The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-06-07
And His Crew Are Vexa-
tiOus and Horrible.
THEY KNOW NOT THE MOMENT
When They May Meet With
Disaster Or Death In Their
Maneuvers.
AN ILLUSTRATIVE INSTANCE

it necessary to lie low an say nuf-
fin" at times. During these "ly-
ing-low" periods an under-sea boat
sleeps the sleep of those who wear
the crown. Peril is Ter bedfellow,
and mischance is ever ready to creep
in.
X-0O discovered this when she
started for the surface to look
around for an opportunity of doing
business. Soon after they were
switched on" her motors began to
run badly and a series of uncom-
Portable jerks gave the craft a
"jumpy" motion.
Something around the propel-
lers, | think, SIR" reported an ar
tificer.
Bad luck" exclaimed the COM
handing officer. Wen try her
again."
And they did. Backward and for
ward surged X-00 in a fruitless en-
deavor to free herself from the OBJ
struction. The trouble grew worse,
not better.
mo help for it, We must go up
and have a look" reluctantly decid-
ed the &c. o."
Now, going up in such circum-
I-to L. I'M ftnh
plunge into danger. One could not
tell what might come along, and a
submarine awash with her screw
"seized up" counts among the most
helpless things afloat. However, the
risk had to be taken, and X-OO
presently heaved her long gray back
out of the water, like a huge Grip
pied fish, and lay upon the surface
inert.
"Fouled a mine, SIR" came from
the men who had gone aft to inves-
tigate. Ugly news this. 1t brought
shade of anxiety to the &C.. O's"
face. The mine must be cleared, or
it would make an end to the boat.
But the job was tricky one. There
was imminent risk of the mine eX-
ploding while being cut away, and
that meant the funeral of X-00 and
every one in her. Very deftly and
cautiously the bluejackets went to
work, and at last had the relief of
seeing the hawser part and the mine
go harmlessly away. Still, troubles
were not at an end. One stretch of
wire had become SO tightly wound
round the propeller that it could
not be cleared, and the boat was
consequently unable to steam.
What to do in this awkward pre-
dicament was the question. Look
ing around him, the &c. o." espied
trawler in the distance, and he
promptly decided his course of ac-
ton.
Get out the boat and fetch that
chap and Wen make him give us a
tow" said he to his sub"
In a few minutes the submarines
trawler. This was taking another
risk. because in these days trawlers
are not always the innocent craft
they seem. And this particular one
might be as inoffensive as she ap-
peared outwardly or she might not.
All this was in the minds of the
Sub" and his men as they pulled
toward the ship and in the minds of
those left in X-00 as well. But the
chance had to be taken.
However, luck was with those
who ventured. as 1t so often is. The
trawler proved to be only harm
less fishing craft-and German at
that. So far from being DESTROYS of
destroying anything, her only
thought was for her own safety, and
she tried to insure this by flight.
But the Sub" and his boats crew
were too quick for her and they
very soon had her heading for X-O0.
to which hawser was run and the
tow began.
You are not supposed all this oc-
Cured as simply as it is warranted,
Just picture the feeling of German
skipper obliged willy-nilly to con-
vert his ship into tug and take one
of the hated English submarines
back to the safety of its own har-
bors. or all salvage Jobs this was
the last he would have undertaken
willingly. Being a wise man, how.
ever. he accepted the inevitable and
tried no tricks. while in their toll
Grant British fashion X-00's crew
agreed that the trawler's men were
mot bad chaps" and established
fairly amicable relations with them.
After the ''tow" had been In prog
rcss some few hours a British de-