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BRITISH NAVAL RECORDS HOLD
TALES OF FIGHTS WITH U-BOATS
Stories in Brief Form Reveal German Savagery and Frightful! less,
With Occasional Touches of Comedy Many Describe
Hairbreadth Escapes and Gallant Defense
by British Sailors.
London. In a big room in Whitehall
there are kept all the records of Brit
ish merchant ships' encounters with
U-boats. There they are, volumes and
volumes of the most damning evi
dence, indelible for all time, of Ger
man savagery and British bravery.
Ever since. Germany's cold-blooded
frightfulness at sea began these rec
ords have been piling up in this room ;
and only now are they being allowed
to see the light.
They tell of all kinds of ships, from
big liners down to tiny schooners. All
are short, but realistic, testifying to
the British merchant sailors' behavior
against the ugliest methods of German
warfare. They tell of fights with
submarines often against enormous
odds, and of hairbreadth escapes; of
gallant rescues and perilous adven
tures in small boats on the open seas ;
of German submarine crews who
jeered at their victims,, and of some
few cases where the German crews
helped to rescue them.
Here is a typical story of a fight
between a merchantman with a little
gun and a U-boat It is perhaps one
of the longest of the records.
Thre was a heavy sea, with squalls
of rain, and the time was five minutes
to three in the morning. The captain
eays:
Sighted Submarine Ahead.
"Almost immediately I sighted a
submarine right ahead, crossing from
starboard to port. It was a very big
one, and there were four or five men
around the conning tower. I put helm
hard a-starboard and tried to ram
him, but missed by feet, as -I could
hear the men shouting aboard her. As
soon as I saw I had missed her I
sung out to the gun's crew: 'Look out
close on port side there!' and I put
the helm hard aport to bring the ene
my astern.
"Almost immediately afterward I
heard the report of my gunand, turn
ing round, saw a big bright flareup in
the water in the port quarter like a
big explosion. This was verified by
the gun's crew, the second officer and
the mate, who was the spotting officer.
About ten minutes afterward I no
ticed what appeared to be the wake
of a torpedo passing along the port
xside, and I shouted the gun's crew:
'Look out port quarter again!' and
put the helm to port; but as I was
calling out my orders second officer
and gun's crew observed the bow and
stern wake of a submarine on port
quarter steering parallel to us and
coming on at a good speed.
"We fired on him, but made no hit,
and I ordered the men to cease fire,
as I hoped to escape in the darkness,
and the flash of the gun was very
brilliant, it being a dark night. I
then ordered the chief engineer to get
his men down the stokehold and drive
the vessel to his utmost, and ordered
the gun's crew to stand by gun, and
every one to put a lifebelt on." ,
The captain continues with a fine
touch of unintentional bravado:
Felt Enemy Was Pursuing.
"As the officers had not yet had
their coffee I told the steward to get
It for them and went back to the
bridge and spoke to the second officer
about keeping a sharp lookout, as I
felt somehow that the enemy ; was
chasing us."
He was, sure enough, for, adds the
captain :
"About twenty minutes past six
o'clock I went below to the chart room
to get -our position again, and almost
immediately I heard a terrific explo
sion on the port side. I ran up on
the bridge and ordered all boats out
and called the wireless operator to
send .'out un SOS and give our posi
tion. As his machine broke down al
most immediately we got no reply. A
few seconds after the first explosion
I heard the heavy, dull, explosions
WITH THE BRITISH IN PALESTINE
11 ysmMtsds
I; mJW JClf "m '
f -n.N.r.f.li..j3
Tlfc t :::v:::::x::.:::::v::::::::::.: -v .J Photo by. M
S&u J in . : Western Newspaper UnlOf&$
British IBHnnprH In PlilueHna 'mnl -
, , .v.,i.. iiiaum, use vjl u x. utkisu ODserv&uoa pose
FnJch they have captured.
from the bursting boilers and the ship
was involved in steam, smoke and
fumes."
