The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-03
Experiences of British Ship
Captain While Prisoner.
Seven Vessels TOrpedOed While
He Was on Board.
WHEN DEPTH BOMBS BURST
Faces of German Sailors
Turned White With Fear.
Vessel Shook-Charge Was Not
Close Enough To Sink It.

(Correspon ienss- OF the Associated Press.l
London. July 15.-Sensations ex-
perieuced in a German submarine
while depth bombs were being dis
charged overhead were described re-
Gently by a British merchant ship cap
tain who was prisoner for fifteen
days aboard a U-boat.
In an interview the English COM
mauder. captured by the Geru-ns
after his vessel had been torpedoed,
related how the depth bombs shook
the undersea craft and created con-
sternation amo the sailors. In one
instance the faces of the Germans be-
came white with fear and all stood
trembling after the first shot, which
was not near enough to destroy the
submersibIe- All were expecting
second discharge
The English commander reached
his native land after having been i'm
priSoued for months at Brandenburg.
where. he said. he and other ship Of
ficers az times mad been haruessed to
is which were used to haul mail
AMI packages from the postoffice to
the prisoners camp
Seven vessels were torpedoed by the
Germans while the British captain
was aboard the C-boat Previously
the English officer Rad been in COM
md % a merchant vessel which had
also met .ts fate at the hands Of 4
submarine crew.
"O7 tn, third day after had been
taken prisoner" said the captain. Just
2 f-sr the midday meal. gathered that
the 81 bmarfne was about to carry out
m attack on 4 convoy which had Just
hen sighted The T-bOat approached
. hru~rged for some distance and tor
r doed large steamer Our where
2 outs apparently We're detected, I vas
It'd. hy an allied light cruiser, for we
Owed rapidly 10 4 treat depth
When Depth Charge Exploded.
"Ha rtfIv had tie submarine reached
N even keel when We heard and felt
a tremendous exDl0siCn which caused
49, C-boat tC Nitrate from stem 70
8 m II was a depth charge from the
c--r==~-
re effect on the crew was evil
- All stood trembling with faces
r'r~ched with fear. not attempting to
0a'-. e~Dectins a second charge, the
: suit of which might mean the de-
, -rrc+ ~ Of the heat and without the
SLIT chance for rs to escape
TIRE IS no doubt IN my mind OF
tr- r--7taI attitude Of the crew. for Il
VS. rot the first experience of the
~ with depth charge. and they
y y AIMED from others in the service
v-'-0t terrible weapons depth bombs
We IN the Ia Sds of skilIfUl seamen-
20 some rrouents We waited;
engines were stopped and all means
ere taken 70 prevent giving iudica-
ron Of our position Minutes ed
l-'-a hours m such a situation I'll ad-
TIT that : was turning over in nv
mind whether should see nv family
20 in No additional explosions took
place however. ard after remaining
some eighteen fathor1s deem for a
long pe-iod We continued our voyage
Another Depth Charge.
"A few days later we had another
experience with depth charges, or
-waSser bomben' as the German sail
ors call them. A sailing vessel had
just leen sunk by shell fire when two
allied destroyers were sighted, and
down we went BY the nicrophones
the propellers could he heard. and as
the vessels came nearer and nearer