Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-05
S. ABANDONED
! TO SINK AGAIN;
!. CREW IS LANDED
,Ihirty.Six Men Reach Phila.
| deiphia With Vivid Tale
r of Escape.
Nv the Associated Press

yard The first man of the group was
raising his voice in a nautical tenors
version Of How Dry / Am" and ac-
eompanying his song by broad smile.
Behind him trooped the rest, some
singing, some calling out CHEEKY
neIlo's." but all smiling.
This was the homecoming of the
survivors Of the submarine SIS. Their
boat Is at the bottom of the sea. but
1t is expected 1t will be salyaged.
the never falling luck Of the navy"
had snatched them from the jaws of
death and released them from nearly
two days entombment in a submarine,
one end of which rested on the ocean
Moor and the other stuck up in the
water at an angle Of so degrees Penned
up for hours in two narrow cornpart-
ments. they had waited hour after hour
Tor release
Praise "Savvy- Cooke.
Every minute of the time had been
accompanied by a joke or a laugh or a
smile from some one, even during the
most trying minutes-minutes when
deadly chlorine gas was creeping over
them and they were forced to don gas
mas<s to keep alive.
Tonight, when once more back on
land. the first answer to questioners
curious to know how it felt to be face
to face with death for more than
forty hours, Joseph Star Youker. an
apprentice seaman of Camden, N. j..
voiced the sentiment of his fellows
with the statement: Great. 1t was
wonderful. 1t showed that we have
be in on the next dive and I want to
make il with 'Savvy' Cooke"
All were willing to dismiss their
own experiences. but they had some
thing to say on another subject. They
wanted the world and especially Presi-
nd nov al 20
know that during their trying expert
ence they had found out that Lieut..
Commander Charles NJ. Cooke, jr.. is
the bravest man in the entire Navy. and
for fear there might be any mistake
In the matter. before they left the Bid
die. q round robin had been signed
and forwarded to Secretary Daniels by
wireless setting forth these opinions
and ending with request that they
b sent back to the SIS as soon as it
and that they be under the command
Of Cooke. or that if Cooke cannot COM
mand the SIS again. he be given
another ship. = submarine, and that
they be allowed to follow him.
Reward Asked for Men.
Although the sailors did not know
II. at about the same time a petition
was being sent to President Wilson
by Cooke asking him to take steps
suitably to reward the brave men
who had faced death with him so
smilingly and unhinchingly.
Every man was in high spirits.
Three were feeling the effects of ths
the gangplank. They were taken to
the navy yard hospital for treat
ment They are Joseph o. Savage,
seaman. OF Eieco, Pa; Jacob Akers,
5r- Of Warnecliffe. w. Va, and Rob-
erE o. Jgdanes Of the Philippine Is
lRH6R n raAQa nftnrSao Thn~ ~nk
expected to experience any serious
permanent results from their casing,
but the Navy 10 taking no chances.
and they will remain in the hospital
met At the sanspiank BY Admiral
Charles r. Hughes. AS the admiral,
who 10 commandant At the navy yard,
reached out his hand with the ques-
ton How are your" each one, even
the three sick men, straiehtened up
svered hriskly: Fine. thank you,
Air Induction Blamed.
fsecin9 together the brief inter-
Views the men would give. 1t was
eesy TO obtain q fairly accurate story
Of their thrilling experience at the
scstSm OF the sea. The cause Of the
failure Of the main air induction to
work. Who was to blame for this
they did not know. That will be the
task OF the naval board of inquiry.
the preliminaries of which began to-
DAY ON the battleship Ohio
1t was in order to be present at this
nearing that Lieut.. Commander Cooke
was absent from the returning group.
According to the story, at about
2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon the
SIS was about ffty-five miles off Cape
Aenlopen when Lieut.. Commander
Cooke gave orders for practice
pcSash dive" This is a war man
eover. used when speedy submerging
70 desired. It had been tried tho day
before and had been successful
every man was at his place. The
matches were closed and water doors
we're opened a. the air ballast was
3osced out and the water rushed in
mae .ms sns t beat sssan to o,s sink In
thing was wrong. The bow was
sinking faster than the stern. An i'm
spection that required only seconds
showed the air induction had failed
70 work, and one of the sea valves
had not closed.
Three Withsut Masks.
Three minutes passed and the sub
marine was still sinking, but --neven-
ly. Orders flashed out from Com
mander Cooke. from Lieut.. Charles
Crischam and Ensign ]. B. Longstaff.
Every man knew something was Sc
riously wrong. but not one left his
station. Then there came a bump.
Tt took US some time to realize
just what had happened" said Youk-
erA We We're too busy to worry
masks. and for hours they had their
long dght for life. The three men
without masks are now patients in
the navy yard hospital
AZ the gas spread through the boat
the thifty-seven men were forced
from one compartment to another.
getting nearer the stern each time
until all were gathered there.
Crowded in the stern Of the boat
the men drank the juice Of canned
peas and beans until they were too
weak to open cans. They tried to
eat other food, but the oil and water
had ruined it.
Without q watch or q match. the
men were unable to tell whether -
was night or day. Commander Cooke
suggested that when they pierced the
shell and set signal they would need
something for night sign of distress.
One OF the commissioned officers volun-
teofed to dash into the chlorine filled
torpedo compartment and get one of
the batteries there. He was permitted
TO do 50. but in his quest got hold
OF one that was useless.
seaman Gets Battery.
Stephen Gavin. q seaman, saluted and
bald:
I'VE need that battery: I'll get IT,
And before anybody could protest. he
slipped back into the gas filled room
and returned with the battery.
The presence OF eight torpedoes made