The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-11-25
In Dashing Attack Americans
Force Enemy to Raise W hite
Flag
HAD TOW ROPE On
ENEMY CRAFT
But Submarines Tanks Were
Filled and She Went to Bot
tom, Cheating Captors OF
Their Prize

Washington, New. 24.--The United
for all the world to see. This time
there is no shadow of A doubt
Forty-fve German officers and crew
are prisoners aboard destroyer or
landed at an allied port under guard
An American destroyer has laid q
tow line aboard a prize only to have
the prize wrested from her and sunk
by German treachery.
The news came nrst in an official
bulletin from Secretary Daniels. 1t
told OF how a destroyer. still un-
named, sighted periscope and
charged. as destroyers do, on the
flash. An American depth bomb
her horizontal rudder smashed, she
there klein Yankee eyes and straight
aimed Yankee shells found her.
smashed her and sent the white flag
OF surrender fiuttering to the stubby
mast above her coming tower.
Crestfallen German SAILORS climbed
out of the open matches, the last the
captain in his sea boots. They held
up their hands above their. heads. and
on the instant the American fire was
withheld.
IAeae- -sssssaries -rer-ersta
here There was no repetition of the
horrors of the Belgian Prince, One
Of the American destroyers, careless
OF whether another L-boat was Turk
ing near. ranged alongside. and under
the ancient code Of the sea sought to
save those who were but now her
z Ss ssaI Ii r. saa=e vsE iii
Even In this situation, however.
Germany broke the law. With the
flag OF surrender aging. with her
crew uphsnded on the deck, someone
was told of below to open the sub
merging valves. Hardly had a tow
line been mace secure to the sub
marines deck when she began to sci
tie. The quick regular settling meant
the tanks were being filed
She sank and with her the man
who had ssayea below todo this deed,
He, his surrendered" ship. and hJs
dead nessmstes went to the bottom
together.
These are the vivid details OF the
battle as they were learned this after
noon. Officially the navy department
confines itself TO a bare announcement
that submarine has been account
ed for that she was attacked by
depth bomb and gunfre. that che sur
rendered and sunk when being towed.
Secretary Daniels refused to give
further details because the statement
given out was one prepared In con-
junction with th- British admiralty
and agreed upon for simultaneous
Issue In Washington and London. The
details given above, however. are
from an exceptionable navy source,
Not only are they vouched for In this
way but they conform in every way
with the official bulletin as published.
1t follows:
Dispatches received from Admiral
Sims state that a German U-boAs has
been accounted for by American d~-
stroyers operating in European
waters. While on patrol duty a de-
stroyer sighted pertscope 400 yards
off. Immediately ringing up full speed
ahead, the commanding officer headed
his craft TO pass a few yards ahead OF
the submarine AS the destroyer
passed over the U-boat's course a
depth charge was dropped. This evil
IDENTITY caused damage to the U-boat
which shortly afterwards preached
about 500 yards away.
! Fire was Immediately opened on
A.. the submarine by two OF our dN-
stroyers. which etrcled about their
target.
The submarine did not return the
| Are and was evidently disabled. One
/ OF the destroyers got a line to her.
| intending to tow her, but the boat
soon sank."
One sailor Man Dead.
| At least one OF her German crew
paid with his life for this encounter.
One man WAS brought aboard the de-
stroyer desperately wounded. He was
carefully tended with the best medical
attention. clad in dry clothes and
placed In the clean, warm sick bay of
the destroyer. But despite this care
he died and was buried at sea with
all the honors due a sailor man,