The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-09-03
UNDER WATER
FOR AZ HOURS.
men RESCUED
Under-Sea Telephone Saves
Lives of Crew of Navy Sub
marine SIS = Developed
During World War.
CALLED SHIP TO AID
(By Associated Press)

PHILADELPHIA, Sept 3.-The sub.
marine SIS, which was partially flood
ed while making dive 55 miles SOUTH
east of Cape Henlopen, is being towed
toward the Delaware breakwater b.
the steamer Alanthus. The crew and
on1cers of the submarine are safe
aboard the steamer.
Radio messages flashed from tho
army transport, General Goethals, TO
the Philadelphia navy yard via Cape
, May, told of the rescue of the men
after they had spent nearly two days
locked in the disabled vessel beneath
the Atlantic ocean 55 miles south of
Cape Henlopen. 1t was after O'Clock
this morning when Lieutenant Com
mander c. M. Cook, who exercised his
| prerogative of being the last man TO
leave his vessel, was taken abord the
steamship Atlantus.
Nine Hours Had Elapsed.
| Nine hours had elapsed since the
plight of the undersea boat had been
made public through a wireless call
picked up by an amateur operator in
Pennington, Conn. 1t was a small
buoy, development of the world war
together with the vigilant eye of q
lookout on the bridge of the transport
General Goethals, that gave the 80
men on the submarine So their chance
for life.
This small buoy with a bell and a
buZzer device that can be operated
when the boat is submerged, is part
of the equipment of all later types of
submarines. 1t was cut loose when
the S-5 went down. The lookout on
| the General Goethal saw it, being at
! tracted by its bell as we'll as the fact
that it was not noted on the chart
Voice From Ocean Floor.
A small boat, with an officer in COM
mand, ws lowered from the transport
to investigate. When the buoy was
reached the buzzer device could be
heard. The officer cut into the con-
nection and quickly there came this
message:
"The submarine SIS has been sub
| merged for 80 hours. Air is running
, short. Machinery is damaged, Send
! for help. -.--.-. S..
| This plea was sent broadcast by
the wireless of the General Goethals.
Among those who responded was the
steamer Alanthus, which with the
army transport, stood by the sumberg
ed vessel and managed to attach grap-
pling hooks to its stern.
Pumps Air into Boat.
Holding the submarine in a vertical
| position, a hole was bored through
her plates and air pumped through to
| the suffering men who had almost
given up all hope of rescue
| In the meantime the call for help
had been picked up by the navy wire
| less station and by command of Secre-
tary Daniels, destroyers were rushed
| to the rescue from Philadelphi, New
port News and New York.
Before all these vessels had hal
time to reach the scene. however.
word was flashed that all the crew
had been taken aboard the steamer
Alanthus. The wireless did not tell
| how the rescue had been effected, or
what vessels besides the Alanthus anG
General Goethals, If any, had AS
| sisted.
None had been injured although ali
had suffered for lack of air. II was
one o'clock when the first man was
taken off the submarine and more
than two hours later before Com
mander Cook left his vessel.
NEW YORK, Sept. 3.-The rescued
officers and men of the United States
submarine SIS, who were submerged
for more than AZ hours in their
crippled submarine off Cape Henlopen,
owe their lives to hitherto little test
| ed safety device-the telephone buoy,
| developed during the world war
The steamer General George w.
J Goethals, plowing along her course on
! the Cape yesterday, caught the insist
ent changer of a huge gun. Sighted
| buoy where the mariners charts show
| ed no buoy ought to be; drew closer
and observed that there was tele-
phone on the mysterious buoy. few
moments later the Goethals had a boat
over side and this message came up
| from the deep:
"The submarine SIS has been sub
merged for 35 hours. Air is running
short. Machinery damaged. Send for
| help"
Flashes News to Shore.
The Goethals' wireless flashed the
news ashore and within a short time
feet destrowers and other navy craft
were rushing to the rescue. The Goe-
! tlIals, in the meantime, got a line
about the stern of the SIS and drawing
1t to the surface drilled a small hole
through the metal hull through which
air was pumped to the suffocating men
until the rescuers arrived.
| Yesterdays use of the telephone
| buoy is said to have been the first
critical test to which the apparatus
has been put since its development
less than three years ago. 1t has been
placed on only few Of the newest
submarines, and many naval officers
were ignorant even of its existence,
until its dramatic entry as the savior
of the S-5's crew.
An officer attached to the submarine
base at New London, Conn, explained
the operation of the telephone buoy to
The Associated Press today.
The buoy with its telephone and
signaling equipment he said, is at
tached to the hull of the submarine In
such a manner that it may be releas-
ed by an electric control from within.
When the buoy is released and rises
to the surface, the gong, capable Of
being heard for mile, goes into oper-
I | ation The huoy also is eouiDned with