The Munster was the crack ship of {irish Sea crossings and was the largest ross channe] motor vessel in the world. It operated between Liver pool and Northern Ireland and left Belfast Tuesday evening.
The captain had an arm broken in two places but remained on the bridge to the last, One of the crew stated he was thrown out of the bunk by the force of the explosion. When hho arrived on deck, lifeboats were being lowered while some already towered were drifting away from the ship. The motor lifeboat went to the assistance of other lifeboats and towed them to a collier. Later, It was learned that the Munster had 100 passengers on board.
A German mine exploded under a pier at an Bast Coast town on Wednesday. The central part of the pier was destroyed while the whole district was shaken and many windows were shattered. Coastquards secured another mine, washed up a few miles away. A mine was also washed on the beach at-a south coast town today.
The Estonian cargo vessel Anu (800 tons) has been sunk by a mine off the east coast. Seven of the crew were brought ashore last night, About nineteen persons are missing.
"In view of several recent savage and anarchic attacks by German ireraft on lightships around the British coasts and" the murder of some of their crews, special measures will be taken to provide protection for this service." declared the First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. Winston Churchill, in the House of Commons yesterday. Where possible, light floats would replace lightships in outer positions, he added, 'The Ministry of Economic Warfare states that during the wode ending February 3, the Contraband Com= mittee had' considered the caroos of 114 ships which had arrived since January 28, and 21 outstanding cargoes from the previous week. ninety cases, entire cargoes wore released. Ships dealt. with during the week Included 32 Dutch, 29 Toatian and eight United States ships. There were thirty neutral shine in three United Kinadom control bases yesterday. Of this number, 21 had been detained five days or Yess.
Narls Admit Ship Losses:
According to figures fiven by the German High Command in a brond-east, Germany Tost 42 merchant ships from the beginning of the war up to January 31.
Following are the details of these ships: "Seized by the enemy in enemy ports" at the outbreak of the war, 13,190. tons; captured "by, the enemy," 82,236 tons; scuttled by their own crews, 141,525 tons.
The total Allied and neutral tone nage which Germany claimed to have sunk since the beginning of the war to the end of January is 1.493.431 tons.
Reuter Is authoritatively informed, however, that up to midnight February 4, the total tonnage of neutral and' Allied shipping lost since the start of the war was 925001
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.