McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1916-07-21
TRIP or UNDERsEA
CRAFT THRILLING
Story of Voyage of German u
Boat Across Ocean Out
rivals Fiction.
HOSTILE SHIPS ARE DODGED
Submarine, During Hazardous $780,
Mile Run, Submerged Many Times
to Escape Possible Attack
From Enemy.

Baltimore, Md.-Pictures Of adven-
ture no less thrilling than those which
fill the pages Of Jules Verne's Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea-" are
called up by the amazing story of the
trip Of the German U-boat Deutsch-
land across the Atlantic ocean--a yoy-
age that has been pronounced the most
daring in the history of the sea.
The story of the remarkable voyage
made by this submarine-the first to
cross the Atlantic ocean-through a
maze of hostile warships. has been told
simply by Capt Paul Koenig, COM
mander Of the undersea craft.
| Koenig was modest about 1t all. He
had a few words of praise for his
crew and none for himself. When he
spoke Of the fatherland his eyes spar
killed. and his whole body twitched with
eagerness. When he talked of "just
dropping down when he saw a de-
stroyer' his voice was calm.
Would He Surrender?
Just once did he display real emo
ton. That was when toward the end
Of the interview this question was
suddenly shot at him:
Suppose on your way back, Just
as you left the Virginia capes, you saw
destroyer bearing mercilessly down
upon you. Suppose there wasn't time
to dodge, wasn't time to submerge,
what would you do? Would you sur
renderT
The undersea slippers face turned
a sudden red that looked queer under
his thick weather tan. His hands
clenched, his eyes flashed, then slowly
each word painfully thought out, came
the answer:
"Would surrender? I--couldn't
tell about that--positively can't l
don't know-surrender? I think the
moment would bring the decision. Yes,
that moment would carry its own de-
cision."
That was the spoken reply, but in
every bit Of the mans tone, In every
set line Of his face could be read the
real answer-Capt. Paul Koenig has no
intention that the Deutschland shall
ever fall into enemy hands.
Fears No Enemy Warship.
And he has every confidence that
he will take the Deutschland back to
Bremen loaded with the rubber and
nickel that the Fatheriand so Graves
for its munition factories.
"Six, ten, dozen, twenty cruisers
outside will not stop u.s." he exclaimed.
1--WE will go back; we will go back
easy. And we will come again, and
others will come and trade will 60
back and forth, and the British block
ade--that will be thing to laugh at.
''The future Of the submarine has
now been proved to be unlimited" he
asserted. 'There Is practically no
maximum to their capacity; their
mechanism has been perfected; we
have shown that they do anything any
other ship can do and more besides.
"About that l am positive. The
coming of the Deutschland, $500 miles
to America, and her arrival with a
range Of almost ten thousand miles
left, with fuel and water and supplies
and everything for that much travel
still aboard, shows that you can go
with submarine simply where you
want to CO."
K0enig is a small man, ordinarily
looking until he begins to talk, when
his force and personality become al
once apparent.
First Submarine Trip.
One of the first questions asked OF
him brought one Of the most surpris.
ing replies of the interview. Request
ed to tell In detail Of all the submarine
experience he had before being select
ed to attempt the crossing, he replied
quickly:
"But you see I have not had any
OF course we practiced after we went
aboard. We practiced a great deal
Navigation know. Submarines
think / know now
"Was 1t fun? Sometimes, yes. Mos
It was fun in the English channel
There we lay ten hours on the bottom
snug and comfortable. Some Of u.
slept and some of us read, and mos
Of us listened to our graphophone play
ing beautiful song from "Peer Gynt,'
while above us ragged the destroyer,
and cruisers that would have though
us the very choicest Of prey had the!
J but known what lay hidden there be
: low them. 1t was not long ter
! hours. We drank little champagne
+ and we ate and attended to the ma
chinery.
mo, we didn't submerge because o
any cruiser chasing us: not once wer'
we chased"
How They Submerged.
Nothing more vivid about adven
l ture could be drawn from Koenig thai
. the detailing of these times 1--WE jus
sank" AS far as his words went, tina
was all there was to 1t. A vessel wa
sighted; the Deutschland was quickl,
. submerged; she ran along under waite
for a time, and then-she came VI
: and opened her matches for fresh ali
while officers and men went abou
their work, their rest, or their play.
+ ->>ooo>~~>~~~~.
Industry.
Industry is in itself, and when prop
erly chosen, delightful and profitabl