El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-12-01
HOW SUBMARINE
At TACKS WAR5HIP
NoiselessIy Gets Near to Big
vessel, Deals Destruc-
ton and Escapes.

The Hague, Holland, Dec. IA let
ter telling of an attack by the German
submarine U-26 upon an unmentioned
british warship is published by the
Zeit. 1t begins with preparations for
fine expedition two hours before mid
night" in order to make the strike at
dawn The letter, said to have been
yrritten by a member of the crew of the
attacking boat says:
The Submarine Starts.
"At 1880 there is a shrill whistle
from the little bridge which stands
high above the submarine and which is
covered with heavy canvas. The officer
in command, dressed in his Oilskins,
gives the sign of departure. The cables
are loosened. A short sharp signal to
the engine room. the sudden whirr as
the motor catches, and the U-26 is IN
der wav. The sharp bow plows
through rnc water. On both sides Of the
shin long waves are formed, simmer
mo with light foam in the blackness
Of the sea. We move in westerly
direction. We are going towards the
enemy.
Not a star is visible. A few feet away
from the boat, nothing is noticeable at
all The commander, with his eXpe-
rienced eve. tries in vain to penetrate
through this wall of solid blackness-
THE earliest signs of dawn appear
when Suddenly in the near distance
there is the sight Of a heavy bulk,
swinging high above US upon the water.
We pass through the long tail of foam
which hostile torpedo destroyer has
Just left behind, speeding towards the
east.
Prepares to Dive.
"A signal is heard and men appear
upon deck The boat is prepared for
action The flagpole is taken down.
Part of the bridge is folded together
and well fastened. The periscOpe is
brought up to the proper height.
"A young lieutenant is posted at the
periscope and looks for the enemy. The
sailors take their position near the
torpedoeS The interior of the boat is
lighted with two small electric bulbs.
They make the darkness visible but
give no light
"IntentIy the men all watch the sign
board on the wall in front of them.
The storm which is raging upon the
surface makes itself felt in the depth.
Every motion of the water causes the
boat to rock up and down, up and down,
up and down.
Prepare for Action.
I'VE think of the advantage Of the
man on board a warship. If his time
comes, he can go down with last
look of the happy sun and the blue
sky. We see nothing. hear nothing.
If the boat is to 20 down we shall all
suffOcate in the darkness under water.
Suddenly we all jump up and forget
heat and bad air and discomfort. In
small lighted letters. the signbOard
SAYS: Attention The officer in COM
rnand holds the lever which will release
the first torpedo. The sailors make
ready to launch the second one as soon
as the first shall have gone. A few
seconds pass We must be very near
the enemy. Suddenly the first sign
disappears. Half a second later and
the red glowing letters say Fire. With
a single jerk. the lever releases the
torpedo. A short metallic click, the
noise of the water rushing into the
empty tube and all is over, The second
torpedo is at once pushed into the tube.
A few seconds later and the interior
Of the submarine looks as before the at
tack began.
Finds It's Mark.
But what of the first torpedo? Did
she reach her goal? Instantly we all
have kept count-10O meters, 200 me-
tiers, 3OO-400 Under water no sound
penetrates. We only hear the noise
of our engines. We wait. Nothing hap
pens. Then, suddenly we are all thrown
together by the jerky movement of the
boat Twice or three times more we
feel that we have changed our course
very abruptly.
Then the boat rolls as before. The
regular purring of the engine is heard.
Our submarine is rapidly moving east
ward.
We are on our way home The attack
has been successful"