Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-04-25
SINKING A U-BOAT.


days work, retired early and was soon
in Greenland.
was ON board my sloop, out on the
fishing grounds, half way from Mt.
Desert Island to Mt. Desert Rock. was
hauling the fish in pretty well, when sud-
denly / saw huge, black hulk rising
slowly out OF the water. AT first thought
it might be . whale, and looked to see 1t
blow, or for it's back I'm to come out.
BY this time il had risen out OF the
water about two feet at the highest point.
1t was 100 feet or more in length, and
shaped like . cigar, only more pointed ct
the ends. ! saw then that 1t was . Ger
man submarine. Soon q small hatch Or
scuttle turned back on its hinge, and .
man in uniform came up the ladder snd
stepped out on the deck. l recognized
him at once from his pictures. II was the
German kaiser.
He turned to me and said: Hi, therel
You idiotic Yankee! What are you doing
out here on my ocean!"
.sPm fshing.' replied, "but do not
consider myself idiotic, neither am ready
to admit that this il youi ocean,"
~ viii make you admit 1t before get
through with YOU" he replied. "Don't
you know that with my feet OF subma-
rines have conquered the world, and now
own all the oceansf Nov, bring me the
fish you have taken. They belong to me,
and want them for dinner for myself and
my brave sailors. After that will sink
your old sioop, and you can try swimming
ashore. don't think you will be lone
some, for l see some OF my good sharks
around here"
Thought quickly, and resolved to take
. desperate chance. "All right" I said,
~ will come over to you ~ soon ~ get
my engines started"
Jumped down and started bot h engines,
and opened them up to their highest
power. never saw engines turn up 90
before. Ny sloop shot ahead and seemed
TO slide almost out OF the water, like .
sea- plane. Isteered straight for the old
kaiser.
"Hil Iii, there!" he yelled. "Look out
or you will be right into mel"
'.Thst's just the way it looks to me-"
replied, and about that time my bowsprit
struck the kaiser amidships, and sent him
spraw ling overheard. My boat siid up on
the slippery, rounded back ofthe subms-
rine, and stopped, nicely balanced, on top
OF 1t. The weight OF my boat and its
momentum overbalanced the subma: inc,
and it rolled down until the water began
to pour down the hatchway. heard .
great connection down in the boat, and
someone shouting orders in German. A
man came up the ladder ana tried to shut
the hatch, but my boat held 1t in such .
way that II could not be closed. Then
they tried to stop the bstcbwsy with
bedding, but the submarine had now
settled SO that the water was rushing in
with such force that bedding and men
were all washed together down into the
bowels OF the boat.
Soon tine u boat was all under, and as
it settled lower my boat fiosted. The
engines had not stopped, and as the
propeIlers took the water, she shot ahead.
soon l heard great roar, and looking
back saw tons of water shooting up into
the air, and in the midst OF il the kaiser,
his arms and legs spread out.
Even a. l looked at the destruction l
had wrought, l heard . bugle call, aud
looking around l saw big cruiser bearing
down upon me. She was bristiing with
guns, which stuck out in all direct ions
like quilts on . porcupine. thought it
was German cruiser, and said TO myself
that now ! wal IN . worse tx than before.
But As she stopped, her fiags blew out TO
one side, and l saw the royal standard
and union jack OF Great britain. l tell
you was some relieved.
One OF the officers standing on the
bridge hailed me, and asked il had seen
any German submarines. "Yes, replied,
'.there was one here about minute ago.
"Where is it nowf" he asked.
"Down on the bottom under your keel,
what there Is left Of it," replied. ..And
the old kaiser was on it, too. There he is
now, just coming down from little flying
excursion be has been taking"
Then the officers asked how I had done
the trick, and after had told them, they
said, "You are . Yankee, all right. Go
pick up the kaiser, get his badges and
shoulder straps and send them to tho
English government and you will be
handsomely rewarded"
Then the commanding oficer lined up
his sailors and they gave three cheers for
the Merrywings and her brave comman-
der.
Then l heard my wife saying: "Wake
up! Wake upi What ais youf Roll
over; you must have been dreaming again.
You've been thrashing around like Ger
man submarine"
Itching piles provoke profanity, but pro.
a NIL