Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1916-07-20
Story of Voyage of German U.
Boat Across Ocean Out
rivals Fiction.
HOSTILE SHIPS ARE DODGED
Submarine, During Hazardous $500
Mile Run, Submerged Many Times
to Escape Possible Attack
From Enemy.


ture no less thrilling than those which
NIL the pages of Jules Verne's Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea-" are
called up by the amazing story of the
tf1p or the German U-boat Deutsch-
land across the Atlantic ocean--a voy-
ase that has been pronounced the most
darlng In the history of the sea.
The story of the remarkable voyage
made by this submarine-the first to
cross the Atlantic ocean-through
maze of hos lie warships, has been told
simply by Capt. Paul Koenig, COM
mander of the undersea craft.
koenig was modest about 1t all. He
had few words of praise for his
crew and none for himself. When he
spoke of the fatherland his eyes spar
kted and his whole Lody twitched with
eagerness. When he talked of "just
dropping down when he saw 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 Aim:
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
render?"
The undersea shippers 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? couldn't
tell about that-postively l can't.
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
Fears No Enemy Warship.
And he has every confidence that
ne will take the Deutschland back to
Bremen loaded with the rubber and
nickel that the Fatherland so Graves
for it's munition factories.
ask, ten, q 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.
1.-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 | 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 go"
Koenig is small man, ordinarily
looking until he begins to talk, when
his force and personality become at
once apparent.
First Submarine Trip.
One of the first questions asked of
him brought one of the most surpris-
ing renIies of the interview. Request
ed TO tell in detail of all the submarine
.experience he had before being select
Cd 70 attempt the crossing, he replied
quickly:
"But you see have not had any.
t.f course we practiced after we went
aboard. We practiced great deal.
Navigation ! know. Submarines !
think I know now.
"Was It fun? Sometimes, yes. Most
y was fun In the English channel.
There we lay ten hours on the bottom
snug and comfortable. Some of us
silent and some Of us read, ana most
of us listened to our graphophone play
,nr beautiful song from Peer Gynt.
while above us ragged the destroyers
md cruisers that would have thought
ms the very choicest of prey had they
hut known what lay hidden there be,
low them. It was not long ten
hours We drank little champagne
and we ate and attended to the ma
chinery.
.No we didn't submerse because OF
.,v cruiser chasing US; not once were
we chased"
How They Submerged
Nothing more vivid about adven,
,ure couId be drawn from koenig than
the detailing of these times I'VE 1hs'
s.,r- As far as his words went. that
ras oil there was to 1t. A vessel was
s;gntad. the Deutschland was quickly
submerged: she ran along under water
for q time. and then-she came vi
and opened her matches for fresh AR
while officers and men went a'"u
their work, their rest, or their P'"'.