The Washington times., 1918-06-11
U-BOATS IN j. S.
WATERS BECOMING
STEADILY BOLDER
CONTINUED from First PaEe.l

CONTINUED from First Page.)
passenger on the big ship which car
ried me really felt that the Germans
would dare assail US, and the bright
afternoon passed as usual on ship
board, jests about the divers being
general enough.
I'VE got our first taste Of sea FER
ifs that evening. Dinner was served
at o'clock and all hands were at the
table when a terrific boom rang out
and the ship shivered from stem TO
stern. With one impulse every pas
senger jumped to his feet, but the
ships officer simply held up his nand
saying quietly It's a depth bomb,
probably a destroyer has got one
Then we all sat down again.
Drops Depth Bomb.
Later we learned that the rearm, st
destroyer on the port side had sighted
the periscope. hoisted his danger sig
nal. dashed forward at lightning
speed over the exact spot where the
submarine was seen and dropped
depth bomb Of the extremely effective
sort, which has nearly settled the
submarine peril.
"Officers OF the liner. and submarine
confident that one U-boat would muir
der no more. Injunctions by officers
Of the ship to sit close by our life
preservers were needed after the first
brush. Every one on board senscd
his real danger and many an eye was
Enclosed through the long hours Of
the night But always to port and
starboard tnc grim dostrUyers kept
their watch over their biz convoy Of
liners while al s.c1L-Iy ZigzaG5cd
on their way.
along toward midnight a fog
closed in, thick and woody, and then
only the occasional roar OF the steam
er's whistle and answering roars
from the other liners. showed that
the vessels were stilI in their ap-
came from the destroyers. They
watched.
Fog Blows Away.
with the break OF the day the
high fog was blown away. and then
it was seen our liner was alone.
plunging steadily along through
sea on which a dense blanket OF mist
still lay to the height OF about twelve
feet. High on the bridge our cap
tain, his mate and the lookout scan
ned the water through the mist which
rolled about us and at just about
$50 a. m, action began when a look
out sang out: Something ahead, sir,
two points on the starboard bow
Instantly every gun on the bridge
was turned on the something and
each pair Of eyes tried to make out
her outline through the fog. At first
the outline OF the vessel as she lay
49, he 10 living mi Of
suggested a fishing vessel. but as the
big liner swept along, the coming
toweT and two periscopes Of the Ger
man We're discerned
Then was the time for quick de-
cision. It was fight OF run. Our cap
tain hesitated not an instant. We
will run her down. he said. and
threw his wheel to starboard while
the submarine, which evidently had
seen US, was seen to get under way
awe've Got Herr
Right on through the fog drove the
big ship. We've got her. said the
captain as his bow hung right over
the divers hull, but he was just a
second too late, and as the ship plow-
ed by within six feet OF the foe, those
on the bridge could plainly hear the
chug, chug, chdg, OF the divers en-
CINE and her fo'c'sl watch, leaning
over the rail, looked right down on
the decks Of the submarine as she
swept by along the side Of the big
ship with her stern toward the liner
and her bow outward at an angle Of
about thirty degrees.
"If she has stern torpedo tubes,
we're gone was the captains
thought His attempt to ram had
failed and quickly he changed his
plan, throwing his wheel hard to
port to bring his amidships howitzcr
and his stern gun into play. 1t was
only a second till the big ship veered.
Then the diver. partly submerged,
came abreast OF the amidship. She
was a bare seventy yards away.
"'Give her a cylinder quick yelled
an officer, who had sped down the
boat deck. An instant later the roar
fthe big gun rang out, and its
conclusion rocked the ships a. its
charge sped on its way. Just thirty
seconds later the stern gun fired at
about coo feet and the shot was seen
to strike, just at the base of the
divers coming tower. Instantly
there was a terrific explosion, a great
burst Of smoke and flame. When II
cleared away the submarine was
gone.
"'Are you confident we got her. I
asked the captain.
CONFIDENT he replied. 4 saw the