The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-08-03
PRISONER ON U-BOAT DESCRIBES SENSATION WHEN DEPTH BOMBS FALL

London, Aug. Sensations exper- fenced in a German submarine while depth bombs were being discharged overhead were described recently by a British merchant ship captain who was prisoner for fifteen days aboard a U-boat.
 In an interview the English com mander, captured by tho Germans af- ter his vessel had been torpedoed, re- lated how the depth bombs shook the under sea craft and created conster- nation among the sailors. In one instance the faces of the Germans be- came white with fear and all stood trembling after the first shot, which was not near enough to destroy the submersible. All were expecting a second discharge.
 The English commander reached his native land after having been inn prisoned for months at Brandenburg where, he said, he and other ship of ficers at times had been harnessed to carts which were used to haul mail and packages from the postoffices to LH0 pIlSOIeIS CdILp'
 Seven vessels were torpedoed by the Germans while the British captain was aboard the U-boat. Previously the English officer had been in com mand of a merchant vessel which had also met it's fate at the hands of a submarine crew.
 "On the third day after I had been taken prisoner" said the captain "just after the midday meal, I gath cred that the submarine was about to carry out an attack on a convoy which had just been sighted. The Uboat approached submerged for some dis tanace and torpedoed a large steamer. Our whereabouts apparently were de- tected, was told. by an allied light cruiser, for we dived rapidly to a great depth.
 Hardly had the submarine reach ed an even keel when we heard and felt a tremendous explosion which caused the U-boat ot vibrate from stem to stern. It was a depth charge from the cruiser.
 The effect on the crew was evil dent All stood trembling with faces blanched with fear, not attempting to speak, expecting a second charge, the result of which might mean the de- struction of the boat and without the slightest chance for us to escape.
 There is no doubt in my mind of the mental attitude of the crew, for it was not the first experience of the men with a depth charge, and they had learned from others in the ser vice what terrible weapons deptr bombs were in the hands of sktllfu seamen.
 For some moments we waited; en zines were stopped and ell means were taken to prevent giving indica tion of cur position. Minutes seem ed like hours in such a situation. IT admit that I was turning over in m! mind whether I should see my famil, again No additional explosions tool place, however. and after remaining some eighteen fathoms deep for a loni peroid we continued our voyage.
 "A few days later we had anothe experience with depth charges, o "wasser bomben" as the German sail ors call them. A sailing vessel ha Just been sunk by shell fire when tw allied destroyers were sighted, an down we went. By the microphone the propellers could be heard, and a the vessels came nearer and neare we in the submarine could hear tn thudding quite distinctly. To. and fir the destroyers went searching for u' Evidently they picked up clue, fo there were two explosions ahead bu not so near us as that from the crui
 ,,rrl, fA the submarine to tremble and the roll about as though in a heavy sea.
 Prison camp conditions in Ger many were described by the Britis captain as being depiorabie,
 Although we were merchant shi captains imprisener at BrandenburE we were made to suffer various indis nities," he laid.
 "We were compelled to harness euI selves to carts which we had to dra' through the streets to the station c postoffice in order to fetch our pal cels and any commodities to camp. was at this camp also that I saw thre hundred Russian soldiers workin all of whom were in the last stage of tuberculosis. The poor fellow could not get enough to eat, and the would eagerly scrape discarded ti cans in the hope of finding. particle of food. I have even seen Germa soldiers do the same thing. We wei glad to search the cinder paths :; any opportunity in anticipation finding bits of coke or coal wit which to cook our food"
 The captain said his ship was to- pedoed without waEning and that a ter he and all his men were afloat
 life boats the submarine appeared ( the surface and he was taken pri oner, the mates and seamen being pc zaitted to start in the direction of Ian