The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-10-24
BOMBS CAUSE
FEAR TO U-b0ATS
British Officer, Prisoner on Hun
Submarine, Tells His
Experiences.

London (by mail)-Sensations ex-
perienced in a German submarine while
depth bombs were being discharged
overhead were described recently by a
British merchant ship captain who was
a prisoner for Is days aboard q
U-boat.
In an interview the English COM
mander, captured by the Germans after
his vessel had been torpedoed. related
how the depth bombs shook the under
sea craft and created CONSERVATION
among the sailors. In one instance the
faces Of the Germans became white
with fear and all stood trembling after
.De first shot, which was not near
enough to destroy the submersible. All
were expecting a second discharge.
The English commander reached his
native land after having been i'm
prisoned for months at Brandenburg,
where, he said, he and other ship ofh-
GERS at times. had been harnessed to
carts which were used to haul mai ana
packages from the postoffce to the
prisoners camp.
Seven vessels were ~torpedoed by the
Germans while the British captain was
aboard the U-boat. Previously the
English officer had been in command OF
a merchant vessel which had also met
it's fate at the hands Of a submarine
crew.
"On the third day after l had been
taken prisoner" said the captain, lust
after the midday meal, / gathered h a
the submarine was about to carry put
an attack on q convoy which had just
been sighted. The U-boat approached
submerged for some distance and tor
pedoed q large steamer. Our where
abouts apparently were detected, l was
told, by an allied light cruiser, FOR we
lt,,Al $40 ,tJ1t, IN n ryrnnf hnnfh
Hardly had the submarine reached
an ever keel when we heard and felt
a tremendous explosion which caused
the U-boat to vibrate from stem to
stern. 1t was a depth charge from the
cruiser.
Crew In Great Fear.
1.-THE effect on the crew was evident.
All stood trembling with faces blanched
with fear, not attempting to speak, ex-
pecting a second charge, the result of
which might mean the destruction OF
the boat and without the slightest
chance for us to escape.
There is no doubt in my mind of
the mental attitude of the crew, for 1t
/ was not the first experience Of the
men with q death charge, and they
had learned from others in the SER
bombs were in the hands Of skillful
Gamer
For some moments we waited; en-
gines were stopped and all means were
taken to prevent giving indication OF
our position. Minutes seemed like
hours in such a situation. I'll admit
that l vas turning over in my mind
| whether / should see my family again.
No additional explosions took place,
however, and after remaining some
IS fathoms deep for a long period
! we continued Jul voyage.
"A few days later we had another
experience with depth charges, or
"wasser bomber" as h German sail
ors call them A sailing vessel had
just been sunk by shell fire when two
allied destroyers were sighted, and
down re went By the microphones the
propellers could be heard, and as the
vessels came. nearer and nearer we
in the submarine could rear the thud-
ding quite distinctly. To and fro the
destroyers went searching for us. Evi
IDENTIFY they picked up a clue, for there
were two explosions ahead but not sc
near us at that from the cruiser
but quiet close enough to cause the
submarine to tremble and hen roll
about as though in q heavy sea-"
Prison camp conditions in Germany
were described by the British captain
as being deplorable.
although we were merchant shir
CIptdlIl5 imprisoned Ut br~dnuenDerS
we were made to suffer various indig.
| nities," he said.
1--WE were compelled to harness our
selves to carts which we had to draw
through the streets to the station OF
p~ostoffice in order to fetch our parcels
and any commodities to camp. IL vas
at this camp also that I saw 800 Rus.
sian soldiers working, all of whom
were in the last stages of tuberculosis
The poor fellows could not get enough
to eat, ard they would eagerly scraps
discarded tin cans in the hope of find.
ing particles Of food I have even seer
German soldiers dc the same thing
we were glad to search the cindel
paths at any opportunity in anticipa.
ton Of finding bits of coke or Goa
with which to cook our food"
The captain said his ship was tor
pedoea without warning, Ind that aftel
he and all his men were afloat in life
boats the submarine appeared IN tn,
surface and he was taken prisoner, tn,
mates and seamen being permitted Z,
start = re direction ,f iap5 Describ,