A few minutes later the vessel sank
and, as most of the boats were
smashed, the captain and some of the
crew jumped into the sea and swam
until picked up some hours later.
In all these records the command
ers and crews of the U-boat are seen
face to face and their actions and
words are set down without prejudice.
There is a tale of a terrible struggle
with death in the case of a torpedoed
ship, boats smashed, the only two that
reached the water being upside down.
Some of the crew jumped from the
vessel and sought refuge on them.
U-Boat Up Three Times.
The U-boat approached them and or
dered the survivors to come on board
the submarine. . They shouted back
that they were capsized and could not
move. Three times the submarine
came up with a similar invitation;
three times the commander received
the same reply. Then the U-boat
came alongside one of the upturned
boats, took the name of the ship and
the master and all the details. The
crew of the enemy craft was asked by
these shipwrecked men to help right
their boat for them, but no answer
was given, though the Germans must
have heard the frantic knockings of
one poor chap Imprisoned under the
capsized boat and who was trying to
attract attention to his pitiful plight.
,The submarine steamed ahead and
put the helm hard over, with the re
sult that the men clinging to the keel
of the boat were thrown into the wa
ter again. They managed to scramble
back to their boat, with th: man still
underneath it, but they pulled out the
plug to give him air, and ten hours
later they were rescued.
The Germans take elaborate steps to
find out the name of the ship they
have sunk and the nature of her cargo.
In one case a master, while engaged
with his crew baling out a leaky life
boat, was hailed by the submarine for
the name of his ship. It was given
to him, but the commander shouted
back that he could-not find the name
in the shipping list and ordered one
of the crew to go on board. The emis
sary spe!1- the name and the officer dis
appeared into the conning tower and
thee-quarters of an hour later he re
turned and said he had found the
name of the ship.
Photographed Two Negroes.
-Another ship carried a crew of 47,
two of whom were negroes. The ship
was torpedoed in the usual way with
out warning and sank so rapidly that
there was no time to lower the boats,
though luckily the entire crew had
lifebelts. Seeing a negro in the wa
terj the commander of the submarine
took him on board, and as soon as he
reached the submarine his wrists were
imprisoned and held. They then took
t HEARS KAISER DECLARE
: GERMANY WILL RULE ALL
Los Angeles, Cal. S. C. Clem
ensen, once a subject of Den
mark and now American citizen,
claims to have the "goods on the
kaiser." In July, 1901, Clemen
sen claims he stood wTithin fifty
feet of the kaiser at the launch
ing of the battleship Kaiser Carl
der Grosse and heard the emper
or say he would rule the world
in 1917.
"In 1917 our fleet will have
supreme power over the sea. Our
future lies on the water. We
will rule the sea and the land,"
the kaiser declared on that oc
casion, Clemensen says.
(.l(. rn ,1
POLK ftnnwTY NEWS. TRYON, N. O.
RED CROSS IN ALASKA
Mrs. Louis K. Tratt is a prominent
clubwoman and chairman of the Lib
erty bond committee of Fairbanks,
Alaska. Fairbanks claims more than
2,000 Red Cross members who are rais
ing funds despite the decreased buy
ing power of their dollar. All bridge
clubs are donating their club dues to
war purposes ; the various woman's
clubs have collected during the win
ter every scrap of discarded metal and
rubber to be sent to the "States" for
the Red Cress at. the opening of navi
gation. One small club raised by deli
catessen sales enough money to endow
a bed in the Neuilly hospital, which
Alaskan women are trying to support.
Their second sale alone netted them
$447.50.
a photograph of him and also of the
other negro, who was floating on a
raft nearby. The first man was then
allowed to dive from the submarine
and he, too, swam to the raft.
These photographs were clearly in
tended for German propaganda. Out
of the crew of 47 men only 15 are
knpwn to have been picked up. The
captain of the ship was left on the
bridge when the boat went down and
was not seen again. The saved men
were in the water for hours together,
the U-boat as usual submerging and
leaving them to their fate.
