Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1919-02-21


marines were left bare below. Others
left seXtant, compass, glasses and
many articles. In one submarine Il
melodeon was left as II 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 submarine eighteen
months back. His delight at the scene
before his eyes was indescribable.
And nobody can indicate what 1t
meant in general to these men when
they beheld the vessels before them
they had sought for through priva-
tions and HASTINGS and dangers us
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 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 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, 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 II as "Der Taa.".
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'D, said
that he would not forget this day. ut
| is the anniversary of the day 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
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 ir
the annals of the merchant service
seemed to come to a head in the sigh,
of these low ships on this day Of days
miles in extent, our little gray motor
boat went dancing across the sunli1
water Each trip we carried foul
British submarine commanders ant
their crews. Each time pretty sim
liar scene was enacted.
The ceremony was not like tbs
ceremony when Nelson's captains tool
over an enemy ship. The English
commander invariably saluted as HI
went on board and the German &C
knowledged the salute, and In reply t.
request for his papers handed ovel
blue tracing Of his vessel or othel
technical papers. and gave its number
hitherto strictly withheld.
After the Germans came into tn,
harbor. were taken Off the submarines
and were taken back to their owl
transports on two destroyers. one O
which MAS the NpsSnl | WAS 0n-th,