Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-05-08
british NAVAL RECORDS HOLD
TALES Of FIGHTS WITH U-BOATS
Stories Brief Form Reveal German SavageY and Frghfuness
With Occasional Touches of Comedy-Many Describe
Hairbeadth Escapes and Gallant Defense
by British Sailors

LondOn.-In a big room in Whitehall
there are kept all the records of Brit
lsh merchant ships encounters with
U-boats. There they are, volumes and
volumes of the most damning evil
dence, indelible for all time, of Ger
man savagery and British bravery.
Ever since Germanys cOld-blooded
1rightfulness at sea began these rec
OTds have been piiing mp in this room;
and only now are they being allowed
70 see the light.
They tell of all kinds of ships, from
Zig liners down to tiny schooners. All
ere short. but realistic, testifying to
the British merchant sailors behavior
against the ugliest methods of German
warfare. They tell of fights with
submarines. often against enormous
odds, and of hairbreadth escapes; of
gallant rescues and perilous adven-
lures in small boats on the open seas;
Of German submarine crews who
teered at their victims, and Of some
few cases where the German crews
helped to rescue them.
Here is a typical story OF fight
between a merchantmen with a little
gun and "a U-boat II is perhaps one
of the longest OF the records.
There was a heavy sea- with squalls
of rain. and the time was eve minutes
10 three In the morning. The captain
Gays:
Sighted Submarine Ahead.
almost immediately / sighted a
submarine right ahead crossing from
etarboard to port II was very big
one. and there were four or five men
around the coming tower put helm
hard a-Starboard aud tried to ram
him. hut missed by feet, rs I could
hear the men shouting aboard her. As
soon as saw / had missed her !
sung out to the guns crew Look ont
close on port side there and I put
the helm hard aport TO bring the ene-
my astern
almost Immediately afterward ]
heard the report of my gun. end, turn
ing round. saw big bright fiareup In
the water In the port quarter like
biz explosion. This was verified By
the guns crew, the second officer and
the mate. who was the spotting officer
About ten minutes afterward I no
ticcd what appeared to be the wake
OF torpedo passing along the port
side. aud I shouted the guns crow:
Took ont port quarter againT and
Put The helm 20 port; hut as | was
calling out my orders second officer
and guns crew observed the bow and
steru wake of q submarine on port
quarter steering parallel 10 US and
coming on at a good speed.
eve fred on him. but made no hit
aud I ordered the men 10 cease fire.
rs hoped TO escape In the darkness
and the flash of the gun was very
brilliant il being dark night I
then ordered the chief engineer "a get
his men down the stokehold and drive
the vessel 10 his utmost, and ordered
the guns crew to stand by gun, and
every one TO put n lifchelt on"
The captain continues with a fine
touch of unintentlonal bravado:
Felt Enemy Was Pursuing.
AS the officers had not yet had
their coffee | told the steward to get
It for them and went back tn the
bridge and spoke to the second officer
about keeping sharp lookout, as /
felt somehow that the enemy was
chasing US"
He was, sure enough, for adds the
captain:
About twenty minutes past six
o'clock / went below 10 the chart room
TO get our position again. and almost
Immediately l heard a terrific explo-
EseH on tire port side I ran mp on
fhe bridge and ordered all boats out
and called the wireless operator to
sen6 out an $ O s aud give our post
,io:D As his machine broke down al
most Immediately We got no reply. A
few seconds after the first explosion
] heard the heavy, dull, explosions