The Benson signal., 1916-07-22


Wouldn't you like to know. now?'
laughed Koenig. ut is secret, our
method for avoiding mine fields but
this much l can say-we Germans
know q trick to beat the mines danger
and [ used it in my run through the
Channel.
Taking SOundings is simple. There
is a tube which projects from the
Deutschland's bottom and through this
tube we heave the lead. By system
of valves we prevent water entering
the hull while the soundings are being
taken. But this is dry talk. Let me
tell you about our happiest evening.
The Champagne Party.
Then the tale of the champagne
party came out.
"And we felt that way" said Koenig,
referring to the ''bels on our fingers"
song. 1--WE were the finger-ringed, bell
toed boys, and we didn't care damn
for all the British ships of the Chan
mel patrol"
Rid of the perilOus straits finally, the
Deutschland breasted the Atlantic roll
lers and proceeded upon it's business.
Officers and crew had plenty of time
on their hands. The long days and
nights were divided into fOur-hour
watches, shifts on duty for four hours,
at leisure for four, on duty again for
four, and so on. necessarily they kept
vigilant watch for enemy craft-any
craft.
Koenig, who knows New York as
well as he knows Bremen, says the
crowded as Broadway, and at night
about as garishly lighted with those
"detestabIe destrOyers" playing tag all
over the waters with their searchlights.
A lot of time he poked the periScOpc
clear and sighted looming perils just
in time to dive without being spotted.
But there were dull hours. =.
Had Photograph Aboard.
"How did you folks amuse your
selves?" he was asked.
Mostly" he said, with the phono-
graph. Every submarine carries a
phonograph. 1t is as much Of the sub
marines equipment as torpedo tube.
We keep it going pretty steadily Cat
times, of course, when there was no
special danger in enjoying music), and
the American records were not es-
pecially up to date"
"Have any time to read, captain?
Did the ship boast of a library"
"You bet it did," he replied. "We
have a fine little library of German
American, English and Spanish books" :"
"It was remarkable" KOenig said,
call things considered, how seldom the
submarine was forced to dive. In the
entire trip only ninety miles was un-
dersurface going. This ninety miles
was logged as straight progress and
did not include the times the Deutsch-
land simply went below and sat on its
bunkers, staying there until it felt it
was quite judicious for nice, fat,
quite helpless U-bOat to risk sun Or
moonlight. There never was a close
call.
No WarShlp Saw mem.
'NOt one time in the whole trip
were we seen by q warship," explained
Captain Koenig. "And / very much
doubt if as many as half dozen mer'
chant ships spied us. We, Of course.
saw scores of craft. The very last one
we sighted was thirty miles off the
Virginian capeS, big white fruit boat
rolling home from Jamaica, suppose"
The Deutschland submerged less
than twenty times from Eremerhaven
to Norfolk. Six times in the North
sea it reckOned discretion as the bet
ter part, six times in the English chan
mel, and six times in the Atlantic. Once
in the Channel it clung to the sea floor
for ten hours. 1t can stay down four
days, if necessary. It can resist the
terrific pressure of 300 feet of water.
Boat a Mass of Machinery.
AS described by DR.. John c. Travers,
assistant U. S. health officer, who was
taken through the boat by Captain
Koenig, the Deutschland's interior ap-
pears to be mainly mass of machin-
cry. She has but one deck below and
a seventeen-fOot depth of hold for her
cargo. DR.. Travers descended through
the forward hatch, where he found
the crews quarters, hunks on either
side of a narrow passageway leading
to compartments occupied by the cap
tain and his two officers. The cap
tain's room is scarcely six feet square
and barely high enough for man
| to stand.
1t is furnished all in metal, with
| the exception of a small oak desk.
| Directly beneath the officers quarters
| is the dynamo, which stores electrical
energy to drive the vessel when sub
merged.
Next DR. Travers was taken into
| the officers meSsrOOm, scarcely larger
| than the stateroOms. with a galley
| built with all the economy of space
of Pullman dining-car kitchen. Aft
| the messrOOm, about One-third the
| ships length from her stern, is the
| Suhmorpino machinery and two DGrlS-