Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-17
ATTEMPT TO BE MADE TODAY
Powerful Salvage Vessels Sailing
From Toulon.
MALTA WILL HELP THE WORK
Now Known That There Were Two
Supplementary Engineers
Aboard the Boat.

BTZERTA. Tunis, October 17-Prepara-
tons for an attempt to raise the submarine
boat Lutin. sunk near this port yesterday
with Lieut. Phoepon and fourteen men on
board. were inaugurated at dawn. Admiral
Bellue left here at early hour to verify
the spot. three miles of the coast where
the Lutin is supposed to have sunk. AL
though the bottom at that point is sandy
the chances of raising the Lutin to the sur
face in time to save the lives of the crew
are regarded as slim.
The wife of Lieut.. Fepoux commander OF
the Lutin. is Frustrated with grief. and
fears are entertained that she may lose her
mind.
Gloom at the Admiralty.
PARIS. October IA feeling of the deep
est pessimism prevails at the ministry OF
marine here on account of the disaster to
the French submarine boat Lutin. which
left Bizerta. Tunis. yesterday morning for
plunging experiments. having on board a
crew of fourteen men. commanded by Lieut..
Phoepon and which was reported last night
to have disappeared. The principal hope of
floating the Lutin in time to save the lives
of the imprisoned men seems to rest in the
assistance Of the Danish salvage steamer
Berger Wilhelm which. happening to be off
Cape Farna, was immediately. summoned
to aid in raising the Lutin. The Danish
vessel possesses machinery capable of lift
in thirty fathoms of water and 1t is pointed
out that the submarine boat Farfadet.
which sank last summer in the same vicn-
ity but in only ten fathoms OF water. was
nine days at the bottom and when she was
refoated all her crew were dead.
Weights Did Not Work.
At the ministry OF marine it was ascer-
tained today that the Lutin was equipped
with safety weights beneath her hull.
WI wara IIv dot bia md
calculated to permit her to rise to the sur
face in case of danger. Only a leak or an
accident to her machinery. 1t is added.
could have prevented the appliance from
working.
The Lutin is not primarily a submarine
boat. She was built to navigate on thu
surface with the use of petroleum engines
except when she dives to fire torpedoes in
which case the boat is operated by dy-
namo
Rushing the Work.
Marine Minister Thomson has acted with
the greatest promptness. After consulta-
ton with several naval officers he con-
ceived the plan of trying to get heavy
chains from the forts at Bizerta under tina
hull of the Lutin and thus lifting her from
the bottom. But 1t is feared that the tugs
and other vessels on the spot may not be
equal to the task, and the marine minister
therefore has ordered two powerful salvage
vessels. the Polypheme and the Drom-
adaIre, to start Immediately from Toulon
to the scene of the disaster and assist the
salvagers already on the spot.
Although no news has been received from
Valetta, II is assumed that the British ad-
miralty officials and the governor OF Malta
have responded to the appeal for assistance
sent from BiZerta yesterday, at the in
stance Of the British consul general at that
port, who suggested that the French resi-
dent general telegraph to Malta for salvage
assistance.
1t became known today that the Lutin
had on board two supplementary engineers.
who had been detailed to watch the diving
experiments but it is not definitely known
whether they are included in the fourteen
men, which, as announced from Bizerta
last night, went down in the submarine
boat under the command of Lieut.. Phoepon.