Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1919-01-31

it under his heel Some of the sub
marines were left bare below. Others
left sextant, compass, glasses and
many articles. In one submarine a
melodeon was left as if Germany had
no more songs to play. One man left
his ship with his guitar under his arm.
AS we first caught sight Of the sub
marines our destroyer was crowded
with the young British submarine
commanders and their crews in state
of eXhilaration and high frequency.
Only the day before the captain Of the
Melampus had been decorated with
the Distinguished Service order for an
exploit against Il submarine eighteen
months back. His delight at the scene
before his eyes was indescribable.
And nobody can Indicate what it
meant in general to these men when
they beheld the vessels before them
they had sought for through priva-
tons and Hastings and dangers as
knights did for the thing they love.
l have heard the phrase about eyes
dancing, but l never saw the fact till
then. One Of them turned to me and
said: You don't realize the humilia-
ton of it. Fancy throwing in your
hand like thar. Now if it had been a
scrap! 1t must be terrible for that
bunch"
Many officers seemed to feel that
side of it. They knew what it meant
to have a submarine and they knew
what pride of the sea meant They
could understand what the German Of
| ficers felt. AfterWard, when the Ger
mans were on board our destroyer and
YOU saw their faces plainly, anu they
saw the British navy face to face that
sight was overpowering. The men felt
! it too
You could feel sorry for these poor
blighters if they had been destroyer
men-but these"
This destroyer was probably typi-
cal of the destroyer class.
| Spoke Of It as "Der Tag"
One of the British submarine com
manders, who spoke of this as Der
Tag" as nearly all of them did Gone
of them called it Der Tag Nacht Den
Tage the day after the day.. said
that he would not forget this day III
is the anniversary of the day year
ago when they did down my brother
Among the party on the Melampu>
was the captain of an Atlantic liner
who had been sailing through the "tir
fish since the war began and who haC
had great liner. the apple of his eye
torpedoed in the Mediterranean wher
carrying nearly 5000 troops, of which
he had lost 14O
1t was appropriate surely that the
mercantile marines who had Tough
these U-boats that now lay helpless:
before us all through the four terribl,
years should have been present at th,
death. All the appalling tales o
heroism and death and suffering i,
the annals Of the merchant service
seemed to come to head in the sigh
of these low ships on this day OF days
Anchored in wide line, seyera
miles in extent, our little gray motor
boat went dancing across the sunli
water. Each trip we carried fOu
British submarine commanders an
their crews. Each time pretty sim
liar scene was enacted.
I The ceremony was not like tn
ceremony when Nelson's captains too
over an enemy ship. The Englis
commander invariably saluted as h
went on board and the German az
knowledged the salute. and in reply t
request for his papers handed owe
blue tracing of his vessel or othe
technical papers, and gave its numbe
hitherto strictly withheld.
After the Germans came into tn
harhOr. were taken off the submarine
) and were taken back to their ow
transports on two destroyers, one {
which was the vessel / was on-tll