The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1918-08-13
THE GAS APPEARED
LIKE MUSTARD GAS
Some Naval Officers Think Oil and
Gas Was Released BY the Sub
marine Striking Reef-U- Boats
Have a Successful Week Along
New England Coast.

Washington, Aug. 12.-Using pois-
oned gas, a German submarine at
tackled a coast guard station ana lign
house on Smith Island eff the North
Carolina coast Saturday night. the
navy department tonight announced.
* men were overcome By the gas
the gas was released from OIL
spread over the surface OF the water
by the s,lbmarine, the navy depart
ment announcement said. Three 1arre
areas of the H., each larger than an
acre of ground, were covered nea r the
island. The gas, which appeared SIM
liar to mustard gas, used in fighting
on the western front, was effective
about forty minutes. None of the men
overcome by the fumes died.
The dispatch relating to the gas
attack was one of series concerning
German submarine warfare off the
Atlantic coast received during the day
by the navy department. One told of
an attack on submarine one hun
Gred miles off the Virginia coast by an
American destroyer which discharged
II depth charges where the raider
was seen to submerge. The result of
tho attack was not determined but
after oil had appeared on the surface|
of the water two bombs were dropped
on the spot and the submarine Wa
not seen again.
Sinking of the British steamer PEN
istone, of ABB gross tons, and the
Swedish steamer Sydland of 3,031l
gross tons in New England waters,
near where ten fishing smacks were
destroyed Sunday also was 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 de-
stroyed by bombs August 8 and her
crew later rescued by passing ships.
StilI another dispatch said that four
survivors of the fishing schooner
Katie Palmer landed at New Bedford.
Mass, reported that they had been
taken aboard the submarine, the com
mander of which boasted that he was
equipped to remain in American wa
ters for six months II he desired.
The submarine was described by
the men as being about 300 feet with
a coming tower IL feet high and
mounting one gun. The raider car
ried crew of sixty men, according to
the survivors, who were held aboard
the submersible for time and later
set adrift in dory.
While tho reports from the COM
mandants of the Smiths Island coast
guard station and Sixth naval district
clearly indicated their firm belief that
tne gas attack on the island was de-
i,oerate' some Officers tonight thought
'nere was a possibility that the snb-
marine mad discharged the oil and gas
aiter Delng wrecked on a reef.
Attention was called tn tho fac, ,ha,
.ne action OF salt water on electric
batteries used by submarines gener-
ates chlorine gas. which Is similar To
mustard gas in it's effect and ia dead
~ Ii encountered in a closed space II
the submarine We're wrecked. il was
said, this gas would be generated and
would come to the surface with the
oil which would be freed.
NO such possibility, however, was
mentioned in the navy departments
announcement, which salu.
"The navy department has received
cispa.ch from the commandant Of
the sixth naval district, Charleston,
South Carolina, stating thar an at
tack with gas was attempted on tho
North Clolina coast ab3u, five o'clock