The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-01-17
BAGLEY LAUDS
TEN AS HEROES
COMMANDERS OF JACOB JONES
TELLS OF DISASTER.
i 3Q0l21qn
SUBMARINE WAS NOT Seen
Discover Torpedo Too Late to Maneu-
yer VesseI-Members of Crew Be-
h1Ved With Great GaIIantry in
Effort to Rescue Others.

Washington, Jan. 12.-Secretary
Daniels made public summary of the
official report of Lieutenant Command
er David w. Bagley, on the sinking
Dy German submarine OF the Ameri-
can destroyer Jacob Jones, December
i, when two officers and GA men lost
their lives. Commander Bagley gives
unstinted praise to the behavior of
officers and men and especially COM
mends by name ten of them.
Saw the Torpedo Too Late.
The submarine, the report says, was
not sighted for more than 10 minutes
after the destroyer had gone down.
But the torpedo had been sighted half
II mile from the ship, and Lieut. S. f.
knlk, officer of the deck, who after
ward died from exposure, Immediately
ordered Il maneuver to avoid being
struck. The torpedo, however, was
too near to allow the destroyer to
clear it, and it struck fairly with u
heavy explosion.
The ship quickly settled by the
stern and the engine room was soon
Hooded. The radio antennae and
main mast were carried away.
Most of the men not killed by the
explosion got clear of the ship and
reached RATS or wreckage. Eight min
utes after the torpedo struck, at 4 :21
q. m, the Jones sank stern first. Eff
forts were made TO collect the surviv-
ors in a motor dory, which then head
ed for the nearest land to obtain aid
for the remaining survivors ON the
RATS.
After % hours the dory sighted q
patrol vessel and the commander of
the patrol station reported to Com
mander Bagley that the other surviv-
ors had all been rescued.
High Praise Cor Seaman.
Seaman Philip J. Burger Of Lans-
ingburg, n. Y, is highly praised in
the report for his efforts to clear the
vessels motor sailer, which would have
saved 20 or 30 lives. He stuck to the
job until drawn under water with the
boat, being rescued himself later when
he came to the surface. .
destroyer rights O-Boat.
London Jan. 12.-The submarine
warfare, has gradually taken on a new
phase since the wintry weather set in.
Submarines of the so-Called cruiser
type are doing most of the sinkings,
while the smaller submarines appar-
emily are combining their work largely
to mine laying.
These cruiser submarines carry two
50 guns and 16 torpedoes and can re-
main at sea six weeks. The new
guns are of a species known techni-
cally as wet guns, being constructed
Of material which sea water does not
harm. They are mounted on station
airy platforms, therefore they are al
ways ready and can be fired the in
slant the deck of an emerging boat is
above water.
An American torpedo destroyer had
an encounter with one of these subma-
rine cruisers few days ago. The Ger
man was engaged in sinking three
armed merchantmen. The destroyer
opened fire ut six miles with the won
derful American naval guns. The o.
boats, however, was lying with decks
almost awash, and therefore was
most difficult target, and as the Ameri-
can drew in toward her at full speed
she submerged, suddenly. The smok-
ing muzzles of her wet guns, disap-
peared beneath the waves only an in
slant after their last shots had been
fired. The Americans escorted two of
the three merchantmen safely to port
after having rescued the crew of the
third.