Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1920-09-05
LUCK KOF NAVY
Was WITHDREW
OF U-BOAT IS
36 Members Reach Philadel-
phia Navy Yard, But Boat
Is at Bottom of the Sea.
PRAISE FOR COMMANDER
Say He is Bravest Man in En-
tire u. 5. Navy.

tRy The Associa.. ed i'ressl
PHILADELPHIA. Pa. Sept f.
Thirty-six men tro0ped down the gang
plank of the destroyer Biddle tonight
at the Philadelphia navy yard. The
first man of the group was raising his
voice in a nautical tenor's voice OF
''Hcw dry | ann" and accompanying
his song by q bread smile. Behind
him trooped the rest, some singing.
some calling out CHEEKY "helloas.
but all smiling
This was the nome coming Of the
survivors of the submarine So. Their
boat is al the bottom Of the sea. bul
il j. expected will be salvaged.
A few hours before a kindly fate
aiding the. never failing luck Of the
navy" had snatched them from the
pays Of death and released them from
nearly two days entcmbment in 4
submarine, one end of which rested
on the ocean floor and the other
stuck up in the water at an angle of
sixty degrees. renned up for hours
in two narrow compartments. they
had waited hour after hour for re-
lease.
Every minute ~ the time had beer
accompanied BY joke on a laugh or
q smile from some one. even during
the most trying minutes when deadly
chlorine gas was creeping over them
and they were forced 10 don gas
masks TO keep alive.
Round Robin For Cooke.
All were willing to dismiss their
own experiences but they had some
thing 20 say on another subject. They
wanted the world and especially Pres
ident Wilson and Secretary Daniels
to know that during their irving ex-
Icrience they had found out that
Lieutenant Commander Charles n. /
Cooke, .lr, j. the greatest and brav-
est man in the entire navy. And for
fear they might be any mistake IN tn
matter. before they left the Bddle.
4 round robin had been signed and I
forwarded To Secretary Daniels by
Wireless setting forth these opinions
and ending with request that they
be- sent back 10 the So as soon as
il is salvaged and placed in commits
s:or. and that they be under the com
manl Of Cooke, or that if Cooke can I
not command the SIS again. that he /
bee given another ship, . submarine
and that they be allowed 70 follow
hom.
And Cooke Is For His Men.
Although the sailors did not know
il. at about the same time 4 petition
was being sent to President Wilson I
!. by Cooke, asking him 10 take steps
suitably TO reward the brave men who 4
had faced death with him so smiling
and unflinchingly.
All In High Spirits.
Every man was in high spirits K
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 ale Joseph Q. /
Savage. seaman, 81 ElecO. Pa: Jacob
A. kers. Jr.. Of Warnecliffe. W. Va.
and Robert q. Igdanez. of the Philip
pine Islands. a mess attendant Every
man was met al the gang plank By
Admiral Charles +. Hughes a. the
admiral. who IL commandant at the
navy yard, reached cut his hand with
the question. How are YOU" each
one. even the three sick men. straigh-
tened an and with a brisk navy salute
and word briSkly.
Fine. thank you. sir"
Piecirg together the brief inter
views the men would give. il was easy
to obtain "A fairly accurate Stry of
their thrilling experience az the bot
tom Of the sea. The cause Of the ac-
cident. the men declared. was a fail
ure Of the main air induction 20 work
Who was 10 blame for this they did
not know. That will be the task Of
the naval board Of inquiry. the pre-
linnarieS of which began today on
the battleship Ohio.
Ii was in order 10 be present al
this hearing that Lieutenant Com
mar .sr Cooke was absent from the
returning group.
According to the story. at about
o'clock Wednesday afternoon the SIS
was about 55 miles off Cape Henlo-
pen when Lieutenant Commander
Cooke gave orders for a practice
.-crash dive" This is war maneuver
u. q when speedy submerging is de-
sired. II had been tried the day be-
fore and had been successful
The signal had been given and ev-
ery man was at his place The hat