The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-02-26
Iowa Gunner on One Of the ships That
ls Making Frequent Trips to
War Zone Tels
Experienced.
RAM THEM rs BEST WAY
II They Slip Away Then the Next Best
Is a Shot or Depth Bomb, and
Sub Sea Boat Ia
No More.

When Senator Kenyon spoke here
some six weeks ago, he told his audi
ence that the American destroyers
and the boys in the American navy
were putting the fear Of God into the
hearts of the German submarine com
manders. Perhaps it will interest
people here to know just how the
navy is doing this, and the following
from the Des Moines Capital relating
in detail the experiences OF an Iowa
gunner will be Of interest here:
Once you get sub. you'll soon
find you've got an appetite for
them"
This is the testimony of James j.
Fisher, U. S. naval gunner, who is
visiting his father, e. A. Fisher. 934
Nineteenth street. Young Fisher is
pointer" in the gun crew and he has
just returned from his fourth trip
across. He was transferred recently
from the U. S. S. Utah to an armed
merchant ship engaged in carrying
oil to the allies.
"On our first trip over we bagged
a cub Fisher says. after we reach
the war zone the ships carrying car.
goes are met by six destroyers and
as a convoy In the war zone the
lookout is doubled and night and day
five men keep an incessant vigil for
enemy submarines.
"The trip from this point on is
most exciting. Every man dons
life belt which he wears continuous
ly. The gun crews are ever on the
alert
But the moment of real excite
ment comes when the lookout In the
crows nest sights a sub and gives
the order to Stand By Then comes
a brief interval brim full of excite
ment and suspense until the lookout
shouts the waited command, Com
mense firing Then comes Fire
when loadedn and we let 'em have
a shell every thirty seconds, that's
how fast we can load, aim and fire
five-inch gun, which is really some
Job.
How to "Get" a Sub.
1.-THE way to get the submarine is
to be the aggressor. The American
method of submarine fighting is quite
characteristic of everything else
American. The moment the periscope
is sighted we start after them. Ii
we can ram 'em so much the better.
The gun crew is busy in the mean
time, and if we can't get 'em before
they submerge we follow to the point
where bubbles were last seen and
drop a depth bomb or two.
"The submarines, in my opinion,
are getting little the worst OF it
these days Once in while, OF
course, they make hit Those
times are costly, as seen in the case
of the Tuscania. A slack lookout
may cost hundreds Of lives
Young Fisher has two brothers
also in the navy. All three were in
Uncle Sans service before the war
was declared. When war was de-
clared Mr.. Fisher and two other men
were the only ones in the United
States having three boys in the navy.
James is the youngest of the three
boys and he enlisted in November of
1916. Since that time he has been
around the world twice and has made
four trips across since the war was
declared His last trip was to Scot
land. He has also been in Bordeau,
France, Plymouth. England, the Ork-
ney Islands and Edinburgh. Scotland,
since war has been declared.
Fisher says ITS a great life"