The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-09-04
CLOSE To DEATH
BY SUFFOCATION
WHEN RESCUED
Relief for Submarine Crew Just
in Time
S-5 NEARLY SUBMERGED
Only Bow Of Craft Protruded Above
Waves When Sighted by
Steamer Atlantus.

New York, Sept. 3.-The plight OF
the d sabled submarine So, whose
crew of 80 men was rescued early to
day aft r being submerged for Al hours
was first learned by the SeamshiT
Atantus, which accidentally discover
ed the submarine off the Delaware
Cape yesterday afternoon with 81
feet of her bow protrudmg above the
water, Captain e. o. Swinson OF the
Steamship General George w. Goethals
reported upon hi arrival at Hoboken
tonight Earlier reports We're that
the General Goethals had located the
distressed underseas vessel by means
Of a telephone buoy released from the
submerged craft
The crew of the submarine owe the !
lives, he said, to the quick work OF
Chief Engineer w. r. Grace of the
General Goethals, and his assistant
r. A. McWilliams.
The imprisoned men, Capt Swinson
said, had cut small hole through
the hull and had stuck through,a pole
on which was flying an undershirt
The Atlantus was unable to rescue
the crew as she had no apparatus
for cutting through the submar mes
hull. The crew of the Atlantus, how
ever. began pumping air through the
small hole made by the undersea
crafts crew. Captain Swnson said
1t was about 500 last night
when We sighted the Atlantus
flying distress signals. about forty
mile east of the Five Fathom
Light House
We drew up alongside, and
found her made fast to the bow
of the submarine by a cable.
This cable was only to keep her
from drift ng away, as the sub
marine was perfectly buoyant
Her after tanks were full, and
her forward tanks empty so that
she was laying in the water at
an angle of sixty degrees, with
thTtwteet of hull above water
The Atlantus explained the
situation and said she was un-
ahle TO give any aid other than
pumping air through the small
hole. The Atlantus had a radio
outfit but no operator 50 sent
one of our radio men over to
her! BY 6 o'clock, Grace McW l.
liams and four other men were
standing on the submarines hull,
drilling for all they were worth,
with only one small hand ratchet
drill The Atlantus' radio was
only n
range, so we reayed it's messages
with our outfit. sent me gsages
to Cape May Philadelphia, Nor.
folk and New York telling of the
submarines p light and call ng
for aid, as | didn't think we
would be able to cut through the
hull with our one little drill,
AT 9:15 the Atlantus flashed us
that Grace had number of holes
drilled through and the men were
greatly revived. sent out the
messages but Still called for help
Later the Hunt ,an OF! tanker,
arrived, after picking up our
message. She had an electric
drill but we found that It was
useless She, stood by several
hours and nally left, Finding she
could offer no assistance. ia'hA'
In the iiledtitime, Grace and Nc.
Williams we're taking turns with
the handddrifl, and finally at 1.2O
A. M, after hours of the hardest
kind OF work, a hole was cut
through large enough for the men
to escape.
The first man was taken out at
;25 and by 245 the last man,
Lieut.. Com. Charles NJ. Cooke jr.,
climbed through the hole.
The men from the submarine
revived. quickly after being put
aboard the Atlantus, where they
We're given hot soup and put to
bed Many were bleeding at the
mouth and nose, Their faces were
swollen and their eyes bloodshot,
but they still had plenty of spirit.
All credit for the rescue be.
longs to Grace and McWilliams.
If ever men were heroes, they
were.
The submarine crew was latC
transferred to the batteship Ohio ar
the Atlantus steamed towards Nc
folk.
The General Goethals, owned by Il
Panama Railroad Steamship compan
was on her way from Cristobal v
Haiti IN Npw VorIy utho1 tbo onoida