The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-06-05
CAROLINA SUNK
BY SUBMARINE
CONTINUED from page ID

10 zig gag while the passengers were
at dinner
About six O'Clock while in the din
ing cabin beard shot i went 10
the wireless room and started my
calls, for knew what had happened
First / flashed sos Steamship
Carolina being gunned By German sub
MARINE
Cape May answered, but then the
German submarine wireless operator
broke in His instrument was tuned
for radius OF only q few miles. so
and not be overturned ashore The
submarine said you don't use wire
Iess-we don't shoot
Then j repeated me SOS and the
Brooklyn navy yard answered The
submarine repeated itE warning I
told him ne were stopping, then tried
TO SOS again. but the minute touch
ed the key the Germans fired AZ MS
i tried repeatedly, but each time just
the minute they caught my wireless
shot Al rs Both Brooklyn and Cape
May asked our position bur the cap
tain ordered me not 10 Try 10 talk
any more. as he was afraid the Ger
mans wouId kill the women aboard
with their gun6re.
Before we left. destroyed the
naval code book then put cur papers
in a silver pitcher and dropped them
overheard The captain ordered us
all outside. II took about fifteen min
utes 10 ger al hands into the ten life
boats We had plenty Of boats. =
Many of the survivors were without
proper clothing and some were unable
to talk abcut The submarine attack
without symptoms of mysteries. The
men aboard gave The cieaYest
accounts
Because Of the crowded condition
of the schooner, scores were obliged 10
sleep On deck Worn and exhausted
thorgh they were. little group mali
aged 10 raise feeble cheer when they
saw the water front buildings looming
through the early morning
mist
1T was about six O'Clock when We
heard the FIRST shot" said Lieut. j. p.
OTools. L. s. A AT first ve thought
il was an American patrol boat But
il soon convinced us otherwise A
shot went ever the bow. then one
scresched over the chip. another hit
IN the wake and a fourth fell short
Then il came closer and we could see
il for what il wa@ big German sub
marine. with the crew in yellow slick
ers standing on deck and two Of them
waving German flags
Estimates Of the size OF the German
crew varied from twenty-five to forty
Ii Was generally agreed that the Z
boat was about e50 feet long and that
she carried what appeared 10 be two
six inch guns. one fore and one aft
The boats were launched without
accident while the pirate eircled
around and around the doomed liner.
the Germans standing Idly WATCHING
the men and women putting of in
frau craft, fifty miiss from land Then
the submarine gun crew, in leisurely
fashion. planted six shells in the Caro-
Ina below the water line.
And IT was while this was going on
while some OF the Prussians were
working the gun. and others grinnfns
IT the castavays and Haunting their
German flags. that somebody started
to whistle The Star Spangled Ban
ner." Others took il up, women
voices Joined in and punctnated by
the reports of the German gun,
Americas national anthem rang out
over the lonely waters. The Prussians
stared They could not understand
anything like that
Eight life boats were tied together
In q little notiIia and started away
toward where the Jersey coast hay,
over the horizon The Carolina list
ed, her boilers burst, and she rolled
over on her side. An hour later the
5 900 ton liner sank-the first big
American victim OF Germany's subma-
rine frightfu1ness on this side of the
Atlantic
Robert r. Lebkicker. of Philadel
phia. nuartermaster. described what
had happened as night came on and
the thunder clouds gathered. AS the
sea rose IL was necessary TO cut the
hawsers so the life boats drifted apart.
Sea anchors were rugged to keep them
from capsizing. Rain came down in
torrents and women began weeping
IN high. historical notes. II was hard
to keep the boats from being swampe-
ed. When morning came. the storm
subsidized and ii was seen that the 1T
tie fleet had been scattered for miles.
Some time later the schooner Doug
las came in sight.
Captain Lauro, of the Douglas said
be had heard gunfire Sunday night on
the Delaware capes, SO kept sharp
lookout and in the morning he spotted
the life boats. They were gathered
in, and after putting into Barnegat
to send a message, he proceeded up
the coast to Scotland light, escorted
oy the "5D7' Near the light a sea
going tug took the schooner in tow.
There were many rumors current
among the rescued people when they
arrived at New York. One was that
a Hungarian, who had been arrested
for espionage IN Porto Rico, and later
dived overheard when the
first appeared and swan
to IL, where he was welcomed by the
Germans. Among uniformed men on
board the Carolina were men from
the San Juan officers training camp
Survivors arriving at Jewes, Del.
told of the horrors of Sunday nights
storm. The nineteen, including two
women, were all that were left of thir