Evening star., 1916-05-11
NEW U-B0AT SECRET
WORTH s. GERMANS
Commander Tries to Blow Up
Big Submarine When
Caught.
is INSTRUCTED TO HIDE
INVENTION FROM ENEMY
Five-Thousand-Ton Undersea Craft
Is Enmeshed in British Net.
Wires Fail to Explode Bombs.
Copyright 1916.D


Copyright 1916D
BY HERBERT COREY.
PARIS. May lit was like Christ
mas pantomime," said the Engishman.
TO see the lid of the coming tower
on the submarine pop open and all the
Germans squirt out. Like ginger peer
they were
The Enslishman told the story TO
a few people at a certain embassy the
other day. He had just returned from
a tour of duty on one of the vessels
that fish for submarines He was
bit CHEEKY and talkative, this English
man. The solid land felt so pleasant
beneath his unaccustomed heels that
he expanded. For weeks ne hao oeeh
cooped up on little rolling, dirty yes
sci that smelIed viciously of fish. HIS
morning constitutional had been fouf
paces and a hitch long. The slat aad
rattle of jerking rigging had never
been out of his ears. At any moment
of those weeks a mine might nave
sunk his little trawler. or a 3erman
.ubmarine exploded against her rusty
ribs
Wen know every secret of their
new submarines in another fortnight,
he boasted IF they have any
secrets
On Lookout for Undersea Craft.
His smeared little trawler had
running mate in ner guard or the
channel The other vessel was more
greasy and disreyutable in appearance
Than the trawlef. Pilots of passenger
steamers involuntarily took the upwind
side of the pair, if the choice offered,
and crews 5f other small and dirty
boats who were not in the secret OF
their tasl. were unpleasant in their
comments.
The pair dragged themselves YEARLY
- he heaying green seas of the
cban,el They talked with each other
by hanging out wash on the forecastIe
or rigging patched sails or by the use
of more Ingenious devices. They were
co the lookout for the new German
suhmarIues-the big new hoats "hich
can travel 5000 miles without reNic-
tualing Grant supply stalioh IN d
cove hidden on Long Island ana they
could reach the port of New ork;
One morning the pair stopped iaZlS
down the channel. net stretcheo pe
tween them: as though 4sbsrs ehe{ tSev " seemed ned
10 he Except that the net was or steer
chain and the fish they sought carries
torpedoes in its head
Submarine Caught in Net.
There came a heave at the net. and
before the submarine could back out 1t
had been caught in the meshes. This net
has its own secret. II is not advisable
TO suggest what it may be
We hauled in said the Engishman.
The operation seems TO have been quite
simple Windlasses were set going and
the undersea boat was brought to the
surface of the water. The allies have
heen narticularly anxious to catch
specimen of this particular sort of hsh
alive so to speak. 1t is presumed 10
have many new devices-one of which
enables it to lie on the floor of shallow
channel for example. and send It's men
out through door to lay mines, ana
new mirror to take the place OF the old
r4riscore which the allies wish to ex-
anime closely II was not hard TO brlng
il to the surface. it seems submarine
travelling under water is just a trifie less
buoyant than the water II dlsplaces.
The coming tower came up" said the
Englishman. "and then-whoosh :"
Germans Tumbled Into Water.
Its lid few open like the top of a trick
box Germans began TO boil out of it.
They fairly crawled over each other s
backs AS fast they got to the sun
light they threw themselves into the wa
ter Then they swan TO the fisher boat
and asked to be taken in. The submarine
itself began to sink The last man out
had opened the seacocks and the boat
was filing with water As il 1lled It's
weight became too great for the light net
which held it. 1t broke through the
rneshes and sank to the bottom.
Al the bow and stern Of each of the
new submarines bomb is placed.
said the Englishman. Wires run from
these bombs TO the coming tower.
and IL is the duty of the commandant
TO explode these bombs and sink the
boat rather than permit II TO fall into the
hands Of the enemy 1he thirty-nNe
men of the crew would inevitably die
with the boat in that case, but this
is to be preferred 10 the discovery of
the new secrets. one may character
ize this readiness to die rather than
permit the enemy to make a point
either as heroism or savagery. 1t de-
pends upon ones point of view.
Waited Until Water Reached Knees.
II regret greatly" said the COM
mandant Of the submarine. that some
tried them. but the bombs would not
explode"
AS last resort he had opened the
sea cocks. and not until the water was
plashing about the knees Of the men
inside had he permitted them to open
the lid Of the steel coffin and escape
from the drowning death they faced
He laughed in the faces Of his English
captors he told the story He
thought the secret Of the submarine was
safe. He told them II was sunk 100 faith l.
Oms deep. and that II could never be
raised.
But the water was only ten fathoms
deep" said the EngIiShman. We'll
have IL up inside Of fortnight. Then
well see what are the tricks that Hans
has up his sleeve"
a score Of tales have been told oi
the wonders Of the new submarine II
is at least certain IL will not be a rnys.
terry much longer.