The San Francisco call., 1903-12-05
Daring BoatSWain
Prevents Loss
of Adder.
Perilous Swim With a
HaWSer in a
Tempest.
Pursuers of Runaway Sub
marine Craft Have a
Thrilling Expedition.

NORFOLK, Va. Dec. 4.-The naval
tug Peoria, towing the submarine tor
pedo-boat Adder, has arrived at the
navy yard here. The Adder was saved
by the heroism of Boatswain Deery,
who responded to call for volunteers
and swan 400 yards with line to the
Adder from the tug and pulled haw-
ser after him. The Adder is leaking
badly. The Peoria left tonight for
Curritdcut to aid the Yankton and Vix-
en- in floating the Moccasin, which is
| now high and dry upon the beach.
When the boatswain, Deery, respond
ed to the call for a volunteer to swim
to the Adder, a thirty-mile gale with
mountainous seas was sweeping over
the Peoria and breaking the drifting
Deery with slender line fastened
around his waist battled with wind and
tide for 400 yards, finally reaching the
Adder and gaining her deck. There he
hauled a thick hawser aboard by
means of the life line and made it fast.
tossed about like cork one minute and
driven far beneath the surface the
next, reeling and wallowing in such a
manner as to make it almost impossible
to retain a footing upon her scanty
decking, but Deery held on until he
had finished his work. Then he went
back to the tug hand-over- on the
hawser.
1t was said at the navy yard to-day
that Boatswain Deery would be COM
mended at once to the President for
bravery.
Great confusion was caused by the
conflicting reports regarding the where
abouts of the Peoria, Adder and Yank-
ton. The navy yard was without in
formation whatever and the Weather
Bureau reported the tug and the Adder
going direct to Annapolis In naval
circles these circumstances, together
with the inability of life savers to enter
the stranded vessel, caused some un-
easiness, especially over the condition
of the Moccasin.
The Curritutcut 1ife-saving station
reports the Moccasin in good condi-
tion without any water in her From
reports received, however, it is not
thought any headway may be made
toward floating of the vessel without
the aid of wreckers, as she is high and
dry upon the beach atNlow water and
directly in nasty surf at high tide
The Adder is leaking and her ma
chinery is badly damaged. Lieutenant
English. commanding the Peoria, says
the little boats towed very well. indeed.
until they were just off the Virginia
capes. There the heavy seas running
at that time proved too much for the
ropes of the Adder, which was towing
first. following the tug. They snapped
short and two submarine vessels went
adrift The Peoria sought to catch
them, but they drifted southwark be-
fore the wind rapidly. There were only
the broken bits on which to get hold,
so the tug could only run in between
them and keep them from bumbing to-
Eether
The seas were running entirelys too
high, the lieutenant said, for the Tug
to run alongside the boats, and it
would have been suicidal to have low
cred a boat. All the Peoria could do,
therefore, was to keep the boats apart.
All Wednesday this continued and then
the line between the boats snapped.
1t was then that Boatswain Deery,
who comes from the Brooklyn, rer-
formed his heroic act in a last at
tempt to save the boats.