Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-09-05
SURVIVORS TELL HOW THEY FELT
 IN VICTIM BOAT Those Who DidNOtWear Gas Masks Suffering In HOS-
 pitals AS GAS
 FILLS SUBMARINE Daring Seaman Rushes Into Gas Filled Compartment to Find Badly Needed
 Light

l men trooped down the gang plank of the destroyer Riddle tonight at the Philadelphia navy yard. The first man of the group was raising his voice in nautical tenor's version of "How dry l am," and accompanying his song by broad smile. Behind him trooped the rest, some singing, some calling out checry "Hcllo," but all smiling.
 This was the home coming of the survivors of the submarine S-5. Their boat is at the bottom of the sea, but it is expected it will be salvaged.
 A few hours before kindly fate aiding the never-failing duck of the navy" had snatched them from the jaws of death and released them from nearly two days entombment in submarine, one end of which rested on the ocean floor and the other stuck up in the water at an angle of 60 degrees. Penned up for hours in two narrow compa rtments, they had waited hour after hour for release
 Every minute of the time had been accompanied by a joke or laugh or smile from one, even during the most trying minutes minutes when deadly chlorine gas was creeping over them and they were forced to don gas masks to keep alive.
 Tonight when once more back on land the first answer to questioners, curious to know how it felt to be face to face with death for more than 40 hours, Joseph Star Youker, an apprentice seaman of Camden, N. J., voiced the sentiment of his fel- lows with the statements:
 Wonderful, Says Apprentice.
 Great. 1t was wonderful. It showed that we have the best crew in the navy. l want to be in on the next dive and I want to make it with 'Savvy' Cooke"
 All were willing to dismiss their own experiences, but they had something to say on another subject. They wanted the world and especial | ly President Wilson and Secretary Daniels to know that during their trying experience they had found out that Lieutenant Commander Charles M. Cooke, Jr., is the great est and bravest man in the entire navy. And for fear there might be any mistake in the matter, before they left the Riddle, round robin hoI f<~ l<l A< Secretary Daniels by wireless setting forth these opinions and ending with a request that they be sent back to the S-5 as soon as it is salvaged and placed in commission, and that they : be under the command of Cooke, or that if Cooke cannot command the S-5 again, that he be given another ship, submarine, and that they be , allowed to follow him.
 Although the sailors did not know it, at about the same time petition was being sent to President Wilson !, by Cooke asking him to take steps suitably to reward the brave men who had faced death with him so smilingly and unflinchingly.
 Every man was in high spirits. l Three men were feeling the effects of the gas, but they were able to walk down the gang plank. They were taken to the navy yard hospital for treatment. They are Joseph o. Savage, seaman of Eleco, Pa.; Jacob Akers, Jr., of Warnecliffe, w. Va, and Robert o. lgdanez of the Philip pine Islands, mess attendant. They are not expected to experience any serious permanent results from their gassing, but the navy is talk ing no chances and they will remain in the hospital several days at least. Every man was met at the gang plank by Admiral Charles F. Hughes. As the admiral, who is 5 commandant at the navy yard, reach ed out his hand with the ques- r ton, "How are you" each one, even = the three sick men, strengthened up and with brisk navy salute an- swered briskly::
 Get Story of Accident.
 Fleeing together the brief inter views the men would give, it was
 easy to obtain a fairly accurate story of their thrilling experience at
 the bottom of the sea. The cause of the accident, the men declared, was failure of the main air induc-
 ton to work. Who was to blame
 for this they did not know. That } will be the task of the naval board of
 inquiry, the preliminaries of which began today on the battleship Ohio It was in order to be present at this hearing that Lieut.. Commander
 Cooke was absent from the return
 ing group.
 According to the story at about 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon the S-5 , was about 55 miles off Cape Hcnlo- pen when Lieut.. Commander Cooke gave orders for practice "crash fdive." This is war manoeuver used when speedy submerging is de- sired. It had been tried the day be- 2 '~~~~-~~~~~~~~>o-e- ~~~~~~-~~~~c~ F