Among all the tales of (fool and
splendid behavior, which Sir Rosslyn
Wemyss in paying a tribute to the
British merchant navy recently de
scribed as "beyond all praise," is that
of a stewardess of a big liner, which
went down, according to one account,
in seven minutes after the explosion.
The master says: "The stewardess
behaved exceptionally well, and with
great presence of mind gave mufflers
and other articles to the crew when
they were in the boat." It Is in this
story that one of the very few acts
of humane conduct on the part of a
German submarine commander is re
corded. "Submarine picked up two
of the men in the water himself, after
which we went alongside the subma
rine and took the two men on board."
Among all these records of horror,
bravery and cruelty there are little
glints of something almost approach
ing comedy. Take, for instance, the
record of a little South Coast schoon
er, which was sunk a some way from
home. The first part of the story is
that of the master told to the British
consul abroad. The master described
how, when the ship was struck, three
men got into the boat. Before the
fourth man -could get in an accident
occurred and, the boat was upset.
The master reported four men
drowned what happened to the fourth
man is not clear and remarked that
"those drowned became too excited."
His ship had been heavily shelled for
a long time, but the German shoot
ing was very bad. The captain and
boy, who remained on board, were
taken on board the submarine and re
leased five hours Inter and put ori
board a foreign ship. The captain
was unable to give any description of
the submarine: "Captain could not
describe submarine. He said he was
sent below at once Step !' "
The next part of the story is from
one of the men whom the master
thought lost. He gives an idyllic pic
ture of the scene before the shelling:
Vessel I,n Full Sail.
"The vessel had all sail except the
mizzen gaff topsail set. The wind was
abeam, the vessel on the port tack,
heading southeast and east. The mas
ter was standing by the helmsman. The
mate was talking to the master, both
on the lee side of the poop. She was
making six or seven knots through tho
water when the master asked the
mate: 'Is that a submarine?' The
1 mate had a look at it and said: Tes,
it is.' The master took the wheel and
ordered all hands to get the boat out.
Before the boat got into the water the
submarine started shelling."
Then the disaster happened. The
man on the boat reported that "noth
ing has been heard of vessel' sino.
' ileponent last saw her." It seem
I11UL lXVSU&O Uilfl I V 1 il W
ship boat righted and was baled out"
But a most interesting part of th
story is missing; for one would likr
to know whether master and crew me'
again and what they sairt o one an
I other.
Says the mate of another little ship
"Master's reason for abandoning ship
was that she sank under him."
And, as is but natural, the seaman's
pride in his ship is often revealed In
these records; as "She went down
with hardly a splash, like th; lady she
always was," and MI shall never get
another like her.
- f " Y
-if- -
IMPORTANT NEWS
THE WORLD OVER
IMPORTANT HAPPENINGS OFvTHI3
AND OTHER NATIONS FOR
SEVEN DAYS GIVEN
THE NEWS JF THE SOUTH
What Is Taking Place In The South
land Will Be Found In '
Brief Paragraphs
Domestic.
Orders for thirty thousand box and
coal cars to cost in the aggregate be
tween eighty milion and ninety mil
lion dollars have been placed by Di
rector, General McAdoo, with the
American Car and Foundry company
at fixed prices which will represent
about five per cent profit.
Helmuth Schmidt, who killed him
self at Detroit, Mich., and on whose
person was found sketches of the for
tifications of New York harbor, was
probably a German spy. Mrs. Adele
Ulrich Braund, who says Schwidt mar
ried her in Lakewood, N. J., in 1914,
as "Emil Braun," makes this accusa
tion. The new Japanese minister to the
Unuited States, Viscoont Ishii, togeth
er with his staff of secretaries and his
wife, has arrived at Washington. He
is well known in this country and
is very acceptable to the United States.
Indictments were returned against
sixteen persons by the grand jury,
which investigated the lynching on
April 3 of Robert Paul Prager of Col
linsville. Twelve indictments were
against civilians and charged murder,
and four indictments were against po
licemen, charging malfeasance in of
fice. The house adopted the senate reso
lution for the registration for military
service of young men who have reach
ed the age of 21 years since June 5,
last. Chairman Dent of the military
committee opposed the amendment.
