Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-22
POOR MARKSMANSHIP
SAVES LIVES OF CREW
Right Arm of Austrian Torn
Away by Fragment
of Shell.
ATTACK WITHOUT WARNING
Thousands Of People Drawn to
Beach to Witness Onc-Sidcd Bat
tic, and Barely Escape.
LBy Associated prots

BY Associated Prots
ORLEANS. MASS. July 2l.-An en-
eWy submarine attacked tow or the
casternmost point of Cape Cod to-day.
sank three barscs and 80, a fourth
and their tug on ire. The action last
ed an hour, and was unchnllcnEed. OK
cept for two hydroplancs from the
Chatham aviation station. which cir
cled over the U-boat. causing her -
submorge for only 4 moment. 10 re
appear and resume firing.
or the forty-orc persons Including
three women ana Gvc children on
board. three mcn--CnptIin Charles
Ainslie. OF the l.ansf,rd. aud .F~hr
Bolovich and John Wiz. Austrian MEM
bers Of the tug crew--wcre wounded
Boloylch probably wiIl lose AN arm:
Wiz had one hand blown of. Captain
-Aiusli- was wounded iu both ar,rn by
shrapnel.
The bargcs we're in tow o. til" .us
Perth Ainboy. owned by the i.chigh
Valley Railroad. and were bound from
Gloucester for N.w Yo-h. One '"as
ioaded viii, stone but tho others were
light. being on thclr return trip af-
ter bringing Goa, tc New England
The attack was without earning. :,nd
only thc poor n,arksriauship ~ the
German gunncrs permitted tho ESCAPE
of the crows.
The onc-sidci nrh: took place three
miles south OF the Orleans coast guard
station. which Is located midway be-
tween Chatham. at tho elbow, and
Highland light q, the extreme .i,' OF
the cape. 1h. a:,ng was heard f"r
miles, ard brought thousands 10 thu
beach from which the flashes of the
I
were plainly visible. POSSIBLE danger
TO tho onlookers was not thought o!
until a she'll whizzcd over th"i heads
and splashed In port nil" irin ~
Three other shells buried themselves
in the sand OF the bcarn.
Tho survivors of thc TOW. with thu
exception Of :wo intur-i l. we're taken
10 the Orleans coast, guard station.
communication with which by tee
phonc under navy regulations. was
not permitted No information coul':
lie obtained from ohi"ial sources "n
the cane The Survivors lost All 'hcir
pcrsonal effects and sore of them whp
were in their bunEs when the E-lo.t
appeared. clnr ashore IN their nigh
clothing.
FIRST SHOT STRIKES
BARGE: AMIDSHlPS
The tug Perth -.mboy with her four
barges in line was putting along ieis-
urely lust of the shoals. TWO miles from
shore at II o'clock this morning when
the U-boat OF an estimated length OF
200 feet, rose suddenly one mile sea-
ward aud trained her guns on the tow.
! moment later and without warning
TO the crew. shell struck the second
barge amidsh:ps.
The empty craft doubled up and
sank so quick that her crew barely
had time TO lower their small boat.
Captain ]. II. Tap!ey. of the tug, had
sounded his whistle as soon AS the
U-boat was sighted and ordered the
bargcs abandoned. The first shot was
followed by rain of shells that
dropped on and all about the Perth
Amboy and her bargcs. a lucky shot
next sank the last barge. Meanwhile.
hits on the tug had set her afire. but
She stood by her barges 10 the finish
The third barg" in the line. the smallest
OF all. proved hard mark and the
German gunners occupied half an hour
in dispostng of her.
BY this time the firing had alarmed
the whole cape and cries for assis-
tance were sent broadcast. No Amer
lean warships. however, appeared TO
be in the vicinity, and the exhibition
OF German eunnery went on methodi
cally. Then two hydroplanes rose from
the station al Chatham and flying low
dartcd toward the enemy as though
to attack. 1t could not be seen that
they dropped any bombs, but the Ger
mans evidently anticipated an attack
from the air, for they stopped firing
and elevated their guns against the
hvdroplanes. They did not fire. how
y~er. and a moment later submerged.
:. INES CIRCLE ABOUT.
FRIGHTENING THE RAIDERS
The planes circled about where the
enemy was last seen and then turned
their noses toward their station.
Scarcely had they reached shore when
the U-boat rcappeared and resumed her
attack on the tug and the one light
barge remaining afloat. Both the tug
and the barge were in flames and were
held where they were by the sunken
barge. one of which with load Of
stone, made an effective anchor.
when the firing began the crews
lost no time In abandoning the tow.
Each of the four barses had one small
boat, intended to carry only five per-
sons, and all the craft were greatly
overloaded. In addition the occu-
pants were exposed to constant danger
from shell fire.
Several merchant craft were in the
vicinity. and. regardless of the mem
ace to themselves. went to the rescue
of the crews and towed the small