The Sun and the New York herald., 1920-09-03
RUSH HELP TO
SUBMARINE AT
BOTTOM OF SEA
So Submerged for Forty
Hours Calls for
Aid.
CREW OF 80 ARE ALIVE
Men Being Supplied With
Air by Rescue
Ships.
MACHINERY IS DAMAGED
L. S. S. Goethals Accidentally
Discovers Plight Through
Telephone Message.
MACHINERY IS DAMAGED

The submarine So of the United
States Navy has been submerged for
more than forty hours in twenty-eight
fathoms Of water fifty-hve miles
southeast Of Cape HenlOpen, one Of
the Delaware Capes, and her crew of
two officers and thirty-6ve men is
being kept alive by air which is being
pumped into the vessel by two ships
which are standing by on the surface.
Latest radio reports received early
this morning by navy yards along the
coast said that the men are still liv-
ing and are in good condition. De
strOyers and repair ships equipped
with apparatus for cutting through
the hull Of the submarine were rushed
to the rescue shortly after the radio
message tellPg of her plight was re-
ceived.
A despatch received early this
morning from the Washington bureau
of THE Sun AND NEW YORK HERALD
stated that the Navy Department had
received reports from the Philadel-
phia Navy Yard that the entire crew
had been rescued.
The Navy Department first learned
of the accident TO the So. which was
only recently commissioned and which
was going from Boston to Baltimore
on a recruiting trip, when this wire
less from the steamship General
George W, foethals was picked up:
"On Board L. s. S. General Goe-
thals, at Sea. Sept. 2--Scnd destroy
ers with gear to relieve crew in sub
merged submarine So Been in this
condition for thirty-ivc hours. Bring
material for cutting through hull
The radio message was alsg picked
mp by number Of amateur wireless
operators along the roast. One Of
them. David l.. Moore, picked up the
message in Pennington, Conn, where
he has an amateurs outfit, and rlade
it public.
Received Cali for Aid.
Only very meagre details of the ac-
cident have been received by the Navy
Department authorities. 1t is believed,
however, that the General Goethals,
proceeding along The regular steam
ship lanes en- route from Panama to
New York sighted a telephone buoy
tossing amid the waves in front Of
her. The bell on the buoy was ringing
and a small boat was Immediately low
cred from the General Goethals. The
boat reached the buoy, cut in on the
telephone apparatus on it, and then
from the depths Of the seas came this
message
The submarine So has been sub
merged for thirty-five hours. Air Is
running short. Machinery damaged.
Send for help"
The Goethals immediately sent out
radio messages telling OF the plight Of
the submarine. and then stood by TO
render whatever aid was possible.
keeping in communication with the
submerged vessel by means Of the tele-
phone on the buoy Later another
,-AasaI acOprdinu IN tho -, Il t., ,,o,,o..., -.
ccived by the Philadelphia Navy Yard,
Joined the Goethals after having picked
up the latter's radio. During most of
the afternoon the two ships rolled idly
in the waves. unable to help, waiting
for the navy to send ships having the
gear necessary to cut through the steel
hull OF the submarine and release the
imprisoned members of the crew.
Shortly before dusk last night tho
telephone operator who had been sittinr
all day with his ear TO the slender wire
that connected the men under the waters
with the vessels above It received this
message from the commander o. the
submarine:
we must have more air"
Pump Air Into Vessel.
There was no message for some time
Officers OF the two ships. realizing that
something must be done quickly to save
the lives of the submerged men, i'm
medlately had apparatus rugged up
which was lowered into the sea and con-
nected with the submarine. Through
this the vessels pumped air into the ves>
Continued on Second Page.