Mr. Kami of California also opposed
the amendment, and declared there are
thousands of young men now under 21
who volunteered at the beginning of
the war and who are now serving in
France.
In connection with the measuring
placing young men reaching zi since
last June, it is recalled that Germa
ny recently called into cervice its class
of 1919, consisting oiapproximately
550,000 men.
Direction of the army's great air
craft production program has been
placed in the hands of a civilian, John
D. Ryan, copper magnate, railroad man
and financier.
Brig. Gen. William L. Kenley, for
merly head of the aircraft production
program, has been made chief of a
new division of military aeronautics
to control training of aviators and mil
itary use of aircraft.
Three fires at Lima, Ohio, breaking
out simultaneously in the Lake Erie
and Western shops, pratcicaly wiped
out the five hundred thousand dollar
plant. Water pressure was reported
cut at some unknown point, while fed
eral agents said a hose was cut in two
places with a knife. One man has
been taken into custody by the police.
Three firemen are missing and. a work
man was seriously injured. The chief
of tho fire department was badly cut
and several others iLjured.
Washington.
Kemmel Hill, a height which has
been looked upon as the key to the
southern side of the Ypres salient in
France, and one of the most import
ant strategic positions on the north
ern battle front, has been taken by
the Germans. This loss brings to the
allies a realization that the whole
Ypres position is in peril from the
German drive northward from the
lowlands lying to the west of Armen
tieres. The loss of Kemmel Hill, is seri
ous, for it overlooks much of the low
lands lying back of the allied lines
in the Ypres salient. The hil is 464
feet in height, rising from lowlands
on the south and east. It is six miles
southwest of Ypres and three miles
west "of Wytschaete.
The importance of every entente al
lied country engaged in the war get
ting every possible man into position
to support the battle front was em
phasized recently by Gen. Delma Rad
Cliffe, chief directors of British mili
tary operations at fhe war office, in his
first interview with newspaper men
feince he took over the position former
ly held by Maj. Gen. F. B. Maurice.
What had promised to be a sensa
tional fight in congress over the pro
posal to turn disloyalty and espionage
cases over to the military courts-martial
has been nipped in the bud by
President Wilson, who declared that
such a course would put the United
States in the same class with the Ger
man empire, and that therefore he
would oppose to the last stand any
such step.
Germany's losses thus far in the war
have been only two million men ac
cordinf to a statement "credit by the
Frankfurter Zeitung as having been
made by -General Schulze before the
main committee of the German reich
stag.
It Is definitely stated at the war de
partment, coming, it is stated from
Secretary Baker, that as soon as the
American forces 'n any considerable
number are again acting as an inde
pendent unit, a daily statement as to
Its activities will be issued the pub-
Definite opposition to a declaration
of war upon Bulgaria and Turkey at
this time has been indicated by Pres
ident Wilson after a conference with
Senator King of Utah, who had re
cently introduced a resolution calling
for war with both countries.
It is stated that there is reason to
hope that both Turkey and Bulgaria
may yet drop out as belligerents. The
administration is reported to have in
formation that if it were possible Tur
key and Bulgaria would be glad to
take advantage of an opportunity to
break away from the central powers.
The shipping board has decided on
a substantial increase in its building
program for 1919 over the tonnage
planned for this year and" indications
are that the increase will be continued
in 1920. For military reasons the ex
act size of the future building program
is not made public.
Before January 1, 1919, all the new
shipyards will be in full operation and
many old yards, which have demon
strated their ability to build efficient
ly, will be expanded. It is estimated
that the construction during 1919 will
be in excess of ten million tons.
The total losses of the brigade of
marines with the American expedition
ary force in France so far reported
is announced as 278--22 killed in ac
tion, 10 died of wounds, 2 died of ac
cidents, 244 wounded in action.
