New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-02
ABUSED BY OFFICERS,
SAY SUBMARINE SAILORS
Men of Second Group Of FlOtlIIa
at Cape Cod Charge They Are
OverWorked and Badly Fed.
COMPLAIN TO CONGRESS
Attempt to Wreck Machinery
Leads to Punishment of ALI
Quarters Given to Won
en-, They Allege.
lbs Telegraph to The Tribune

| the second group or the supndi me ~
tilla now at Cape Cod. 1t began some
months ago at Newport The sailors
claim the submarines arc all COM
mandcd by young officers. who are
most inconsiderate toward the men.
The officers say the regulations DO not
compel them TO observe regular hours
in working their men.
The i'll feeling eliminated a month
ago. when ground glass was placed III
the bearings of the machinery OF the
D-3 and the needle spray Of the Gaso-
lene engine was destroyed. Prompt
discovery saved the machinery from
| destruction The author of the out
rage has not been found, and all the
enlisted men Of the second group are
being punished by standing extra an
| Choir watches.
The crews in the second group have
appealed to the Naval committees 81
both houses Of Congress. Several of
| them have written TO Boston news
paper complaining of their treatment.
Denied Sleep for Party.
| Among other things, they say that
while the notilla was at Newport, the
officers gave bathing party for some
OF their young women friends. The en-
| listed men allege they were denied
| sleep because their quarters were given
TO the girls as dressing rooms. ana
both girls and officers appeared on the
! deck in bathing suits.
Because Of the attempt TO wreck the
machinery Of Submarine D-3. all the
| sailors Of the boats Ell. E. and d.
Do and D-3 are serving extra anchor
watches as punishment for concealins
the guilty man.
one OF the sailors said to a reporter
| at Provincetown:
| AN electrician named s. L. Saunders
was suspected Of the Job. Nothing was
! proved against him, and every enlisted
man I'm the second group was compelled
TO stand extra anchor watches. There
are now seven men standing anchor
watch each night as punishment, and
| Lieutenant W. g. Childs says this VIII
continue until the guilty man Is found.
On the first group of submarines across
the harbor one man is standing the
| watch which we are doing with seven
"Saunders's time OF enlistment eN-
pirtd the other day. and since they had
no evidence to convict they let him 60
but gave him a dishonorablc discharge.
| writing across his discharge papers:
Suspected " trying to destroy the ma
chincry Of d g."
Twenty enlisted men visited re-
porter at a hotel. and among the things
they told him We're:
Say They Are Overworked.
Look at our eyes and the lines on
our faces, They come from overwork.
lack Of sleep and bs food. We are the
| victims Of unnecessary zeal and In
tense rivalry between the youthful
commanders of these submarines. Some
| % them have no consideration for their
men. and they treat the reguls tons as
though they did not exist.
Naval custom is that no man shall
do more than eight hours continuous
duty. and that all Sundays and hoh-
DAYS shall be observed and only such
work az is absolutely necessary shall
be done on those days. on the battle
ships and cruisers these customs are
observed.
| ION the submarines We arise At 90
and 60 on duty at $50 We continue.
with brief interrnission for luncheon,
until $50 at night-twelvc hours
straight After supper we continue TO
work three or four nights a week until
. o'clock in the morning. or even until
revelle.
"The food on the submarines is very
bad. The government allowance is ~
cents a day. On the cruisers 1t is 80
cents. Yet, when We get chance ia
eat aboard one of those boats 1t is like
visiting a swell hotel.
"Our menu is horribly monotonous
II CONSISTS of FISH. hash. stew and flap
! lacks. coffee and tea, without milk or
| sugar. and never any dessert. II is al
ways badly cooked and the conditions
under which we eat on the submarines
are dreadful.
'It is a punishment TO sleep in the
boats and the idea of tenders like the
Tonopah is TO provide proper sleeping
quarters when possible. Those Of us
who have the anchor watches have to
turn in on the submarine. Think Of
sleeping in widowed cellar-thats
what they are
"Men overcome by gasolene fumes.
which frequently happens. get jab Of
the hypodermic needle. The medicine
chests on each boat are almost always
empty. a man cannot be put on the
sick list without the consent of the
commanding officer.
| cts bad enough 10 have to work all
day and all night, but TO have our
few hours of sleep interrupted by
dances. tea parties and bathing parties
nv the officers is unbearable."
The letter TO the newspaper says,
among other things:
"Your investigator will find almost all
the men in the submarines Older than
twenty-onc on more than their first
enlistment and skilled mechanics.
They possess a deep sense OF right and
iustice and resent the acts of their
superiors in rank. who, when in sui
,an mood. resulting from an all night