The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-23
CAUGHT IN U-BOAT
WITH OPEN HATCH
Visitors to German Vessel at
Navy Yard Get a Scare
When Tt Tits.
as FOOT TRIP Is MADE
Proper Thrill Found to Des'
cribe War Relic Here to
Help New Loan.

Cockroschia, ever has squeezed his OBJ
servant way through the Intricate in-
nards of a dollar watch. doubtless he
must have had when emerging to meet
the air again quite the Same feelings
which permeated q little group of news
paper men yesterday when they came up
for air again at the Brooklyn Navy
Yard and once moro stood on their hind
legs after a trip through the only Ger
man submarine in the New World, the
U-111.
The U-111 IS the only undersea
dachshund that ever entered this or any
other American port flying the Stars and
Stripes. which she did. as everybody
knows, last Saturday. She was among
the U-boats surrendered to the Allies at
Harwich early in the past winter. and
later was among the German craft APP
portioned 90 the United States. Now
as everybody also does-at least GER
tinly should-know, the U-111 Is the ad-
vance guard OF little fotiHa or Ger
man subs which during the coming
weeks will be used on our coasts and in
land great lakes to boost the mighty
Victory Loan.
No Welcome at the Yards.
But although the U-boat was brought
here for publicity purposes no floral
arch, with "Welcome, Reporters" In
electric lights across the top. was erected
at her navy yard pier after she had
locked last Saturday. The local navy
yard, supposing 1t owns such an arch.
for obvious reasons has not displayed
it since America entered the war, and
SO far as the U-11l Is concerned the
navy. in obedience to orders from Wash
ington, not only was making the ar
rival OF the publicity U-boat as unos-
tentatious as possible but virtually clan
destine.
Some time yesterday John Price Jones
Of the publicity department of the Vic
tory Loan campaigners shot a telegram
10 Washington in which he intimated
that inasmuch as the U-111 had come
here a a publicity boat perhapsit would
he just as we'll to make the news public.
Back came a dubious telegram, where
upon Johnny Jones shot another one
hack. For the next hour or so the tele-
graph wires got kinks in them owing
to the heat of the long distance argyll
nent. Finally came word from Wash
ington that reporters and photographers
bearing proper credentials might enter
the navy yard and take look around,
and Johnny Jones having won lunched
10 work.
Wander Through Mechanism.
Be 1t said to the credit of everybody
at the Brooklyn yard yesterday, from
commanders down. that once the word
lad come from Washington to let down
the bars guarding the C-111. the whole
Iavy yard stuck out the latchstring ard
held open house.
Thus 1t was that young men wearing
Jew Easter suits OF dove gray wormed
their way during great part OF yester-
cay afternoon through and among and
over and under the levers and wheels
and pipe leads and valves and main
springs and pendulums and hairspring 8
of the dimly lighted U-111 and the I'M
jewelled works, or movement, of sub
marine, especially of German sub
marine, are as disastrous to a new spring
suit az the similar experience Of trying
10 crawl under the hood of a fiivver,
The navy yard not only welcomed the
little group OF civilian visitors aboard
the submarine, but inadvertently gave
The newspaper delegation the thrill of a
wholly unsought ride in the U-boat
While everybody was crowded around
Lieutenant Commander Garnet Hulings
. executive officer and navigator of the
Till, in his tiny quarters just below the
solar piexus Of the U-boat and shooting
questions at the good looking and affable
young naval officer. he noted anxious
looks in the eyes of his VISITORS as the
U-boat seemed to roll over so slightly.
On a PeriIous Voyage.
We're under way" remarked Lieu
tenant-Commander Hulings reassuringly
which only made matters worse.
Needless to say the next few minutes
were frightfully dangerous, especially as
the officers hatch Immediately above the
heads Of the suddenly silent group OF
lsndlubbers. was wide open. Everybody
was glad of the chance to get inside the
U-l11 while she was moored to her navy
yard pier. but not a reporter present had
asked either Washington or Executive
Oficer Rulings to cut loose the gosh
blamed thing and move the contraption.
"W-W-where DIDO We ego from
h-here?" asked some one snappily. just
10 show he wasn't afraid, even If the
U-boat was now listing to port and star
board fully .6ss29l3552 degrees at times
1--WE 60 back" answered young Mr.
Hulings. I'VE decided just before you
gentlemen arrived that we would have
TO move her out from the pier few
Yards in order to shift a barge lying
alongside. were DdCh NOW, AS you
were saying"
Signs of relief escaped which flooded
the U-111 with so much air that the
U-boat for the rest OF the afternoon
perceptibly rode higher on the calm
waters of Wallabout Bay. And the
proceedings proceeded-but that sew
enty-fve foot ride was something fierce
while 1t lasted.
Germany at Her "Darndest."
One saw when approaching the sliE
where the U-1l1 lay an example Of
what, in the opinion of American nava
officers whose life study Is the subma.
rine, the result of the concentrated
thought of the best scientific minds OF
Germany. That's about how an Ameri.
can naval expert put It yesterday when
talking of the U-111 and her breed
she seems to be the embodiment OF
scientific Germany at her darndest"
The U-111 was one of the German
subs that operated off the American
coast last summer, where the sum tota
Of her efficiency was to take the place
Of the shark scare of a previous sum
mer along the Jersey coast. Doubtless
during those war days her German
commander would have given a years
pay, even several links of sausage, il
he had been able to do what any Man
haitian reporter could do for the asking
yeste rday-glue his eye TO little disc
OF glass about the size OF hall
dollar at the lower end OF the peri
scope and get a "close- up OF sunli,
American battleships off the port bow
a great American bridge spanning the
Soy, the crazy sky line of Manhattan
nj xpit TO oil n.