Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-06-05
Liner HAS
SCRAP WITH DIVERS
Belief Is One Of Her Two
Shots Sank U-BOat---A
Thrilling Scene

London, june 5.-The American arm.
ed merchant liner Mongolia put into
British port today bringing as dramatic
a tale OF a brush with German subma-
rines as has been told in Germany 8
submarine warfare and with her crew
confidently expressing the belief they
had sunk one of the enemy submarines.
The Mongolia ran into "nest'' OF
submarines and had her first glimpse of
periscopes when 225 miles from her port
of destination. This was on Friday,
June /. One "eye" of submarine was
sighted a hundred yards distant and inn
mediately the American naval gun was
trained on it. Almost simultaneously
the aft gun spoke in a shot fired at the
second periscoRe, this one about 1900
yards distant. Lieutenant Seymour, u.
5. NJ, in charge of the gun crew, be-
lieves this aft guns shell reached its
mark and that the submarine was sunk.
The first two shots from the Amer
ican guns brought a British destroyer
hurrying upon the starboard horizon.
Watched Destroyer Work
! Two hundred American Red Cross
workers en- route from Chicago tc
France to join base hospital No. ls
! from Northwestern university hung
over the Mongolia g rails and yelled
"get 'em," as the long grey British
destroyer sped aft, barring her teeth in
a great shear of white spray flung out
over the green wake.
As the chase started, the destroyer Is
bugler stood on the deck of the speeding
ship and sent over the waters the clear
bugle notes of the "Star Spangled Ban
ner" and "God Save the King.''
The destroyer thrice circled the
Mongolia--the gallery" of Red Cross
officers, nurses and men following hur.
riedly from port to starboard and back
again, unwilling to lose sight Of her for
a single second lest she run down her
quarry.
Before the destroyer could come up,
however, three torpedo had been launch
ed by the submarine and sent speeding
through the water toward the Mongolia
Immediately the Uboats were sight
ed the Mongolia began to zig gag. The
torpedoes could be seen, marking their
white track through the water = but
they missed. All passed astern of the
American ship.
Life Belts at Dinner.
Failing to reach one of the enemy
boats for an engagement, the British de-
stroyer ducked back alongside. Through
out the remainder of the afternoon she
stuck close at hand, frisking gravely
about occasionally like sedate old
greyhound.
1t was exactly 1915, according to
those aboard the Mongolia when the
ships alarm of one long and four short
blasts brought all the American ship 8
passengers and her crew to the lifeboats
all with their life belts buckled on.
There was no panic.
Just before the brush with the Ger
mans began and for Is minutes while
the aft gun was firing, Gunner Andrew
Fleming, of Philadelphia, was in charge.
Passengers and crew alike-all wear
ing their life belts--lined the rails dur
ing the fracas, some silent, holding
fingers tightly stopped into their ears
while the guns were barkinfg, or else,
when the firing was over, crOwding the
side to cneer the wallowing, dipping
destroyer while the Britisher exchanged
flag signals with the Mongolia.
Most of the saloon passengers dined
that same evening still wearing their
cumbersome life belts.