New-York tribune., 1906-04-29
Il NARROW ESCAPE.
Submarine Cre7c Loses Control
Dozen 600 Feet for an Hour.

One of the greatest naval problems of the day
is the real value of submarine vessels. Their
efficiency is highly indorsed by many experts
and severely questioned by others, though they
have not had much of a chance yet to show their
destructive powers in actual warfare. The un-
certainty connected with the operation of these
strange shells, crammed with intricate mechan-
ism, was forcibly expressed to a Tribune writer
the other day by a petty naval officer in relat-
Ing comparatively recent and almost fatal ex-
perience of his in a submarine. He said
When we take dive it's gamble, more or
less. whether we will ever come up and see day
light again. 1 out alive from my last
trip, but the call close one and will go
down in submarines more"
Asked to relate the details of his narrow es-
cape. the ex-submarine sailor told how nine men
and two officers of the American navy recently
escaped tragic fate, similar to the fatal acci-
dents which have befaen certain French and
English submarines The feature of his story
which is of most Importance is that which states
the depth - which the submarine sank In the
course of its uncomfortable dive, the greatest
far known. This is automatically mentioned
he says, in the official report by the words when
she touched bottom" So enormous was the
pressure of water upon the vessel when this was
reached that seams and rents were made in her
lining, and interior fittings began to loosen and
trick1ed in at various points. The account of
this unrecOrded chapter of submarine happen
ings is follows:
"In August, not quite two years ago, the sub
marine l was attached to, with eight Others
about 10 a. m. out to make a practice at
tack upon a batteship off the Rhode Island
coast After running on the surface for a
tain distance the order was given to fill the tanks
and trim downfall is to take in enough water
for ballast to overcome the regular buoyancy
In order to cause sufficient downward momen-
tum and enable the boat to dive. We did So
and after the water had reached the proper
height in the tanks the coming tower was closed
and everything was shut off tight The boat
then started to sink.
when ten feet reached, the depth at
which it meant to run submerged until
within hundred yards or so of the spot where
the intended torpedo attack upon the batteship
was to begin, orders given for hard rising
rudder and to go ahead on the propeller. To
our dismay the boat had acquired such down
ward speed that the diving rudder failed to
check her
Further down into the depths she kept sink
ing-twenty, thirty, forty, until fifty feet was
reached At this point orders given to
blow out the water from the mdship tank This
the first indication of genuine danger, for
this is emergency tank, holding one thousand
pounds of water, which is emptied and forced
out under ordinary circumstances in five sec
onds by of a 5O-pound pressure of COM
pressed air, and is the first step in a desperate
situation. This done, and should have
brought the boat to the surface with rush.
but it only mOmentarily checked her. She
started to rise, then began settling down again
with the screw going ahead all the time.
Down down she sank. far down into the inky
depths. Su1tla the craft with a thud cane