The sun., 1918-07-20

broken water over the submarine. The
gunner who fred one shot came In the
boat to Point O. Woods. and insisted all
the way that his bolt had gone home.
I'm sure we got the U-boat," he de-
clared again. as he came up the beach.
II seen shot land II below the peri
scope"
The officers, were inclined to take his
statement with reservation. saying that
In the smoke that belched from every
side OF the ship after her magazine
went up no man could have been sure
OF his aim. But the gunner was insist
emit
The men brought ashore also a rumor
that one of the ships boats had been
sunk by submarine shell fire. This how
ever. they had heard from another boat
which hailed them after they had set
their course for the shore.
One of the men came ashore in a
gunnysack. He had been IN a bath
tub when the ship was struck. He
said that he and hundreds Of others had
slid down the vessels side as she lay
at sharp angle and that others had
gone overheard through her ports. But
no man had left her until the definite
order had been given to abandon ship.
Formerly the California.
The San Diego was originally the
armored cruiser California. and was
built in the Union Iron Works, San
Francisco. in 1907.
She was one OF seven ships all laid
down at about the same time, and al
though the type is now regarded as OBJ
solete for fighting purposes, the vessel
and her sister craft have been Of great
service in conveying troops transports
and on patrol duty
She was renamed San Diego after the
present dreadnought California was
launched. She was 500 feet long. 696
In the beam, drew "a feet inches and
displaced. with her normal coal supply
in. 1850 tons. Her engines. Of 29.65S
horsepower. gave Ter a top speed of %
knots, and she was equipped with an
armored belt six inches through at its
th!ckest point, amidshps,
Her armament consisted Of four s
inch fourteen inch and eighteen 8 inch
rapid fire guns She carried also four
three Founders and had two is inch tor
pedo tubes. She had four tunnels, one
standing military mast and one basket
mast.
Built at Cost Of S5,34I.7S4.
In Feace time her complement con-
sisted OF forty-nine officers and 4s7 men.
oHe NoSt so,SSl,iOf 10 DulIu ana arm
and for the first few years Of her ca
reer was flagship OF the Pacific fleet.
When she was flagship OF the Pacific
feet and on her way from La Paz, Lower
California, to Guayamas. Mexico, nine
men Of she San Diego were killed by a
boiler explosion on January 81, 1915.
Two OF her crew were adjudged guilty
of negligence by court of inquiry
Later. in the same year. the turret crew
Of the San Diego won the record with
100 per cent. Of hits with eight inch
guns from her forward turret and gath
cred in $4,000 in navy prize money and
the Spokane cup, held the preceding sea
son by the Arkansas. The victorious
gunners fred at rate OF more than
three and one-half shots a gun each min
ute.
The last heard Of submarines on this
coast up to yesterday was a report ten
days ago when the crew OF the schooner
Manxman were landed at an Atlantic
port Their vessel was destroyed in
the neighborhood of Cape Race in the
middle of june. There were reports
after the destruction of the Manxman
that submarines were still lurking in
the northeriy steamship lanes, but none
OF them was ever verified.
AS late as ten days ago the navy
warned all coastwise shipping to keep
a sharp watch for undersea boats and
advised ship masters to lay their coast
wise courses az close to shore as safety
would permit. The admonition was
issued without an intimation as to what
information might be in the possession
of the Navy Department