Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-01-03
Captives On U.Boat Tell OF Adventures

London, Jan. 3.-When a batch Of
German submarines arrived on Sun
day, Nov. "a, at Harwich to surren-
der, among them was the U-152, and
aboard her were two American Off
GERS, survivors of the United States
steamship Ticonderoga, which was
sunk Sept. 80 off the American coast.
They were Lieutenant F. j. Muller,
the executive officer, and Lieutenant
j. H. Fulcher of the reserve force, an
assistant engineer.
From them the correspondent of
The New York Times has obtained the
story of their adventures during six
weeks captivity and a description of
how the news of the collapse of the
war reached the submarines at sea.
Moreover, they brought back with
them the story told in the German
navy Of the way the United States
steamship Tampa met her fate. Amer
lean naval officers are not prepared
to accept it as unquestionable, but it
is interesting.
The way Lieutenants Muller and
! Fulcher heard it was that on their
way to Kiel the U-152 was for a cou-
pie of days in company with h IA
was the submarine which paid the
American coast and Newport a visit.
At the time the Americans saw her
she was i'd command of one Won
Schrader. He asserted that among its
other successes the U-53 had sunk be-
tween England and France an Ameri-
a ship. engaged in convoy work. and
that she was the Tampa. What is
known of the loss of the Tampa by
the United States authorities is that
after h had been working with a
British convoy h parted company to
proceed to Milford Haven to refit and
disappeared on the way.
Another yarn told by Won Schrader
dealt with the sinking of the Jacob
Jones off the American coast. He as
serted that, as the crew of the Jacob
Jones was escaping the Germans
recognized in one of the boat Com
mander D. w. Bagley, U. S. N. and
in consideration for him the subma-
rine sent out a wireless call for assist
ance to the United States d~estroyers,
This, it was declared. was the only
occasion on which a German subma-
rine a ever don such a service for
its victims.
Attack on the T~iconderoga.
To return to the main story of the
two American officers: The battle be-
tween the Ticonderoga and the U-152
began at $40 o'clock on the morning
of Sept. 800 The submarine, 1000
yards away on the starboard side,
opened fire with her guns: the Ticon-
W. ooo ASplISo 1 llCI l"O lllIcS.
inch guns. The Germans fired thirty
shots and succeeded in killing four
Americans and wounding many more
and in setting the upper works of the
Ticonderoga afire.
The U. S. S. Galveston came up and
dropped several depth charges, and
the U-boat submerged. The wireless
of the Ticonderoga had been destroy
ed, her last message being sent out at
6 o'clock, but she had suffered no
damage below the water line and was
quite able to look after herself.
The submarine reappeared at half
past seven and began firing from
three or four miles distance. In a few
minutes she had disabled n of the
Ticonderoga's guns. and at $500
o'clock she put three shells through
the engine room and reduced her to a
sinking condition. The captain was
wounded.
Had we not better surrender
Lieutenant Fulcher asked.
II suppose W. might as WE'LL" re-
piled Lieutenant Muller. Fulcher
searched for a white flag. The best
he could find vas a Fellowship, and
with that hoisted the two officers SET
to work to get the boats out and the
wounded away.
There were five boats and six RATS.
Although Fulcher was wounded in the
thigh, knee and elbow, he, with Null
er. stood by until they had seen the
last of the disabled men placed on
the raft atop the LIGHTHOUSE, which
f1oated off as the Ticonderoga sank.
They had for themselves only the
wherry. which was badly holed. They
chung to that, and, so far. as they
could. helped men in h water to get
hold of pieces of wreckage.
The U-boat reappeared in ten min.
utes after the Ticonderoga had sunk
She paid no attention to the surviv-
ors. Her crew busted themselves sal.