The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1910-07-15
BANGS RIVAL
naval VESSEL
Submarine Bonita Seriously
Damages GunbOat CdStlne
COMES UP UNDER HER HULL

Beached In Hurry to Prevent
Sinking In Deep Water-submarine
Escapes With Little or No Damage
Provincetown, Mass, July "a
The gunboat Castine, in submarine
boat attack drill, was rammed by the
submarine Bonita, her plates pounded
in. and was forced to make all speed
TO shore to prevent her sinking in deep
water.
She was beached off North Truro
Just as her boiler and dynamo COM
partment flooded, extinguishing her
fires. Although all the personal be-
aongings of officers and men were car
ried on deck during the race to the
beach, no boats were lowered.
The submarine boat, which was
leading the attack on the Castine,
had made a deep dive. Through a
misjudgment of distance, the boat,
while going at full speed under water,
crashed into the bottom of the Cas-
tine, glancing down and passing COM
pletely under the gunboat, scraping
her length along the keel of the Cas-
zine.
By a seeming miracle the subma-
rine was not greatly injured. One of
the plates of her armor forward was
dented, but not enough to start a leak,
and some of the guard rail on deck
was carried away.
She came to the surface Immediate |
iy after passing under the Castine, |
and stood by, while the Castine raced |
for shore, settling at the bow with |
every turn of the propeller.
The accident happened about A
O'Clock yesterday afternoon. The
gunboat, which is the flagship of the
dotilla of the six submarines, which
are holding maneuvers off Province
town, was hove to, but under steam,
about a mile off North Truro.
The submarines had left Province
town harbor early in the day, and 1t
was supposed that the entire feet
had sailed outside. That an attack
would be made during the day was not
expected.
The Castine was wholly unprepared.
Many of the crew were overheard,
swimming about the ship. The usual
perfunctory lookout was maintained,
but nothing on the wide expanse of
water gave the officers of the Castine
slightest warning of the approach of
the Bonita.
The impact was so great that men
on the Castine were thrown to the
deck. Following the first thud, came
a series of bumps as the boat under
water grated along the hull.
Immediately the deck rang with
orders. On the bridge Lieutenant
Koch, in command of the Castine,
hurried orderlies about.
Even then no one knew what had
hit the gunboat. While the crew were
wondering what had happened, some
one reported to Koch that the Castine
was making water fast In the boiler
and dynamo compartments.
Then, out of the water at the side ]
Of the gunboat appeared the turtle
back of a submarine boat. The SAIL {
Ors on the Castine saw the big whale
like craft rolling. Every one feared
that the submarine had been dam
aged, and expected to see 1t sink.
A second later the hatch of the
submarine opened. Ensign Danen-
hover, in command of the craft, i'm s
shouted out that the sub |
marine seemed tight, and that no one q
was injured, although they had all [
been piled headlong by the crash. d
That the submarine escaped has c
created the widest wonder among ma c
val men. Never before had such an L
accident happened that the subma- I
line was not lost with all on board. .