The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-09-03
ERE is A WILD .
IL YARN ABOUT 'F-4

u u YAKN ABOUT ia . +
News concerning the submarine F.4
is not all to be learned along the Ho.
nolulu waterfront. Sometimes it is
necessary to go abroad for 1t, and one
OF the most interesting of recent items
concerning the craft now resting on the
lnter-Island drydock comes from
Bridgeport, Connecticut, appearing in
the Sunday Post of that city of August
8 and signed by Warren w. Levers
Mr.. Levers said that he got his infor-
nation from a Bridgeport diver "who
does not wish his name known for
business reasons" but the writer slip
ped hint as to who this diver might
he by describing him as "a world re-
nowned diver who holds the record for
deep diving and for time under
water" and also causually referring
to him as "Mr. Evans"
Some Graphic Bunk
The story slipped along by the
Bridgeport paper is as follows:
Confirmed rumors have been
brought to Bridgeport from the Pacific
Coast. to the effect that the United
States submarine F-4, which was sunk
in forty fathoms Of water off Honolulu
early last spring, has been raised and
the bodies Of the crew, partly consum
ed by chlorine gas, buried on the is
land and the illfated submarine allow.
ed to slip hack into the watery grave.
$50 mutilated was their bodies that
it was impossible to ascertain wheth.
err or not the men had taken their
own lives in order to end their suffer
ing after they were certain that help
was not at hand. 1t had been rumor-
ed at the time of the accident that the
men would probably take their own
Lives IN order to lessen, their suffer-
ing This, IL was said, would have
been possible ard even probable as
there was plenty of ammunition and
revolvers on board the ship.
Narrator Hides Identity
"The story was brought to Bridge
port by a local man who does not
wish his name used for business rea,
sons. He was born in this city and
is one Of the best known divers In
the world and was connected with the
rescue work of the Empress of Ire
land which was sunk in the st. Law
renee river more than a year ago. In
order to complete some Of the rescue
work a safe had to be blown up With
dynamite. This act the local man ac'
complished and was highly paid by the
British government.
"The ga, Mr.. Evans was told
was finally raised early one morning
after divers and diving apparatus had
been employed for more than a month.
Several attempts to raise the sub
marine failed, as will be remembered
by newspaper reports, and other aP
paratus necessary for its successful
raising was ordered to be sent to the
island from the Brooklyn navy yards
Reports concerning the work of raising
the submarine grew less frequent from
day to day and at last nothing more
was heard about the sunken boat,
Bodies Of Grew Buried
GAS far as the public was concern,
ed the submarine would never be rails
ed and the widows of the missing men
had given up all hope Of ever seeing
their bodies. Whether they have ever
been informed of the fact that their
lpartly consumed bodies were buried is
not known, but it is known, and the
knowledge is supported by well con-
firmed rumors, that the ship has long
since been raised and the bodies of the
crew buried.
"The fact that the ship has been
raised and that the bodies were buried
Is generally known by men high up in
naval circles, it is said. Reports con
corning the successful raising of the
ship have been censored whenever pos
sible and it is only through the reports
brought East by the divers that the in
formation has leaked out.
Heard Prom Workers
"The local man did not spread the
information concerning the raising OF
the submarine. 1t was told to him by
other divers who had been engaged
in the rescue work and he quietly pas
sed the tip on to his friends. He
did not know that The Post was 90,
ing to print the story and was not
even interviewed by Post reporter
Such things have to be done quietly
and for any person in this man 8 pc
sition to give out such a story for pub
IiHatiou might lead him into compiled
tons with the Uuited States govern
ment
AFTER two months information con
corning the lost ship ceased and the
public was left in doubt ~ to whether
, the boat had been floated or not. II
is said that men employed in the rails
ing of the ship were held in strict COZ
fidence when upon raising the ship II
was found that the men had been cor
sumed by the deadly gas.
'This is :he first time that the new
Of the lost boat being raised has eve
been published, as far as can be as
certained. "