The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1912-01-04

ueutenant'S Last Words Were
Penned at Seas. Rottom.
FAST IN SUNKEN SUBMARINE;
Commander Of Foundered Vessel Had
Little Thought Of Himself, but Urqed
Emperor to Caro- For the Families Of
His Brave Crew,

Little Thought Of Himself, but Urqee
Emperor to Caro- For the Families O,
His Brave Crew.
A letter showing exceptional devo
ton to duty, written by Lieutenant
Tsuma Sakuma. commander of the
Japanese submarine No. 6, after the
boat had foundered during maneuvers
. IN Hiroshima bay. April Is. 1910, has
been photographed by the Japanese
government, and one of the prints
has just been presented to the library
of congress by Commander Tokutaro
Hiraga, naval attache of the Japanese
embassy at Washington. 1t has been
placed on exhibition at the library
among other remarkable documents.
The letter was penned by Lieuten-
ant sakuma while approaching death
after the sinking of the boat. He be-
gan it about 10 a. m. and ended at
1910 p. M, when he felt himself los
ing consciousness. The last few words
are hardly readable and show plainly
the difficulty with which he was writ
ing.
The letter follows:
words Of apology fail me for hay
ing sunk his majesty's submarine No.
6. My subordinates are killed by my
fault. but it is with pride that l in
form you that the crew to man have
discharged their duties as sailors
should, with the utmost GOODNESS until
their dying moments.
Gave Lives For Country.
1--WE now sacrifice our lives for the
sake of our country. but my fear is
that the disaster will affect the future
development of submarines. 1t is
therefore my hope that nothing will
daunt your determination to study the
submarine until it is perfect ma
chine, absolutely reliable. We can
then die without regret.
1T was while making gasoline
dive that the boat sank lower than
intended, and in our attempt to close
the sluice the chain broke. We en-
deavored to stop the thrush of water
with our hands, but too late. The
water entered at the rear, and the
boat sank at an incline Of twenty-five
degrees.
when it touched bottom it was at
an angle of thirteen degrees. The cur
rent submerged the electric GENERATOR
put out the light. and the electric
wires were burned.
'In a few minutes bad gas was gen.
Grated. making it difficult to breathe.
1T was at 10 a. m. on the 18th inst,
that the boat sank. Surrounded by
poisonous gas, the crew strove to pump
out the water.
LAS soon as the boat sank the water
in the main tank was being pumped
out. The electric light was extinguish
ed. and the gauge was invisible. but it
seems the water in the main tank was
completely pumped out.
Vessel In Darkness.
'The electric current has now become
useless, and the hand pump is our only
hope. The vessel is in darkness, and
note this down by the light through
the coming tower at 11245 a. M
1.-The crew are now wet. and it is ex-
tremely cold. 1t is my opinion that
men embarking in submarines must
possess the qualities of GOODNESS and
nerve and must be extremely painstak-
ing. They must be brave and daring in.
the handling of the boat. People may
laugh at this. in view of my failure.
but the statement is true.
eve have worked hard to pump out
the water. but the boat is still in the
same position. 1t is now II o'clock.
The depth Of the water here is about
ten fathoms.
''The crew of a submarine should be
selected from the bravest. the coolest,
or they will be Of little use in time of
crisis in such as we are now. My
brave men are doing their best.
II always expected death when away
from home. My will is therefore pre-
pared and is in the locker But this is
of my own private affairs. hope Mr..
Taguchi will send it to my father
"a word to his majesty the emperor
1t is my earnest hope that your majes-
ty will supply the means of living to
the poor families of my crew. This is
my only desire, and ana so anxious
to have it fulfilled.
Last Words to Friends.
my respects and best regards to- the
following: Admiral Saito. minister of
the navy; Vice Admirals Shimamura
and Full. Rear Admirals Nawa, Va
mashita and Martha (the, air pressure
is so tight that feel my eardrums will
be broken): Captains Oguri and Ide,
Commander Matsumura. lieutenant
Commander Matsumura. Captain Flu
nakoshi, Mr.. Martha and Mr.. Ikuta. II
Is now 1890 p. n. My breathing is
very difficult and painful. 1 thought
could blow out gasoline, but am in
toxicated with it-Captain Nakane. II
is now 1910 p. M
This letter was found in a pocket Of
Lieutenant Sakuma's coat as he Law il
the coming tower Of the submarine
after it had been raised. a