The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1919-02-01

1t under his heel. Some of the sub
marines were left bare below. Others
left sextant, compass, glasses and
many articles. In one submarine q
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 SUBJ
marines our destroyer was crowded
with the young British submarine
commanders and their crews In a 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 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 1 never saw the fact till
then. One of them turned to me and
said: "YOu don't realize the humilia-
ton OF 1t. Fancy throwing In your
hand like that. 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
WAT pride of the sea meant. They
could understand what the German Of
f1cers felt. Afterward, when the Ger
mans were on board our destroyer and
you saw their faces plainly, and 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 Zone
Of them called it Der Tag Nacht Den
Tage'-"the day after the day., said
that he would not forget this day. 1T
is the anniversary of the day q year
ago when they did down my brother"
Among the party on the Melampus
was the captain of an Atlantic liner
who had been sailing through the "tin
fish" since the war began and who had
had a great liner, the apple of his eye,
tOrpedOed in the Mediterranean when
carrying nearly 5000 troops, of which
he had lost 40.
1t was appropriate surely that the |
mercantile marines who had fought |
these U-boats that now lay helpless
before us all through the four terrible |
years should have been present at the |
death. All the appalling tales of |
herOism and death and suffering In |
the annals Of the merchant service |
seemed to come to q head in the sight !
Of these low ships on this day of days.
Anchored in wide line, several |
miles in extent. our little gray motor
boat went dancing across the sunlit
water. Each trip we carried four
British submarine commanders and
their crews. Each time pretty sim
liar scene was enacted.
The ceremony was not like the
ceremony when Nelson's captains took
over an enemy ship. The English
invariably saluted as he
went on board and the German ac-
the salute, and in reply to
/ request for his papers handed over
/ blue tracing of his vessel or other
technical papers, and gave it's number
hitherto strictly withheld.
After the Germans came into the
larbor, were taken off the submarines
md were taken back to their own
transports on two destroyers. one of
which was the vessel l was on-the