Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-08-02
Experience on
U-Boat She1led
by Depth Bomb
Correspondent Associated Press1

| Correspondent Associated Press.1
London, July 1o.-SeIisations expert
enced in a German submarine while
depth, bombs were being discharged
over head were described recently by
British merchant ship captain who was
a prisoner for fifteen days aboard
| U-boat.
| In an interview the English COM
mander, captured by the Germans af
ter HIS vessel had beer torpedoed, re-
lated how the depth bombs shook the
under sea craft and created consterna-
ton among the sailors. In one in
stance 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
lsubmersible. All were expecting a sec
ond discharge.
| The English commander reached his
native land after having been imprison-
ed for months at Brandenburg, where,
he said, he and other ship officers at
times had been harnesscd to carts which
were used to haul mail and packages
from the poStoffice to the prieners'
camp.
Seven vessels were torpedoed by the
Germans while the British captain was
aboard the U-boat. Previously the
English officer had been in command
OF a merchant vessel which had also
met its fate at the hands Of sub
marine crew.
| 'On the third day after / had been
taken prisoner" said the captain Just
after the midday meal. gathered that
| no, ,h,,,, Il
an attack on convoy which had Just
been sighted. The U-boat approached
submerged for some distance and tor
pedoed large steamer. Our where
abouts apparently were detected, l was
told. BY an allied light cruiser, for we
dived rapidly to a great depth.
| Hardly had the submarine reached
an even keel when we heard and felt
| a tremendous explosion which caused
the U-boat to vibrate from stem to
stern 1t was depth charge from the
| cruiser.
THE effect on the crew was evident.
All stood trembling with faces blanched
with fear, not attempting to speak. ex-
pecting second charge, the result OF
which might mean the destruction Of
the boat and without the slightest
chance for us to escape.
There is no doubt in my mind of the
mental altitude 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 service what terrible
| weapons depth bombs were in the
hands Of skillfnl seamen.
For some moments we waited; en-
zines were stopped and all means were
taken to prevent giving indication OF
! our position. Minutes seemed like
hours in such a situation. I'll admit
| that I was turning over in my mind
whether I should see my family again.
No. additional explosions took place,
however. ami after remaining some
eighteen fathoms deep for long period
we continued our voyage.
| "A few, days later we had another
experience with depath charges. or
.wasser bomber as the German sailors
called them. A sailing vessel had just
been sunk by shell fir,, when two allied
destroyers were sighted and down we
went BY the microphones the propel-
| lers could be heard and as the vessels
same nearer and nearer we in the sub
marine would hear the thudding quite
distincly. To and fro the destroyers
I went searching for us. Evidently they
picked up clue. for there were two eX-
plosion ahead but not so near us as
that from the cruiser but quite close
| enough to cause the submarine to trem-
| BILE and then roll about as though in a
heavy seaN
| Prison camp conditions in Germany
were described by the British captain
as being deplorable.
Although we were merchant ship
captains imprisoned at Brandenberg. we
were made to suffer various indig-
mites" he said. I'VE were compelled to
harness ourselves to carts which we
had to drag thru the streets to the sta
tion or poste'ffice in order to fetch our.
parcels and any commodities to camp.
ut was at this camp also that saw
300 Russian soldiers working. all Of
whom were in the last stages of tuber-
culosis. The poor fellows could not get
enought to eat and they would eagerly
scrape discarded tin cans in the hope
of finding particles of food. have even
seen German soldiers do the same thing.
We were glad to search the cinder paths
at any opportunity m anticipation of
l finding bits Of coke or coal with which
/ to cook our food"
= The captain said mis- ship was tor
pedoed without warning and that after
he and all his men. were afloat in life
boats the submarine appeared on the
surfact and was taken prisoner, the
mates and seamen being permitted to
start in the direction Of land. De-
scribing the submarine the British cap
tain said:
"She was fairly large craft, Of re-
cent numbering, having three torpedo
tubes. two In the bow and one aft, and
carried ten torpedoas. She was also
armed with gun for shell fire just
forward of the coming tower.
"My first meal abroad the U-boat
consisted of stew made with stringy
meat, probably horsefiesh. supplement
ed by small portions Of sausage with
black bread. AS the voyage progressed
this bread became widowed and I'M
eatable and then some bread of lighter
color which had been kept in hermeti
cally sealed receptacles, were served.
but was even more unpalatable than
the black bread. The coffee was made
Of burned barley and acorns. The COM
mander and officers Of the U-boat Jared