Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-06-06
48 SURVIVORS LAND
At new YORK CITY
Capt. and Crew of Hattie Dunn
Held Prisoners Eight Days
on U.BOat
HIS SHIP BOMBED
Men Treated We'll on Board Submarine
Had One Dinner While boat was
In - FathOms Of Water


boats, brought to port to day by a coast
wise steamship were landed Tonight
About half of them had been prisoners
for several days aboard the submarines.
The vessel which brought In the AZ sur
vivors was an American steamship which
picked them up at nine o'clock this morn
ing % miles from Barnegat. NJ j.
Captain Holbrook of the Hattie Dunn,
whose home is at Tenants Harbor Me-,
told the following story Of how he and
his men had been kept prisoners for
eight days on the submarine:
1--WE left New York for Charleston In
ballast on May % and when. two days
later, we were about Is miles south of
winter quarter lightship, bowling along
under an eight-k breeze, I heard
shell pass near the vessel. Then came
another shell, which fell perhaps quar-
ter of a mile away when third shell
exploded close by us on the weather quar-
ter, I know that, whoever it was, wanted
us to stop.
II brought the vessel up into the
wind. The submarine, with her SUPER
structure and coming tower showing
plainly above the water came within
200 yards and I saw that she was flying
the two code letters "A 3" meaning
Stop immediately
GIVEN 10 MINUTES LEEwAY.
"From a small staff at the rear end
Of the superstructure fluttered small
flag Of the imperial German navy. An
officer and three men came over in a
small boat. not over ~ feet long. In
perfect English, the officer told us to
get into our boats and that we had
but ten minutes allotted to get clear
of our vessel.
"They placed bombs along the sides
of our vessel and blew her up immedi-
ately in the meantime putting an armed
German sailor on board the small boat
in which were seven men and myself
This did not give me time to rescue
my personal effects and nautical in
struments, and so lost them all My
men saved only what they stood in.
Perhaps I would have been given
more time If the commander Of the
submarine had not seen the Hauppauge,
under full sail, about four or five miles
away. Like us the Hauppauge was
light and. I understand. bound from
Portland to Newport News.
They destroyed Captain Sweeneys fine
new schooner, after ordering him and his
crew to take to their boats and within
Z half hour both crews were on board
the submarine and both, the small boats
had been placed under the submarines
deck and dashed down.
CAPTAIN IN EXCELLENT HUMoR
I'VE were kept below for several hours
until the submarine picked up Captain
Gilmore and the Edna at four o'clock in
the afternoon. Then. I guess. the COM
nander thought he had done a good days
work. for he was in excellent humor and
told US captains that we could go on deck
and have a smoke. He did not extend
liberty to the others that day. but later
they got their chance once in a while.
I'VE submerged many times during the
hrst three days on board and, to a man
like myself who is not used to it, it was
an unpleasant experience. The pressure
OF submerging resulted in smashing our
boats which were dashed to the sub
marines deck, and in few days they
were kindling wood and thrown away.
"Of course We had many experiences
and shall not forget Monday. May 81
when we had our dinner with the sub.
marine lying on the bottom in 2s fathoms
Of water. The commander told US it took
. second to submerge the boat. and there
were times when I could hear them usine
their wireless.
LISTENED TO PRESS BULLETINS.
"One night the sputtering was so loud II
awakened me. They were sending mes
sages either to another ship or to some
shore station Every night the operat tors
listened to press bulletins sent out from
America One of them told me of the
battle drive now on in France"
Captain c. NJ. Gilmore sf the schooner
Edna. bound with a cargo of oil from
Philadelphia to Santiago. Cuba, said that
his vessel was Is to 20 miles southeast OF
Winterquarter lightship. at 400 p. m. May
% when a shell exploded under her lee
Thinking 1t was some American war.
ship. I did not pay much attention, blu,
went down below and lit my pipe. A
second shell struck nearby. and I knew
it meant me. Then for the first time no
ticed a big submarine, about two miles
away"
Saying that when a German Lieutenant
later boarded the Edna, II suppose act
ed as II was in a hurry to get away from
the ship Captain Gilmore continued:
THE lieutenant said: Don't get ex
cited. captain, take your time. Well HI
around here an hour and half
80 ] picked up everything I coul'
think Of that belonged to me. and whe,
I got over to the submarine ] foun'
I'd left my new silk umbrella Afte
mans rowed back to the submarine
and found that beside the few thing
they had picked UP for themselves
they had brought me my umbrella
They took only few cases of tn
oil, as they had electric lights on tn
submarine.
PLENTY TO EAT
I'VE captains had plenty to eat an
tA1I ,tcyt, NJ
pleased on the submarine and into an
room, except when we were submerg
. ing. At that time we had to stay 4
i whatever compa rtments we found our
selves.
TT seemed to me this submarin
was at least 400 feet long. There wer
70 men In the crew. and there wer
two six Inch guns mounted. one for
ward and one aft.
, 't0t course. we prisoners. althoug
we were treated we'll, made a prett
big ships company. and the com
mander said he was looking for
/ sailing vessel to put us on board,
= he did not want to take us to Ger
many
Although we were below Sunda
!. morning WHEN the submarine overhauie
the Winneconnie. we knew at once whe
. she was sunk and 26 men sent adrif
! that something would have to be don
with us. They couldn't keep us all o
board for after the steamer was SUM
we went into her boats while CAPITAL
3. Sweeney and his crew set out In tn
y launch belonging to the Isabel Willie
p which was sunk few minutes befor
4 the Winneconnie."
The Winneconnie was on her way
r