The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-07-27
Thrilling Experience
On A Submarine

London, July Sensations exper.
fenced in German submarine while
depth bombs were being discharged
overhead were described recently by
British merchant ship captain who
was prisoner for fifteen days aboard
U-boat.
In an interview the English com.
mander, capture by the Germans
after his vessel had been torpedoed
related how the depth bombs shook
the under sea craft and created con.
sternation among the sailors. In
one instance the faces of the Ger.
mans became white with fear and all
stood trembling after the first shot.
which was not near enough to de.
stroy the submersible. All were ex-
pecting a second discharge
| The English commander reached
his native land after having been i'm
prisoned for months at Brandenburg
where he said he and other ship off.
GERS at times had bee harnessed to
carts which were used to haul mail
and packages from the postoffice to
the prisoners camp.
Seven vessels were torpedoed by
the Germans while the British can.
tain was aboard the U-boat. Pre-
viously the English officer had been
in command of merchant vessel
which had also met its fate at the
hands Of submarine crew.
"On the third day after l had been
taken prisoner" said the captain.
lust after the midday meal, l gath
cred that the submarine was about
to carry out an attack on a convoy
which had just been sighted. The
U-Boat approached submerged for
some distance and torpedoed large
steamer. Our whereabouts apparent
ly were detected, was told, by an
allied light cruiser, for we dived rap
idly to great depth.
Hardly had the submarine reached
an even keel when we heard and felt
tremendous explosion which caused
the U-boat to vibrate from stem to
stern, 1t 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 destruc.
ton of the boat and without the
slightest chance for us to escap.
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 depth charge, and they
had learned from others in the SER
vice what terrible weapons depth
bombs were in the hands of skillful
seamen.
For some moments we waited;
engines were stopped and all means
were taken to prevent giving indica-
ton of our position. Minutes seemed
like hours in such a situation. I'll
admit that | was turning over in my
mind whether I should see my family
again. No additional explosions took
place however, and after remaining
some eighteen fathoms deep for
long period we continued our voyage.
"a few days later we had another
experience with depth charges, or
"wasser bomber" as the German
sailors call them. A sailing vessel
had just been sunk by shell fire
WHeH JWO diileu ucsuoyoIo Wcio
| sighted and down we went. BY the
microphones the propellers could be
heard and as the vessels came nearer
and nearer we in the submarine could
hear the thudding quite distinctly.
To and fro the destroyers went
searching for us. Evidently they
picked up a clue, for there we're two
explosions ahead but not so near us
as that from the cruiser, but quite
close enough to cause the submarine
to tremble and then roll about as
though in a heavy sea-"