ciently to enable the deferred
negotiations on the _Lusitania_ dispute to be resumed; but these had
made little headway when both the _Lusitania_ and _Arabic_ issues were
overshadowed by the sinking of the _Ancona_.

CHAPTER LX

ISSUE WITH AUSTRIA-HUNGARY OVER THE ANCONA--SURRENDER TO AMERICAN
DEMANDS

The attention of the United States was abruptly diverted from Germany
to Austria-Hungary. The _Ancona_, an Italian liner en route for New
York, was steaming westward in the Mediterranean, between the coasts
of Sicily and Tunis, on November 9, 1915, when a submarine flying the
Austro-Hungarian flag fired a shot at the steamship. As described by
the American protest sent to Austria-Hungary on December 6, 1915,
based upon the testimony of American and other survivors, the _Ancona_
thereupon "attempted to escape, but being overhauled by the submarine
she stopped; that after a brief period, and before the crew and
passengers were all able to take to the boats, the submarine fired a
number of shells at the vessel and finally torpedoed and sank her
while there were yet many persons on board, and that by gunfire and
floundering of the vessel a large number of persons lost their lives
or were seriously injured, among whom were citizens of the United
States."

A heated protest from the Italian Ambassador to the State Department
thus depicted the same scene: "Without any warning whatever, without
even a blank shot, without observing any of the formalities
accompanying the right of search, the submarine encountered by the
_Ancona_ opened fire upon the unarmed passenger liner, relentlessly
shelling not only the wireless apparatus, side, and decks of the ship
while she was at a stop, but even the lifeboats in which the terrified
passengers were seeking refuge. Many of the passengers were killed
outright or wounded. Some who approached the submarine in the hope of
rescue were driven off with jeers. As a result of this inhumane
procedure more than two hundred men, women and children lost their
lives."

An impenitent explanation came from the Austro-Hungarian admiralty,
who in upholding the submarine commander, saw "no reason to find fault
with his course of action," and while recognizing that a commander in
the heat of battle could act contrary to instructions, "nothing of the
kind has occurred in this case."

"It appears from his report," said the admiralty defense, "that his
ship was in danger; indeed, in double danger