The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-03-27
Not Believed Possible That
Amy Member of Crew Sur
vive on Submerged Craft
No Details Given
From Honolulu
indications Point to Accident
Which Cost Lives of Every
Member Of the Underwater
Fighting Ship

Uonolulu, Marcel, a6.--Ihc
United states submarine FL,
with twenty-one men aboard,
WAS located this afternoon when
grapplers attached TO the naval
tug Navajo encountered great
mass of wreckage on the sIoping
bed of the harbor.
Rear ADMIRAL Moore eabIcd
the navy department at Washing
ion late tonight that the missing
submarine T-4 had been located
III NIFTY fathoms of water.
At this hour II Is impossible
to tell whether or not any of the
crew T. alive. If they are. IL will
st' miracle. Naval engineer,
with bowed heads. admit that the
FIRST fatal submarine disaster I'm
the navy's history has occurred.
A, soon AS the Navajo had en-
aonntercd the FL, she summoned
the steamship Maksaia. Cables
were attached tn both tug and
steamship and they started to
drag the submarine to the shore.
-
Washington. March 2s.--Prac-
thssuy no hope Is now entertained
nv the Navy Department that the,
.mnaIider ami crew OF the sunk
en- submarine F-4 are stil1 alive in
the vessel a. she lies at the hot.
tom of the entrance of Honolulu
harl,or
The fact that fuel oil from the tank,
II the FL has been found on tn,
sArfsce af the water near where IN.
submarine sank is regarded as strons
Indication that the vessel IL prac.
.iealiy wrecked. either from an in.
.errai or external cause. 1t is MOI
believed possible, therefore. that Lieu.
tenant Eide or any of his crew oi
twenty five men can still ne alive ii
ner. Other facts point TO the same
conclusion.
First Fatal Accident.
This IL the first fatal accident tbs
United states navy has experienced
with the submarines, Several year.
sgo an American submarine was sub.
merged for twelve hours off Newport
K. l.. but was finally brought 10 the
surface and all on board survived
The F-4. while not one OF the lates
submarines, was equipped with al
known devices for safeguarding tn,
lives on board. That none OF thes.
has been used and that no signals o.
distress have been heaid or seen ar.
regarded as evidence that the yer,
worst liz to be anticipated when tn,
boat Is eventually recovered. The r.
4. like other submarines, Is equippee
with safety air locks taroagh which
j man can be shot out to safety. Il
fzas also a buoy. which, when released
by the turn of a handle inside the sub
marine, rises at onv~ TO the surfac,
Of the water to mark the location o.
the vessel. The F-4. buoy has no
been seen. Also the submarines have
IN their upper decks bells which car
be sounded from below.
ON shore and also on naval vessels
1t Honolulu, are devices for receiving
signals. and nothing has
been heard in them since the IA wen
down yesterday morning. These facts
together with the oil discovered OF
the waters surface, are regarded a!
to show that all life or
the IA must have been extinct yer,
soon after the occurrence OF whatever
accident befeli her.
Several possibilities are suggested
hy naval officers here In explanation
At the accident to the Ed. One !.
that she might have run upon an un'
pinnacle.