The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1919-11-29

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Mechanical Features of the Cap
tured Submersible UC-97.
A bent little old man, with snow
white hair and beard, and with kindly
blue eyes peering out from behind
.silyer-rimmed spectacles, haltingly put
foot on the deck of the captured
German submarine UC-97 down at
the end of the municipal pier in Chi
cago.
"Wal, I swan |" he calculated. "This
is c~onsiddible diffrint FIN TIL boats O.
my days!"
The little old man was John Ras-
mussen, rs years old, the only Chi
cagoan who saw Lincoln on the day he
was assassinated, and a veteran of the
United States navy monitor service
during the Civil war. He has lived
and grayed in Chicago since the Civil
war, and is a familiar figure in the
Methodist church block, Randolph and
Clark, where his unpretentious boot
making shop is located on the second
floor.
Wanted to Make Comparison.
When John Rasmussen heard that
the captured German submarine had
come to town, he expressed a desire
to see it and compare it with the mon
itors he served on during the Civil
war.
He closed his little shop, put on his
plain black coat and took himself
down to the municipal pier. He was
enthusiastically welcomed by Lieuten-
ant Commander E. A. Lockwood and
his twenty-four gobs, comprising the
crew of the sub, when they learned he
was an "ex-gob" of the United States
navy of 81 to '64.
A sailor from the age of IA, John
Rasmussen had no difficulty accus-
toming himself to the roll of the
UC-97, which tossed %uneasily at her
mornings. However, Johns "sea legs"
were not so strong as they used to be,
and he beamed his gratitude at a
husky "gob' who lent him an arm.
Interestedly John moved about the
intensified steel deck of the U-boat,
pointing out variations in its construc-
ton as compared with the monitors on
which he went through the siege of
Forts Sumter, Moultrie and Fisher dur
ing the stirring days from 81 to "a.
"See theer, now" said John, indi-
eating the surface steering apparatus
on the bridge of the UC-97. 9TH
monitors like the Mahotac, which I was
on in '64, didn't have no SIGH fancy
steerin' do-dinkusses on. TIL Mahotac
had jist a steerin'wheel an a compass
an not a lot O. fancy INSTRUMENTS like
an electric power-house."
Surprised at Mechanism.
When he was told that the steering
apparatus of the submarine was dupli-
Gated inside the hold, so that if the
upper paraphernalia were destroyed
by gunfire the craft could still be con-
trolled, John shook his head wonder
ingly and wiped his glasses so that he
could trace the course of a shifting
indicator on one of the instruments.
"This is the instrument that is ma
nipulated to sink the boat" said Lieu
tenant Commander Lockwood, show
ing John the submerged gauge as
worked from the outside. "This lever
is pulled and then the captain goes
down this hatch" (Pointing.)
oval, I swan P' again calculated
John. about tn only INSTRUMENT
that'd sink a monitor would be a
t~Welve-pound shell 7"
To an interested circle of gobs, Mr..
Rasmussen told the story of how he
had served in the American navy from
1861 to 1864, and how he had seen
Lincoln shortly before the emancipation
was assassinated.
"The war was over" said John. "The
Mahotac was in Washington harbor,
and President Lincoln came along the
docks in a one-horse buggy to look at
the fleet. l didn't know him by sight,
but a big negro by my side said:
Dere's old Abel ? with a pleased grin,
and l got a good look at Abraham Lin
coin. That night he was shot in Ford's
theater."