sunk without warning on March 11th in latitude 18.5. Relating to about 14 miles from nearest land, by torpedo from submarine of unknown nationality.
"Two torpedoes fired at ship, first missed, second struck ship on starboard side by third hatch. Ship sunk in ten minutes. Weather at time clear with torpedoing at a swell. No other vessel in sight. Crew of forty-three men attempted to abandon ship in two hours."  Hoats. Ocean swell, twenty-five men were washed out of hoats. Of these ten were saved, and fifty were drowned. 