figure among the victims.

In the face of this tame execution of the terrible decree, providing a
sorry anticlimax to its noisy proclamation, the German press called
for a policy of no compromise with the United States. The "Berliner
Tageblatt" announced that Germany intended to wage a ruthless U-boat
war against her enemies, whatever the American attitude might be.
Apparently the German people believed that a renewal of submarine
activity was vitally necessary, and were convinced of the propriety of
their stand, both from the point of view of ethics and international
law. Germany's armed-merchantmen decree, as indicated, was not
immediately followed by any submarine activity of a character in
keeping with the dire threat made; but toward the close of March,
1916, a sudden indiscriminate outbreak of destruction came against
merchantmen of every type. Many were sunk without warning, the
question of whether they were armed or not seemingly being disregarded
in the new crusade. The United States began to take stern cognizance
of these reckless operations when four ships having Americans on
board, either among the crews or passengers, became targets for the
kaiser's torpedoes, without warning. These were the _Eagle Point_, the
_Manchester Engineer_, the _Englishman_, and the _Sussex_. All were
sunk except the last-named vessel, and the Americans were saved except
one on the _Englishman_, though not, in several cases, without injury.

The circumstances of the torpedoing of the _Sussex_ provoked a final
clash between the United States and Germany. This vessel plied as a
Channel ferryboat between Folkestone and Dieppe. On March 24, 1916, at
4.30 p. m., while near the latter port, with 436 persons on board,
including seventy-five Americans, she was struck by a torpedo from a
submarine. The captain observed a torpedo about 100 meters from the
side and immediately maneuvered to avoid it; but the vessel was struck
in the forward part, which was destroyed. Rescuing craft towed the
disabled boat to Boulogne, where a majority of the passengers were
landed. About fifty persons lost their lives, and three Americans were
hurt.

The State Department at once instructed the American ambassador at
Berlin to inquire whether the torpedo which almost sunk the _Sussex_
came from a German submarine, though the Government entertained little
doubt that this was the case. The American suspicions were later
confirmed by incontestable evidence; bu