Norwich bulletin., 1918-08-13

Washington. Aug. 12.-Gas from oil discharged on the water by the Ger man submarine operating off the mlo- dle Atlantic coast, overcame SIX men in the coast guard station and light house on Smiths Island, North caro- 1 lima, Saturday evening. the navy oe- partment was advised today by the commandant of the Sixth Naval Dis trict.
 New Form of Frishtfulness. If the gas attack were deliberate as most officials believed. it constituted a new and ingenious form of fright fu1ness" and so far as has been re- | ported. was the first direct effort or the German raiders to harm persons, | or property on American shores.
 Tip gas was said by the command ant of the coast guard station to have much the same effect as the mustard 1 gas used by the Germans on the west ern front The men were laid out for more than half an hour. but ap- parently no serious after-e effects.
 Destroyer Attacks Submarine
 The despatch relating the gas at tack was one of a series concerning German submarine warfare of the At ! lantic coast received during the day by the navy department. One told of an attack on submarine. one hundred miles east of the Virginia coast. by an American destroyer. which discharged seventeen depth charges where the raider was seen to submeree. The re- . suit of the attack was not determined but after oil had appeared on the sur face of the water, two bombs were
 dropped on the spot and the submarine
 was not seen again.
 II British Steamer Sunk. ' Sinking of the British steamer Peni-
 stone of 4139 gross tons. in New Eng ,1lland waters near where the fish 0 ing smacks were destroyed Sunday t also was reported to the navy depart f nent during the day The former was l torpedoed Sunday with the fate of hel
 crew stfl1 undetermined, while the lat S ter was destroyed by bombs August ..tS. and her crew later rescued by pass a ing ships.
 Equipped For Six Months. [, Still another despatch said that foul U survivors of the fishing schooner Katie ~ Paim6e landed at New Bedford, Mass. Il reported that they had been taker
 aboard the submarine. the commandel
 of which boasted that he was equipped
 to remain in American waters for Si1 z months if he desired.
 The submarine was described by th'
 men as being about 300 feet long, witt
 a coming tower fifteen feet high anC
 mounting one gun. The raider carried 'f a crew of sixty men. according to th' V, survivors. who were held aboard thu submarine for a time and later SC
 adrift in a dory.
 Submarine Perhaps Wrecked. 6 While the reports from the com l. mandants of the Smith Island coas l. guard station and Sixth Naval Dis tt trict clearly indicated their firm be
 lief that the gas attack on the islam
 was deliberate some officers tonigh Q thought there was a possibility tha 10 the submarine had discharged the oi 'f and gas after being wrecked on reel r. The Action of Salt Water.
 Attention was called to the fact tha ,e the action of salt water on electri l., batto5ies used by submarine generate ,e chlorine gas, which is similar to mus ts tard gas in it's effect and is deadly
 encountered in a closed space. If tn
 submarine were wrecked it was saiC l. come to the surface with the oil whic st would be freed No such possibilit! a however, was mentioned in the nav $. departments announcement.
 Did Not Touch Lighthouse D. Assuming that the attack on the is al land was deliberate, officials plainl nI were puzzled as to its purpose. Tn al only explanation was that the suh 1s marine commander sought to put tn lighthouse out of commission with th
 attendant danger to passing ships, or that were the purpose, however, ot 4 ficials could not understand why tt s commander did not destroy the light q, house with his guns.
 Time of Attack Not Known.
 On the basis of reports receive
 concerning the attack on the sut v marine off the Virginia coast. off1cia
 would not venture an opinion as s- the possibility that the U-boat ";
 destroyed. The time of the attaC
 was not given in the despatch ar consequently it was not known whetl
 CT it was before or after the gassiI ns of the men on Smiths Island S The attack may have occurred SltI ah day and been reported by radio b ~ the more generally accepted belief wi that it took place. several days al . and since there was no conclusi e5 proof of the destruction of the enem
 the destroyer waited until returnfl
 to it's base before reporting to t .e, direct naval commander.
 we Destroyer Dashed at Speed. ,en When the destroyer sighted t nd raider at some distance it dashed fo i've ward at full speed. The German eN ,he dently was maintaining a sharp loo
 out for the U-boat soon submerge
 The destroyer circled the spot a nd dropped fifteen depth charges. ar ao Perhaps German Ruse nts When the upheavaI of the wat i've caused by the terrific explosions h snt subsided. an oil scum was seen. cir this is a rIlse long employed by t les Germans when attacked. the destroy ed dashed in and discharged two mo i've bombs The warship then cruised
 the vicinity for some time. but
 further trace of the raider was seen
 Two UBoats Operating. the In discussing the submarine raj ity with newspaper correspondents tod ere Secretary Daniels said he beliey sh- there are two U-boats operating ue. this side of the Atlantic. He said