Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1916-07-19

wouldn't you like to know, now2
laughed Koenig. TT is a secret, on
method for avoiding mine fields, bu
this much l can say-we German
know a trick to beat the mines DANCE
and I used 1t In my run through tn
Channel.
'Taking soundings is simple. Their
is a tube which projects from tn
Deutschland's bottom and through TIL
tube we heave the lead. BY a system
of valves we prevent water entering
the hull while the soundings are balm
taken. But this is dry talk. Let m
tell you about our happiest evening.
The Champagne Party.
Then the tale of the Champaign
party came out.
''And we felt that way" said Koenig
referring to the "bells on our fingers
song "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. th'
Deutschland breasted the Atlantic rol
iers and proceeded upon its business
officers and crew had plenty of tins
on their hands. The long days ant
nights were divided into four-houl
watches. shifts on duty for four hours
at leisure for four. on duty again fol-
four. and 50 on. necessarily they kept
vigilant watch for enemy craft-any
craft.
KOenig, who knows New York as
well as he knows Bremen, says the
North sea and the Channel were as
crowded as Broadway, and at night
about as garishly lighted with those
"detestable destroyers" playing tag all
over the waters with their searehlights
\ lot of time he poked the periscope
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 phone
graph. Every Submarine carries a
phouograph. II is as much of the sub
marines equipment as a torpedo tube.
We keep it going pretty steadily Cat
times, of course. when there was no
special danger in enjoying music), and
we had a fine lot of records, though
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. I'VE
have Il fine little library of German,
English aud Spanish books. "
ut was remarkable" Koenig said,
AL things considered, how seldom the
submarine was forced to dive. In the
entire trip only ninety miles was I'M
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 1t
was quite judicious for a nice, fat,
quite helpless U-boat TO risk sun or
There never was Il close
call
No Warship Saw Them.
mot one time in the whole trip
were we seen by a warshipr explained
Captain Koenig. And I very much
doubt If as many as half dozen mer-
chant ships spted US. We, of course,
saw scores of craft. The very last one
we sighted was thirty miles off the
Virginian capes, a big white fruit boat
rolling home from Jamaica. suppose"
The Deutschland submerged less
than twenty times from Bremerhaven
to Norfolk. Six times ia the North
sea 1t recIsoned discretion as the bet
ter part. six times in the English chan
mel, and six times in the Atlantic. Once
In the Channel it chung to the sea floor
for ten hours. II can stay down four
days. if necessary. 1t can resist the
terrific pressure of 300 feet Of water.
Boat a Mass of Machinery.
AS described by Or. John c. Trayers,
assistant e. s. health officer. who was
taken through the boat by Captain
Koenig. the Deutschiands interior APP
pears to be mainly n mass Of machin-
cry. She has but one deck below and
a seventeen-foot depth Of hold for her
cargo. DIR. Travers descended through
the forward hatch, where he found
the crews quarters, hunks on either
side Of marrow passageway leading
to compartments occupied by the cap
tain and his two officers. The cap
tain's room is scarcely sly feet square
and barely high enough for a man
to stand.
1t is furnished all in metal, with
the exception Of Il small oak desk.
Directly beneath the officers quarters
is the dynamo. which stores electrical
energy to drive the vessel when sub
merged.
Next Or. Travers vas taken into
the officers messroom, scarcely larger
than the stateroorns, with n galley
built with all the economy Of space
Of n Pullman dinlng-car kitchen. Aft
the messroom. about one-thlrd the
ships length from her stern. is the
suhmerging machinery and two peris
copes.
Calls It Amazing Sight.
Il never saw Such n mass Of ma
ehinery in my life" said Or. Travers
1T was an amazing sight ana doubt
If 1t would mean much except 10 the
engineer Who designed 1t. Their,
seemed to he 5000 different pieces
an iuexpncable tangle Of FURNISHED
copper and glistening steel"
Aft of the submcrging machinery