New-York tribune., 1920-09-04
Chief Engineer of Liner
COethals and Men Res.
cue Crew of SIS After
Drilling Steel S Hours
Commander Is Last
To Be Taken Out
Sling of Sail Cloth Lifts
Weakened and Dazed
Naval Men From Ocean

The five officers and twenty-six men
trapped in the United States submarine
SIS, off Cape Henlopen, were rescued
early yesterday through hole cut in
the stern of the craft. The SIS was
towed into the Delaware Capes, after
her nose had been disengagcd from the
mud bank into which she had dived.
Two cool, methodical sailornen who
had grown up on the sea, very human
fellows, who rescued the crew of the
S-6, came to port last night on the
Panama liner General George w.
Goethals.
They were Captain E. 0. Swinson,
master Of the Goethals, and William
G. Grace, her chief engineer, both in
the early thirties. Had it not been for
their plain American horse sense and
untiring effort, Lieutenant Commander
Charles M. Cooke jr., U. S. NJ, his Off
GERS and men would nave perished in
the American undersea craft that
plunged into the mud, some forty five
miles east of Cape Henlopen, in thirty
fathoms of water.
Distress Signal Sighted
The Goethals was steaming north
ward on her run from the Canal Zone
and Port au Prince. when at $500 p. m.
the bridge sighted the American
wooden steamship Alanthus flying a
-
her radio, asking what the trouble
son then headed for her at full speed
and stopped half-mile away. BY tho
aid of wigwag signals, he learned that
she was standing by the partly sub
merged United States submarine S-5,
and had been trying to rescue the crew
AS he worked the Goethals to the
eastward, the skipper saw protruding,
forty-five feet from the surface Of the
sea, the stern of the submarine, around
which the Alanthus crew had built a
rude platform of heavy planking.
1t was at this moment that the cool
and accurate judgment of the young
skipper Of the Goethals asserted it.
self. 1t was his first trip as master Of
the vessel on which he had served as
chief officer for several years.
A~SoOy ~ OAAIA ANclu OuG
He telcphoned to the engine room
for "Billy" Grace. the chief engineer,
who is thirtysix years old. and the
two sailormen had hasty conference.
Meanwhile the captain had ordered a
boat over the side manned by his chief
officer, his wireless operator and eight
men of the crew.
"Looks as if we would have to drill
them out" said Grace. "I'll take along.
some ratchet drills. Have another
boat ready, captain, in case We signal
for other TOOLS"
Grace hurried over the side, taking
with him his chief aid and deck
engineer, who has charge Of the
winches.
The boat load from the Goethals. the
success or failure Of whose labors
meant life or death to the imprisoned
after they had cast off.
Grace took in the situation at
glance. A hole six or seven feet above
the surface on the protruding stern
must be cut quickly. Also it must be
cut big enough to permit the men with
in to emerge one at time. The chief
knew the kind of steel the navy put
into submarines, and he had doubts of
the ability of his hand ratchet drills to
cut It, There was electric power close
at hand on the A!anthus and q few
drills, but Grace decided to take no
chances with experiments.
Puncture Submarines Plate
He marked off on one of the hard
steel plates an ellipsc big enough for
large man to squeeze through. Then
he set his drill and started cutting
The steel did not respond readily, but
he kept on until the efforts Of his
brawny arms had punctured the plate
of the submarine. Grace gave a gasp
and closed his eyes. When he opened
them they were red and water streamed
down his cheeks.
1t was not tears-merely water that
came from tortured eyes when stream
of gas blew into his face from the small
hole he had 80 laboriously bored.
lConttnued on paao FOUR