Some of the third Liberty Loan post
ers sent to General Pershing in France
will be dropped from airplanes behind
the German lines on the western front
to impress on the German soldiery and
civilians the importance of America
winning this war. :
The American line steamship St.
Paul, a famous passenger liner, over
turned and sank at her piere "at an
Atlantic port'' while being warped into
a pier preparatory to loading for a
trip to Europe. Three men probably
lost their lives in the accident.
General Pershing's first report on
the German assault upon the Ameri
can and French forces in the Toul
sector is understood to indicate that
the Americans sustained more than
two hundred casualties.
European.
Kaiser Wilhelm Svisited the scene
of the English raid at Zeebrugge. He
is stated to have convinced himself
that the damage caused by the blowing
up of the railway bridge had already
been temporarily repaired.
An Amsterdam dispatch says that
it is announced that the German min
ister to The Netherlands has left The
Hague for Berlin and that the Dutch
minister to Germany is on his way
from Berlin to The ; Hague. This in
some circles is taken to mean that Hol
land and Germany are near at war,
it is stated that Holland will preserve
neutrality, whatever j happens.
Air observation shows a clear break
of twenty yards in width in the Zee
brugge mole at the inner end, says a
London dispatch, and further states
that a sunken object blocks the great
er part of the channel in the harbor
of Ostend.
Crews of the ships which took part
in the raid on Zeebruge have many
thrilling stories of their adventures.
One of them describes how, despite
the fact that the Germans discovered
their presence they made their way
throuhg heavy gunfire, one vessel get
ting to the wharf and remaining for
an hour and a half.
Winston Spencer Churchill, introduc
ing in the British house of commons
the estimates for the ministry of mu
nitions, of which he is the head, said
that during the five weeks, since the
battle in France had opened they had
been passing through the greatest
strain regarding the supply of war ma
terial that had occurred in the expe
rience of the ministry.
It is stated in high naval eird es thnt
hthe operations at Zeebrugge were a
complete success, with the result that
the Flanders flotilla now will be oblig
ed to resort to the Ostend route in
putting to sea.
Australian and English troops have
recaptured Villers-Bretonneux and
taken more than six hundred thousand
prisoners in that region, according to
the report of Field Marshal Haig.
; Dispatches from the front indicate
that Austro-Hungarian troops have ar
rived in Belgium. Many troop trains
are reported to have passed through
the railway station at Liege.
, The Presence of many Austrian sol
diers is reported at Antwerp and
Chent in Belgium.
Fighting in the region of Aveluy
wood near Albert is reported to be
still going on. But there is little
change in the situation, with the Brit
1Sne sressive at some points.
The British military authorities have
taken over control of the principal
Irish railways, the postoffices and tel
ephone exchanges, according to the
correspondent at Corl
TOpposition in Ireland to conscription
has crystallized into a semblance of
organization. It is stated that a large
section of the Irish people must be re.
garded as solemnly pledged to fight
against enforcement of conscription
The majority of the Irish colleges'
and universities, it is stated, will d
dlfQ a.1fcess sllortly and the stu
dents will return home in an effort to
avoid conscription.
Full details of British and French
activity against the submarine men
ace around Zeebrugge and Ostend
have not yet been made public, but
it to known that volunteers were
chosen by the British admiral in com
mand for the dangerous task and thT
only one British torpedo boat destroy
misirn,SUnk' WUh fUr S-er
cube wtST1 aW' lhe cbancor
t Z 1 , excheQuer, has introduc
ed the budget bill for the coining 7f
andestimates the expenditure for
period covered by the measure at
proximately I14.860.9S5.0G0 I P
STRIKE Hi
IPJPRtS SE
ALLIED LINE S 3TiL
ENEMY'S LOSSES Mr, 1
ING HIGHER
fiNES m nut J
Germany Has Preser,
ted v
malum to Russia,
Threatern,
to Take Pet
rgrad.
wsimany-s armips ,
-i
selves againsc a granue 1
, uu.ea - ,
er fighting of the mo,", , ' fs i
the British and ..u ,.
intact and the enemv w T
in his repeated 1?
nuci uie allies ?tand
The objective of thfi fiI? V
now is going on is the 6f tla 5
Ypres, where sir.c-p 114 m:
have held their positions r K
...v-u nuts Werp fn...
