Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-19
U-BOAT PRISONERS
TELL GRAPHIC STORY
Learned of Peace While Sub Was
Cruising; Picked Up Election
News in Ocean.


account of their 45 days imprisonment on
board the German U-boat l52. They had
been captured on September so, when the
American transport Ticonderoga was
sunk bv shellfre with the loss of several
of her crew. including the naval gtinners.
The officers arc Lieutenant Frank l..
Muller, of Oakland. Cal. and Iieu'en-
ant Junius ri. Fulcher, of Norfolk Va.
They arc both well set up young men,
about ~ wears old, with hronzed faces by
Is months IN the submarine fighting zone.
They were indignant at the manner in
which the crew of the Ticonderoga were
fred upon BY the U-boat. and nj the leav-
inc of these men TO drown after lifeboats
had been smashed. The German com
mander thought more about having his
crew pick up the onions and potatoes that
were floating on the water after the trans
port had gone down. than he did about
saving human lives, the officers added.
Lieutenant Fulcher, who was the first
assistant engineer on the Ticonderoga,
told the story OF their experience, which
was briefly related IN cable dispatch on
November 20.
The Ticondcroga had on board 235
soldiers aud crew. and was one of con-
voy of l. ships. he said, which we lost in
foggy weather during the night of Sep
werr feeling our way. when q submarine,
which was later identified as | k-l52.
opened tire on us with two 5.5-lnch krupp
guns.
GUN CREWS KILLED.
The gun crews were killed our cap
tain seriously wounded. and the ship set
on fire aft, before the British cruiser Gal
weston heard the shooting in the fog and
steamed to our rescue The cruiser drop
ped depth charges and circlcd about while
We were trying to repair steering gear. put
ont OF commission by the German shells
The boat came up again TO the sur
lace aud opened rapid, destructive tre
at 5.0O yards y the transport had no
punncrS 10 return 1t, We stood no chance.
and soon SAW that the vessel was about 90
make her dive To the bottom of the sea.
Lieutenant Muller had charge of
boat with nine mon IN It. and ! was on o
raft with l6 wounded including Ensigns
Rnglcman and Sanghovc. 4 minute or So
later. Lieutenant Mullers boat was sunk
by a shell, and all of its occupants, eX-
ocpt the lieutenant and two Scsmcn. who
Clung 10 the wreckage, were drowned
SAVED Foop LIT MEN DROWN
While tins was gong on, he con
finlcd the German seamen were busy
saving all the potatoes and onions and
.rrpi> which had 1oated out Of the vegc-
,thlc lockers on the top deck Of tho trans
~ when she went unser Incidentally
p,l picked up my shipmate, Muller.
.nd I >ieualed that | would like 70 he
t.-grcI il they had time When the sub
iaaIiuc camr UP clOse the commander
vs. ~,anding beside the coming tower
with big navy revolver IN his hand
We heard his crew call him Captain
fran One Of our men. who was born in
Germany snd had lived 10 wears In
America. told him that all the gInncrs on
the Ticonderoga had been killed The
epmmander said 10 him then. You arc .
damned nice German. and added Chat he
could stop on tho raft until Cod saved
ham \ wounded sailor asked 10 he
takcn of the raft. and the German officer
renl'rd No, have no room FOR YOU
licrC ~
Whom Lieutenant Fulchcr told hun
ton, at Mas tho iIrst assistant engineer,
f-,s .4irmN commander told hum To come
,9l islar,. where hc was placed IN a state
fne., bcIow and his bloods;ained uniform
t..inovcd and ms wounds dressed by the
recon % the submarine.
GeRMlN NOT HUNS. CAPTAIN SAN
After he had taken few pieces az
-hrapncl out ~ my leg, they gave me
tttle brandy Lieutenant Fulcher
ldded. 'and went To sleep comfortably
Next day the chief engineer Of the under
-; craft came to see INC and tried to ex-
plaIn that the Germans were not Huns
but really wanted IN he human and treat
people Of other nations with kindness.
even If they were at war with Germany
hut he said somehow, things did not turn
out to be what they seemed.
"The quarters where ! was confined
until nv injured hands and leg got better.
were something like the dungeons one
reads about. As soon as | could get on
deck for few hours each day, recovered
my health.
U-ROAT GOT KIEL REACE MESSAGE.
The officers told me that we were on
our way to the American coast, and on
October Q, they became excited over a
message from kiel that the Kaiser had
scnt a peace note 10 President Wilson.
Two days later the U-boats were ordered
10 leave the Atlantic Coast and start for
their base in Germany On October I3.
We sighted the Norwegian bark Stein der.
and a little later captured her This was
a good thing for the crew. as it meant
fresh provisions, cigars and possibly some
good schI4apps
The Germans were all night working
with the bark s boat TO transfer the
provisions 10 the C-boat AT 10 a. m.
on Oct. II the crew of the Norwegian
vessel numbering nineteen. were ordered
10 take to their two boats, and were
cast adrift with some biscuits and water
900 miles from land, and Their ship
was sunk with bonhs.
Lieutenant Fulcher added that the l.
152 next day overhauled British steam
ship, and fred fifty shells at the YES
sci. A cruiser came to her aid and the
German then went down TO a depth of
155 feet while nine depth bombs were
being dropped by the warship. The
submarine treTnbled so violently that the
electric lights blinked
On Oct IL they sighted another Brit
ish steamship and fred eighty-three
shots. Her crew replied with their two
guns, and the Germans said later that
the aim was 50 accurate that the sub
marine had to dive for safety, while the
steamer escaped. On Oct 27 all U-boats
were recalled by wireless to Kiel.
BAD NEWS OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS.
Eve travelled by the North Sea
through the minefelds to the kattegat," /"
the lieutenant said '.The commander,
Captain Franz, and his crew appeared
TO get news each night of the American
elections, and were quite interested as
o~4 ron