The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-09-14
THROUGH THE PERISCOPE
Telling the Story of Little Trip by British Submarine and the Strafing of an Enemy Cruiser.
1917, by the International

Down in the interior of the subma- rine a sweating, exceedingly profane engineer did weird things with a gaso- Iine-engine, while the commanding of f1cer of the tiny vessel switched his periscope training gear round and round, to make sure that all was run ming free.
 Forward, charging an eighteen inch torpedo with compressed air, was the leading torpedo-operator-a man dole full of visage, yet light of heart, with a small wife and large family de- pendent upon him.
 The cook, also an elderly able-sea- man, sent forth from his electric stove | chops, while couple oomptY salmon chops, while a coupe of empty salmon tins in the bucket at his feet told of the ever-present preserved provisions. | The rest of the crew-seventeen' all ltold-ascertained that the various parts of the boats mechanism in their charge were all correct, for upon any one of them might depend the life Of the ship and its crew.
 What the Flags Mean. Presently the youthful lieutenant, l who was the boats commander, | glanced at the clock.
 1 "Prepare for seal" he ordered shortly. Down bridge, rails and canyasi Connect up both steering positions!"
 Seventeen men made an antf-trail up the ladder, passing down various com mponent parts of that structure which ordinarily prevented them com l hitting involuntary suicide by drown l ing and slowing each into It's own appointed place inside the boat A seaman clambered up and held aloft | two flags signifying We request per- mission to proceed in execution of previous orders."a And shortly an an- swering affirmative" from the moth- CT ship acknowledged this mere mat ter of form. Ywo men, swathed like Arctic ex- plorers, clambered to the jetty. They l wore seaboots to their thighs, thick woolen pants over their ordinary clothing and heavy white woolen sweaters above these, while for head gear once-white stocking caps gave them the appearance of amateur pirates. They stationed themselves at the two slender wires one at bow and one at stern-which held the boat i in her berth and watched their com | IldLuCIs 1iOW %1HAhAAeo C%As~A 5O O~N e-~S conning-tower top. 1 "Cast off forwafd!'
 | Looking for Trouble. | The foremost wire fell with a splash. One Arctic explorer hauled it ashort and coiled it down, while a l confrere in the boats bows took up a long boat-hook, and, pushing with all his might against the fdock-yard wall, showed the stem of the ship out wards, the screws, meanwhile, assist ing the rudder to get the boats head pointed in the direction she intended | to pursue. The after-wire followed
 suit, the two Arctic explorers clamb- ] cred aboard and took their places with ] their comrades on the turtleback as ! the tiny, craft swept towards the fraotfth of the harbors and thesopen sea. Stations, trim sfor. ydfvings" When I this order was given theF land had I been left behind, misty blur. and right ahead of the submarine ap- 1 peared a smudge of smoke. well \ see who this chap is, and what he Il wants!" said the commander.
 He was, as it turned out three | tfunnelIed cruiser, eastward bound
 evidently in a hurry. From the cut of him he could not belong to an Al Nlied Navy; therefore, it was the sub- marines duty to strafe him.
 Through the periscope the young lieutenant watched, till he made out 3 Haunting eagle ensign at the new
 comer's stern; still to stay furthel with siW inches of broonstick showing was asking for discovery. Ii
 Down to fifty feetv' he ordered. Y
 The men stationed at the valves ! which worked the horizontal rudders moved them slightly, the fingers of z r pair of clock faced depth gauges com.
 menced a mad St. Vitus dance, ana presently slowed and stuck tenacious ly to the named figure. The boat wal blind. Slowly, having mapped out with uncanny precision point where 1.-the path of the cruiser and of the i submarine must meet, the lieutenant Iwent ahead. Three minutes later he fose, till his periscope was just above sea surface. He raised his hand. | ssThe Bolt of Death.''
 stand by the tube!' he called
 softly.
 "Ready, sir!'' came the report. The hand dropped.
 "Firei"
 There was no thunderous dis
 charge; a faint hissing of compressed
 air was all that told of the release oi
 the underwater weapon. A quick
 jerking cant, as saltwater rushed 1T
 and filled the now-empty tube.
 + The submarine turned on her heel
 and sped off like a frightened fish
 The torpedo, leaving behind it a thir
 white trail, headed straight for the lunsuspecting enemy. It struck. There twas a dull, shuddering thud that llcame faintly to the listening ears
 twenty yards below water, a long rolling wave that heeled her over
 even in the depths, and the cruiser
 took sudden list to port, what time
 her crew. in panic, cast boats to the
 sea and flung themselves overboart
 after them. I
 And, with the wetness gleaming or
 her grey whaleback, with her con
 ning-tower hatch open, and God
 pure air and sunshine. streaming in
 to Ter vitals, the submarine lay, {
 mile away, watching till the cruiser lifted her stern in a last farewell tt
 the skies, and then slid, on a long slan down to the oceans bed.
 YOM KIPPUR SERVICE
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