WQrl and U
,liU me salient in fmn.
city ,was wiped out, but irm,
positions the British m,.-. lI
. . 'cmea 3 .
during fne terrific fighting '
spring of 1915, when they stopl:
Germans in their first drive K
channel ports. jr
The present battle apened
Dombardment of the Britkh
French lines from Meterpn'
mezeele, a distance of 12 mne, T!
.auic lepuns 01 a spread of the 5
Ing around the curve in th0
front of Ypres until the Belgia
m'C3' uuuu cny .were inwvpi
Field Marshal Haig's official re'J
anxiously awaited, brought the 4!
that the utmost efforts of the Ge-c'1
had been fruitless all along thef
The field marshal's statement r
that the Teutons had paid a 1
price and had gained virtually t0
ing. ' 1
The battle still continues alorg-J
frnt, but there is little indicatof
t:
c:
f.'
t:
'
t I
r
c
f
t
V
t.
an immediate withdrawal from Yp--;
is contemplated by the allies, at ie
until they have exacted from the 1
emy a great sacrifice of human live;
The. only point at which the to
mans made any gains was on their
sector of the front back of Ivenr'
hill, where the French are stanfe
At some points the enemy was aa
to occupy portions of the line, t
from the greater part of these the
were driven out by the French w
re-established their defenses.
Frontal attacks on Ypres would
seem to indicate that there is lit
confidence in the German gene
staff that the Ypres positions can
outflanked from the south. The'fe
as they stand today are very stroitf
and withstood the onset of the Ge:
mans in 1914 when the Teuton e:
peror's army was a much different
machine than it is today. '
Repulse Means Much.
The bloody repulse of the Geraffi
in their great plunge forward
mean much in further operations:;
that sector of the battle line. I
While the struggle was going c:
before Ypres, the British ' position
from LaBasse to Houtholst wood, vl t
from Lens to Vimy were deluged
shells, but so far there has been bo
infantry fighting reported from thi:
part of the front. - An attack on this
salient in the German lines is es?ec
ed soon, however, for it stands a; 1
constant menace to a further adva:c
by the enemy.
Along the front in the Somme sec
tor, part of which is being held if
Americans, there has been little fil
ing of note. Further south there have
been only patrol encounters.
Germany has presented a virtui.
ultimatum to Russia, demanding
able-bodied German prisoners of
be sent home at once, proposing--return
that only sick and incapac;-'
ed Russians held in German
camps shall . be turned over in
change. If the Russian govern--does
not bow to the demand. G2: -
has threatened to take Pe;rograd
committee of 115 Germans has be -appointed
to go to the Russian cap
to present the demand.
EDITOR OF GERMAN PAPER
GETS FIVE-YEAR
TER
Kansas City, Mo. Carl Gl' ' 3r. Po
lisher of The Missouri Sta
pleaded guilty in federal c urt l-
Judge A. S. Van Valkenh ireh.
charge of violating the pp:"::a?f' ?
He td-qq oontonpoH tn fiVP vear
federal penitentiary at Leav :n
With Jacob Frohwerk Gleeer ,;
of articles appearing in the
tion attacking the adminisira
tion.
FUNERAL ATTENDED
RSOS
BY ONLY ONE P
Detroit, Mich. With only one
son attending the funeral ot
Schmidt, self-slayer, belie
veil
0 l"
fcr
ponce 10 nave ueen i-f , he;d a-
tuc uta Lii ui mice
Adele
mgniana jrarK, Mrs. tbe
Braun, to whom Schmidt, u h?.
name of Braun, was marneu
wood, N. J., in 1914, was tn
mourner. The exact time or
aeral was kept secret.
t:
h