The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-10-04
TRAPPED AT BOTTOM OF SEA ---...-.
BRAVE CHILEAN CREW SAVED
Rescue OF Fl Sailors, Helpless in Submarine Without One Loss
Thrilling Chapter of Herosm in Navy Already
Rich in Traditions of Unfatering
Devotion to Duty

| New 4OrK.-fe elk NleIO Lei ItIo
correspondent in New York of e
Diario Ilustrado of Santiago, Chill, re
lates for the New York Herald the
following story of the sinking of the
submarine H-3 of the Chilian navy
and its remarkable rescue without
loss of life: t
+ In the beginning of June a mari
| time accident occurred in the military
| port of Talcahuano, Chill, which will
figure with honor in the history OF
submarine navigation. The fact has
| special interest for the experts of the
| United States because the submarine
H-3 of the Gillian war squadron was
constructed here by the Electric Boat
company. This submarine Is one OF
six which the British government had
ordered built during the war, but
which she turned over to Chilli along
with 80 airplanes and hydrOplanes OF
combat. England made this grant to
| Chill after having taken over for her
| own fleet two superdreadnaughts of
| 2S,000 tons, as well as some destroyers
| of 1000 tons and other smaller vessels
which Chilli was having constructed
| and which were used by England in
| the war against Germany.
| The submarine fleet left New Lon
don last year, conveyed by the cruiser
| Chacabuco, under the command of
Admiral Luis Gomez Carreno. AT
| Charleston furious tempest came up,
which lasted 20 hours, during which
| time the sIbmarincs, defying all dan
ger, demonstrated their excellent con
| struction and the deXterity of their
| Gillian crews. The transport Anga-
| mos. auxiliary of the feet, was almost
| lost in the storm. Having thus proved
| the worth of the submarines, which at
| all times remained in a compact group,
those in command understood that
| they could continue the tsp to the
coast of Chill with entire confidence.
The feet touched at Havana, Kings
| ton. Colon, Balboa, port in Ecuador !
africa, Chill, Valparaiso and Talca-
huano, their final destination.
This formidable voyage of many
| thousand miles is in truth record
| that adds another proud page to the
| traditional competence and fearless
| ness of the CHILEAN sailors, who re-
| ceived their first naval instruction
from the famous English admiral,
| Lord Cochrane, chief of the Gillian
| fleet during the war of independence.
| This exploit rebounded in all the
scientific centers of submarine navi-
CATION, and has been recorded as one
| IF the most interesting successful at
| tempts made in the world. The great
est span of continued travel was be.
| tween Ecuador and Chill, which Is
| about 1900 miles.
VentiIatlng Pipe Broken.
AT a quarter to ten o'clock in the
morning of June l the submarines
started their customary exercises Of
submersion inside the military port of
Talcahuano. Suddenly the command
err. Capt. Del Solar, noticed that his
boat had become very heavy and did
not easily respond to the maneuyers.
He then saw that the ventilating pipe
in the battery of the stern had broken
and that, besides water, strong fumes
of chlorine were entering the cOmpart-
ment. With due presence of mind the
commander ordered that the compart-
ment be vacated, taking all the neces-
sary precautions so that the water
and gases might not enter the other
sections of the submarine.
AS the danger was becoming immi-
nent, the telephone buoy was sent up
to call for help. but there was no an
swer. Later it was found that the
buoy had became entangled and had
never reached the surface Of the wa
ter No answer to their calls for help
proved to the crew that the situation
was desperate. Nevertheless, never
for a moment did the discipline of
these men weaken.
While efforts were being made to
get into communication with someone
above, the men were trying to hermet-
ically calk the partitions, it. having
been noted that the fumes of the
hlorine from the main section had
already begun to filter through the
racks. However, this compartment
was soon filled with the poisonous gas
and the men had to leave 1t to avoid
lsphyxlatlon. Orders We're then given
10 retire to the only chamber left, that
at the bow, where new and frightful
tortures awaited them.
Just as soon as the officers and sail
rs had shut themselves up in the bow
he electric current was cut off, leav-
ing the submarine still submerged and
in complete darkness. This to the
various persons who had never board
ed a submarine before In their lives,
meant certain death. The commander
exhorted his men to continue in the
dark their work of calking up the
compartment to stop the thrush Of
water and gas, which continued to
spread throughout the boat. The hull
was laying at depth of II meters, in
a bed of mud.
At Work In Darkness.
Each man worked at random in the
dark; several of them were almost
overcome and their strength had be-
gun to leave them, but their discipline
was not lessened for one moment. The
only pump available drove the water
out slowly, which helped to prolong