The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-08-26
IN PERIL UNDER SEA
Submarine Boat PorpOise's Crew
Battle For Life.
SAVED BY OFFICERS NERVE.
Nelson Worthy Candidate For Car
negie Hero Medal--vssssl Sank IN
Twenty Fathoms and Refused to Rise
Hard Work at Hand Pumps.

neaie Hero Medal--vsssel Sank IN
Twenty Fathoms and Refused to Rise
Hard Work at Hand Pumps.
Newport, r. T.. Aug. 2G.-The con.
slant risk undergone BY the officers
ana men serving in the submarine tor
pedo boats was illustrated OF Bren-
toms reef when the Porpoise went
down to the bottom Of the sea IN TWEEN
ty fathoms Of water. which is far be
low safety point, and came to the sur
face again only after the most frantic
efforts on the part Of The men who
were shut up in her The mishap Is
regarded here as being very valuable
in the experience it has given and as
throwing some possible light on the
mysterious loss OF an English sub
marine boat In the British channel last
spring.
The Perpoise. under the command az
Lieutenant Charles p. Nelson. who had
with him Lieutenant T. s. shapley and
crew of eight men. had been going
through the series Of test maneuyers
which have been in progress at this
station all summer. She went to Bren-
tons reef light and there submerged
preparatory for trimming, going down
/ to depth Of twenty feet When Lieu.
( tenant Nelson tried to stop her, he saw
at once that something was wrong, for
the boat continued to settle. Either
there was a defect in the sea casks or
one OF the diving rudders was out Of
gear
Something Wrong With Valves.
The boat was sinking rapidly and
was getting into depths where the
pressure was dangerous. The order
was given to blow out the tanks and
thus give additional bnoyaney to the
boat. but something was wrong with
the valves they leaked under the great
pressure ana THE apparatus refused to
work.
BY this time the boat was on the bot
tom, twenty fafhoms below the sur.
face. The pressure Of water was So
great that it began to triekle in
through tie seams, and il looked as il
II would be only matter Of time be-
fore the crew would be drowned With
out having haa a chance TO aght for
their lives.
Neither officers nor men lost their
heads. They knew that they were ID q
serious If not desperate position. but
there still remained the hand pumps
which bad been provided for an erner-
gency Of this kind, The prospect was
a little hopeless, FOR the pumps had not
been designed to work at such depth
The first efforts were Of no avail. The
men toiIed at the pumps, but no effect
was made on the tanks. For thirty
minutes they worked III relays. putting
every pound Of power they possessed
into the work And yet the boat re-
manned moti0nless on the bottom and
the leaks were slowly but surely In
creasing
+ff - ~tNF4
Il looked as If the boat ana her crew
were doomed, as there was 40 posi-.
bic escape for the men. When the
British submarine was raised last
spring it was found that the crew lad
opened the mamhole with the hope Of
being able 10 yet ont ANA swim IA the
surface, but the inrugh Of water had
been SO great that they had been hurl
ed back into the boat and drowned
Immediately.
At the end Of half an hour. without
any apparent reason. the boat began
slowly, almost impereeptibly. to rise.
The men worked at the pumps with
renewed Yigor As the boat got out 81
the extreme depth and the pressure
iessened she went UP more rapidly
and IN fifteen seconds she was floating
on the surface, safe and sound. exeept
that there were fifteen inches 81 water
in her
The official explanation is that the
Polpoise had not been docked for
cleaning for nearly d year aud the sea
Cocks were clicked up The matter has
been reported 70 the navy department.
and it is likely that an investigation
Will follow Captain Frank f. Fetch
er who has command Of the torpedo
station says that the officers and men
deserve honorable mention for the way
they retained their nerve and r,r,sa,..,,
Of mind under most trying conditions.