Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1916-07-20
STORY OF l-BOA7S TRIP ACROSS
THE OCEAN READS LIKE FICTION
Commander Of Intrepid Crew Tells in Modest Manner How German
Submarine Dodged Hostile Warships in Remarkable
3a00-Mi Voyage.


ing. We had library of forty vol
uiLeS. A good many Of our books
were by English authors. We carrled
many of Shakespeare's plays, Shake
| Speare. you know. Is better known In
Germany than In England. We had
Mark Twaln's lnnocents Abroad some
# Jacobs stories and many Of Dick
ems novels"
How about Jules Verne's Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea?"
'Oh, that book Is too full of inn
| aglnatiOn for u.s." replied the sturdy
| little snllorman with Il laugh.
II suppose you felt you were living
in kctlOn?" asked someone.
mo. 1t was pretty human" was the
remarkable answer. 1--WE did not have
muth time for speculation. We were
divided in four-hour watch parties, and
tlnt kept us busy"
Kept to Course.
Captain Koeng said lie had kept on
the course previously decided upon
without deviation. Asked II the
Deutschland l:nd made detour Of 500
miles to avoid enemy warships, as he
ported. he replied:
"No. indeed. You zee II was much
simpler to subnerge than to dodge
about. But our task was rendered much
more simple by the fact thut we were
not once sighted by IN enemy ship"
Captain koenlg spent eight years
In the North German Lloyd's Aslntic
service. He was once first officer Of
the Eltel Friedrich, now boxed up in
Newport News. He became captain
five years ago, and just before the
war was given command Of the pleus-
ure ship ScheSwig, which he says was
n fine thing for his constitution. MS 1t
took him to the Mediterranean In win
ter aml to Norway In summer.
For many years he has been cit
lien of Bremen, Where his wife, his
lUurteen-yeal-Old son and his little
"maedel' Of six Nre at the present mo-
ment celebrating his success.
Surprised at Reception.
The reception given the Deutsch-
land by Americans came to Captain
K0enlg and his crew as a complete
surprise Eager as they had been to
reach America, grent rs WINS the en-
thuslasm when Cape Henry was sight
el--there was not man on board who
did not feel anxiety over the reception
, they might be given when they got
here. And the captain was the most
anxious Of all. He admits 1t with the
perfect frankness which Is one of his
. characteristics.
: II the reception had been different,
| declares Captain Koenig, he was quite
prepared to swing his boat around and
take her back to Germany. He could
hive done II, he said. without taking
on any supplies. whether Of food. wa
, ter, oil or anything else. The machln-
: cry would not have needed overhaul
Ing.
"a run Of 1000 miles would give us
no trouble at all" he said. "0ur nc
: ti0n radius Is $4,000. We have more
, than enough oil on board for q return
trip. And as for water. we shnll throw
overheard ten tons OF fresh water
which is still In our tnnls. The food
, question Is just as simple. On board
: we live American style-that IN to say,
. on timed things. Even our bread Is
timed. In the can II Is good for six
months. at least. OF course, 1t must
be eaten as soon rs the can Is opened"
; Boat a Mass Of Machinery.
As described by DR.. John G. Travers.
assistant U. s. health officer, who was
taken through the boat by Captain
] KOenlg. the Deutschiand's Interior mp
pears to he mainly Il mass Of machln-
cry. She has hut one deck below and
a seventeen-foot derth Of hnld for her
, cargo. DR.. Trnvers descended through
: the forward hatch. where he found
the crews quarters. hunks on either
, side OF n narrow pnssngewny Lending
;, TO commitments occupied by the cap
tain and his two officers. The cap
= tn!n's room Is scarcely six feet square
. and barely high enough for a man
to stand.
II Is furnished all In metal, with
5 the exception of small oak desk.
b Directly beneath the Officer1f quarters
I Ia the dynamo, which stores electrical
energy 10 drive the vessel when sub.
q merged.
Next DR.. Travers was taken into
I the officers messrOOm. scarcely larger
4 than the starerOOms, with galley
!. built with all the economy of space
}. Of a Pullman dInIng-car kitchen. Aft
e the messrOOm. about one-thlrd the
ships length from her stern, Is the
& submerging machinery and two peris-
" cOpes.
: Aft Of the suhmerglng machinery
0 were the submarines two powerful
!. Diesel oil engines which propel her
on the surface.
Calls II Amazing Sight.
t ~ never saw such mass OF ma
& chinery In my life." said DR.. Travers.
e ut was an amazing sight and | doubt
= II It would mean much except to the
/. engineer who designed 1t. There
4 seemed to be 5000 different pieces.