The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-09-19
MHIM or A WOMAN
5t Cost Her Her Life In the Wreck
of a Submarine.
DROWNED WITH HER FIANcE.
Story Of a Pathetic Episode That Was
lntertwined With the Tragic Loss
with All on Board Of the French
Torpedo Boat Pluviose.

with All on Board OF the French
Torpedo Boat Pluviose.
Underlying the tragedy OF the loss
of the French submarine torpedo boat
Pluviose with twenty-seven lives
when she was sunk in the bottom of
abe English channel by a collision
with a surface steamship on May %,
He10, was a piteous episode, involving
Ahe death of a beautiful and brilliant
young Frenchwoman.
The French government suppressed
the story so thoroughly that to this
day the name of the young woman is
mot known save to those In paramount
authority in the navy, but American
naval officers say the fact of the hap
pcning has become known TO other
naval men all over the world.
The Pluviose and sister submarine
mad gone out from the navy yard at
Calais about ! o'clock in the afternoon
for a series of maneuvers. She was
about two miles from shore and was
slisporting in n series of dives and ris-
1ngs to the surface. The feat known
rs "porpolslng" was being accom-
Elished with great skin, the submarine
being entirely responsive to every turn
of directing wheel in her machinery.
The act of "porpoising" is an imitation
of the action of the porpoise in its leaps
above water and prompt disappear
ance Immediately afterward. In the
Submarine the maneuver is made for
the purpose of scouting, the boat be-
ing brought toward the surface sufii-
ciently for its periscope TO protrude out
of water, when the officer below is en-
sabled to make a general circular sur
vey of the water above him. Then the
boat dives out of sight. In case of war
she would have sighted her enemy and
he enabled to proceed closely to bat
1leship or cruiser and discharge tor
pedOes directly at her foe.
In the act OF thus coming to the sur
face the Pluviose came mp directly un-
der the channel steamship Pas de Ca
lais. The keel of the Calais struck the
submarine and tore huge hole In her
upper easement. rent fifteen feet
hpAtp tNp lttl WIN ihlV thiS Nlt
water rushed The submarine stag
gered along with her hull just showing
above the surface, her engines dis
abled. her crew unable to do anything
10 check the thrush Of water And she
went down.
She had d crew of twenty-seven men.
Commandant Pras was the senior Off
FHhara txryn nth
Which one OF these three 1t was whose
sweetheart was aboard is not definite
ly known to the American naval Off
GERS, but they declare there is no doubt
of the fact.
One OF the three officers listened to
The pleadings Of his fiancee that she be
allowed to make "A trip In the sub
marine with him and share with him
the peril that his duty so often required
him TO brave. He must have had a
consultation with his brother officers
and got their consent to wink at II,
for the regulations OF the French navy
strictly forbid women 10 make any
trips In submarine boats. Perhaps
the very fact that II was forbidden,
that II she succeeded in making a
Journey to the bottom Of the sea in a
submarine she would have enjoyed an
experience the like OF which no other
Frenchwoman might claim, actuated
her. But, whatever the conditions that
brought II about, the young officer
did escort her secretly aboard the Plu-
viose.
She wore n long oilskin coat and
ssou'wester hat belonging TO her sweet
heart, which sufficiently disguised her
sex TO admit of her going aboard with
out being challenged by any of the
sentries patrolling the quay where the
Pluviose lay tethcrcd ON the day that
sshe was to make her fatal trip. And
the GIRL smiling over her triumph,
climbed down the ladder into the little
gasoline filed room and heard the or
ders given for the battening down OF
all the hatches the firm screwing into
places of these coverings and then
a,erhaps fasclnutedly, watched the dial
Indicator as II told how the Pluviose
WINS sinking deeper and deeper into
the sea.
Divers who went down after the
Pmviose was sunk, carrying below
steel cables with which Intellectual at
tempts were made with huge derrlcks
above TO bring the Pluviose to the sur
face, reported that they heard rnpplngs
On the interior OF the submarine. In
any event, when. days later. the Plu-
viOse was raised and tuggcd into shall
aOw water. none that had been aboard
of her was alive. She had filled com
4pletely with water. AS she was raised
the water poured from the great cash
ahRt had been cut in her steel case
anent by the Channel steamship.
Once in shallow water II was the
work OF only little while TO remove
ahe covering OF the coming tower. In
shGt tower they found the young OH
cer. And dead IN his arms. with her
own arms tightly clasped around his
meek and her young face resting
against his breast, they found the
young woman New York World.