Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-04-26
TO Armed Liner Mongolia
Falls Honor of Bagging
German U-BOat.
GUNNERS SCORE CLEAN HIT
AT DISTANCE OF 1000 YARDS
Periscope Is Smashed by Shell
and Goes Down in Swirl
Of Water.
NO DOUBT or IT'S DESTRUCTION
Attcmpt to Torpedo Liner Made on
Last Day OF Voyage To Brit
ish Port


rsy Associa,cd rr"ss
LONDON. April :5.--Captain Eicc. OF
HE American steamship Mongolia.
which ha- arrived at "a British port,
told III. Associated press to-day that
tho Mongolia had nred the first gun
of The war for the United states and
sunk German submarine.
Tn. reriscopn was sighted hcdh ahead
On the last afternoon OF the voyage.
The captain gave tho order Ior full
i,!nr tho submarine.
rhe perscorc disappeared and a few
minutes .ator rcappcarcd on tho ships
iroadsidc. The runncrs fired. hitting
ihe periscopc squarcly and throwing up
\ mountain OF water.
HARD ron CAPTAIN
TO CONCEAL his Pride
Captain Rice outiined the incident
+, with modcsty, but could not quito con
zeal tic pride nc fcl, in tho achieve
ricnt Of his ship. lie paid a high ,ri.
butte TO the EunncrS and especially to
the manner III which they were han
died by the officer who directed tho
Tr:Dg OF tho telling shot.
For nvc days and nights" said Cap
tain Rice. II hadn't had my clothes of
and VIC kept big force OF lookouts on
duty all the time 1t Was 80 o'clock
~ the afternoon OF the 18Th that we
sighted the submarine. The officer
,"iuma ndne the runners was with INC
~ the bridge. where, III fact. We had
Lecn the most OF thu time throughout
The vc:age. -:lrcre was a haze over
the sea at the time we had just taken
sounding. for VIC were getting near
SHALLOW water aud we were look ing
- ;hc lead when the first mate cried:
There's u submarine off the port bow.
The submarine was close TO US TOO
,iose in fact. for her purposes and
1he was submcrriur again in order to
Inancurcr in better position for tor
pedoinE us when VIC sighted her. We
saw tn" periscopc 60 down and tho
swirl OF the water. quickly ordered
nsn at tho wheel TO put in TO star
board. and We swung the nose of the
ship toward the spot where tho sub
marine had bccn seen
We were going NJ fun speed ahead
aud two minutes after wc first sighted
til, J-hoat IL emerged again about
1000 yards off Its intention proba bly,
had been To catch us broahSidc on. but
: when 1t appeared We had the stern
gun trained fun ON il.
Tho lieutenant gave The command.
and the big guns doomed, VIC saw the
pcrisoopc shattered. aud the shell and
tho submarine disappeared
Il assure YOU We did not stop TO
rcconroitcr after the incident. but
steamed away a, fun speed. for il was
not improbable that there was another
submarine about. Tho ono got un-
doub,cdly had been lying on the bot
ton, Al this spot waiting for tho ship
and came up when it heard our pro-
rellers. Immediately sent wireless
message stating tina, submarine had
been seen.
"rliEODORE H0OSF:NEI.T"
FIRES FIRST Gun OF WAR
That's about all the story. excepting
this:
"'rhc gunncrs had named tho guns
:. on board the Mongolia. and The one
which got tho submarine was called
Theodore Roosevelt: so Teddy fired the
first. gun OF the war after all
Captain Rice recalled that he came
from .tllston. Mass. and that the en-
counter with tho Submarine occurred
on the date when tho Bay State was
celebrating the anniversary OF the
battle OF Lexington.
II can't speak too highly Of the cool
manner I'm which the lieutenant
handled his crew OF gunncrs." he said
1T was Hnc exhibition of the cf-
nciency OF American naval men The
lieutenant knew before the shell struck
tho submarine that it's aim was ac-
curate. There is no suesswork about
it, but a case OF pure mathematics.
Taking the speed Al which the Mon
goIia was travelling at the time and
the speed which the submarine un-
douhtedly would make, and computin .
these figures with the distances we
were from tho submarine when il was
first sighted and when it appeared the
second time. II can be shown that the
lieutenant had his gun sighted 10 the
inch And il must he remembered that
the whole affair took only two
, minutes
SHELL DISAPPEARS
WHEN HIT rs MADE
Even more pertinent fact. as re-
cards the ultimate fate of the sub
marine. was that the shell disappeared
Immediately after the hit was made.
The captain stated that she'll always
ricochets in the waters and can be seen
again unless II finds the mark. Oil
also was seen on the water after the
submarine disappeared
The Mongolia was going at full
speed, and was long distance away
when the spray and foam subsidized.
/, hut from the bridge the officers OBJ.
4 served the spot through their glasses
sand they are confident the submarine
was sunk.