The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1920-09-17
40 IN DISABLED
|. SIS ARE RESCUED
Chief Engineer of GoethaIs and
Men Save Crew of Submarine
Drilling Steel Five Hours.
SUBMERGED FOR 81 HOURS.
Bore Through the Hull and Rescue
Thlrty-seven Men SafeIy-FIoods
Living Compartment and Sets
Chlorine Gas Free.

Philadelphia.-The submarine SIS
from which the crew of 81 were res.
cued Friday morning, sank on Wednes.
day afternoon off the Delaware Capes
al o'clock because one Of the air in,
take valves refused to close when the
craft made "a quick dive for exercise. 81
That is contained in an official re.
port made to Washington by radio by
one of the boats that stood by and
helped in the rescue of the men from
the S-5. according to a report here.
The radio message Of the Navy De.
partment, the report says, was as fol-
lows:
"S-5 made quick dive for exercise at
2 p. m. Wednesday. Large valve in air
intake failed to close. Admitted large
quantity of water to living spaces.
''Boat went to bottom in 1876 feet of
water. Got, valve closed and expelled
all water possible, whereupon stern
lifted barely out Of water, bow on bot
tom, inclined down 60 degrees
Forward compartments vacated and
sealed. Continued all possible efforts
to expel water. No success. Chlorine
also forced vacatins control room, aft
er which the 81 officers and men crowd
ed into two small machinery spaces
aft and soon began to suffer from bad
air.
"Finding stern just clear of water,
Lieutenant Commander Cooke and
crew began drilling through with small
hand drills. Very slow work. Could
only work two minutes at time; bad
air.
"At 3 p. m. Thursday s. S. Alanthus
saw submarine; came close; attention
attracted by calling and waving
through small hole; made fast and
hung to submarine until relieved Fri
day morning; no tools; could not en-
large hole, but saved lives Of whole
crew by pumping air in with small wa
ter pump.
IS. S. General Goethals next arriv-
ed. Her chief engineer clung to SUBJ
marine stern. Worked small hand drill
for eight hours. Splendid work.
fFinally got hole large. eno-gh at 8
a. m, Friday, and all officers and crew
escaped without permanent injury. All
suffering from 81 hours bad air. Some
temporarily incapacitated. The cap
"a nfh
began assisting in salvaging subma-
rine
NAVAL vessels that started from
Hampton Roads, Philadelphia, New
York and New London began arriving
early Friday morning. Ohio now at
tempting to tow So inshore.
Consider saving personnel was
splendid feat. Slightest mistake after
accident on part of officers would have
resulted loss of some or ALL"
All commented on the bravery of
the officers and crew Of SIS as they
were rescued from the ship. The first
request of each man was for ciga-
rette. Every one of them was wan and
pale from the 81 hours spent in the
darkness of the sunken hull with all
oxygen virtually exhausted.
Only one of the rescued crew was
knocked out by the trying ordesl-O.
Savage, seaman on the SIS, who was
nearly unconscious when he was taken
out, but he was recovering under med
ical care on the United States Shipping
Board steamship Alanthus, when the
Goethals parted company with her.
Captain e. O. Swensen, who was for
merly chief officer of the General Goe-
thals and was making his first voyage
in command, said that the chief honors
in the rescue of the crew of the SIS
were due to William G. Grace, the chief
engineer Of the General Goethals, who
cut and drilled the three-quarter Inch
plates of the submarine for six and
three-quarters hours, until the hole was
large enough to be wrenched open with
a crowbar so that the 81 prisoners
could be taken out.