Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-05
SEAMAN ON EDNA
8DAYS ON U-BOAT
Enoch J. Rocker Tells How
Germans Lure Ships \
to Destruction
BLOW DISTRESS HORN
Several of Submarine Crew
Formerly Lived in New
York and Pennsylvania

A new form of German atrocty was
brought to light today when Enoch ].
Rocker, seaman on the schooner Edna,
related his eight days experience as
prisoner on the U-153
When fog hangs over the sea" said
Rocker. the U-boat captain puts red
lights on the vessel and blows foghorn
to initiate vessel in distress. When
steamer comes to their assistance the
Germans attack her"
Rocker, who lives at 709 Van Hook
street, Camden, rather enjoyed his eight
days experience as prisoner on the
German submarine, despite the poor fare
served and the cramped and somewhat
perilous living conditions
Nearly all the crew of the U-153,
Rocker says, were former residents of
America and spoke good English. They
complained bitterly of the treatment ac-
corded them by their officers.
The officers treat us bad give us
hell" a gunner's mate told Rocker 'I
lived eight years in Pennsylvania and
have a sweetheart in Philadelphia. #
this thing ever ends I am coming back
to America and never again will look
at Germany
Menu Aboard U-15s
Here is the menu served on board
the submarine. as described by Rocker:
Breakfast-Black bread, jam and black
coffee without sugar.
Dinner-Boiled potatoes. beans and
bacon and sometime sauerkraut and
cold ham.
Supper-Black bread spread with
lard weak tea with no sugar.
The fare was pretty poor said
Rocker, but it tasted good when you
had no other.
Rocker and his mates from the Edna
the U-153 they would be carried to Ger
many as prisoners. They learned later
that they were held merely to prevent
them from sounding the alarm of the
U-boat's presence on the Atlantic coast.
when we were taken aboard the sub
marine we found sixteen men from the
Hattie Dnun on her." said Rocker, in
describing his experience.
I'VE were sent below and confined in
a long, narrow place in the hold. lined
on each side with hunks. The crew of
the submarine were friendly and treated
us fine, but if we had been left to the
mercy of the officers alone our fate
would not have been a pleasant one.
Draft Men who Lived Here
THE crew would not talk when the
told me that Germany has drafted all
men who ever lived in America or served
on SHIPS touching American ports for
duty on submarines blockading the
United States. The steward said he had
lived in New York many years and at
one time had been wealthy and had
owned New York hotel
THE crew talked constantly about
their sweethearts and people back home.
They showed us pictures of the send off
they got when they left Kiel. One of
the pictures showed the Kaiser waving
to them"
The engineers of the submarine told
Rocker that she had kept submerged
for three days after leaving Kiel to
dodge allied destroyers. She carries six
off the New Jersey coast had cruised
around st. Thomas, the Bermudas and
Cape Hatteras.
when the submarine submerged"
Rocker said, everything was turned
upside down. She sighted a transport
while we were on and went down so
quick that she folled over and over.
standing on her stern. We were forced
to crawl forward to balance her
when they submerge they use elec.
tricity, but when they rise to the sur
face they use oil. They used to let us
on deck little each day to get the air
and take a smoke. One night we saw
shore lights plainly and were told that
we were about nine miles off Boston
harbor''
Rocker says that the crew would not
talk about submarine base. but he and
his mates were convinced that they have
a base off Mexico The crew of the
U-boat seemed very familiar with south.
ern waters.
The U-boat had a phonograph aboard
Men from the Edna had carried some
records with them when the tanker was
abandoned. They used to play the diff
ferent records. One night an American
sailor put America" on. AS soon as the
Germans heard 1t they stopped the
phonograph and smashed the record