The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1918-08-15
The SEA WOLVES
OFF \. G. COAST
MAKE GAS ATTACK BY SIJBdA
RINE ON N. C. LIGHTHOUSE.
Six Men Overcome by the Gas But
All Recover Rapidly. Destroyer
Attacks Sub.

"oohiHSlou, aug. 1L-GaS from oil
discharged on the water by the Ger
man submarine operating off the Mid
die Atlantic coast overcome six men
In the coast guard station and
lighthouse on Smiths Island, N. c..
Saturday evening, the Navy Depart
ment was advised today by the COM
mandant OF the Sixth naval district.
II the gas attack was deliberate,
as most officials believe, 1t constitut-
ed new and ingenious form of
frfghtfulness" and, so far as has
been reported, was the first direct ef-
fort of the German raiders to harm
persons or property on the American
shores.
The gas was said by the command
ant OF the coast guard station to have
much the same effect as the mustard
gas used by the Germans on the west
ern front. The men were laid out for
more than half an hour, but apparent
iy suffered no serious after effects.
The dispatch relating to the gas at
tack was one of series concerning
German submarine warfare off the
Atlantic coast received during the day
by the Navy Department. One told of
IAN attack on a submarine 100 miles
east of the Virginia coast by an Amer
can destroyer, which discharged sew
enteen depth charges where the raid
er was seen to submerge The result
of the attack was not determined.
but after oil had appeared on the sur
race two bombs were dropped on the
spot and the submarine was not seen
again.
Sinking of the British steamer
Penistone. of 4.139 gross tons, and
the Swedish steamer Sydland, of 3O31
gross tons, in New England waters,
near where ten fishing smacks were
destroyed Sunday, was also reported
to the Navy Department during the
day. The former was torpedoed Sun
day, with the fate of her crew still
Undetermined. while the latter was
destroyed by bombs August 8 and
her crew later rescued by passing
ships.
Still another dispatch said four
survivors of the fishing schooner
Katie Palmer landed at New Bedford
Mass. reported they had been taken
aboard the submarine. the comman-
der of which boasted that he was
equipped to remain in American wat
ers for six months If he desired.
The submarine was described by
the men as being about 800 feet
long, with a coming tower Is feet
high, and mounting one gun. The
raider carried crew of sixty men,
according to the survivors, who were
held aboard the submersible for a
time and later set adrift in adory.
While the reports from the COM
mandants Of the Smiths leland coast
guard station and Sixth naval dis
trict clearly indicated their firm be-
lief the gas attack on the island was
deliberate. some officers today
thought there was a possibility that
the submarine had discharged the
oil and gas after being wrecked on a
lreef.
Attention was called to the fact
that the action of salt water on cleo
trio batteries used by submarine gen.
crates chloring gas. which is similar
to mustard gas in it's effects and is
deadly If encountered in a closed
space. If the submarine were wrecked
it was said, this gas would be gen.
Grated and would come to the sur
face with the oil which would be
freed.