The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1920-09-09
SUBMARINE CREW
ESCAPES NARROWLY
CHIEF ENGINEER AND ASSIST
ANT HAILED AS HEROES BY
CAPT. SWINSON.


The plight of the disabled submarine
So, whose crew Of thirty men was
resuced early last Saturday, after be-
ing submerged for forty-four hours
was first learned by the steamship
Alanthus, which accidently discovered
the submarine off the Delaware capes
with thirty feet of her bow protrud-
ing above the water, Capt. E. o.
Swinson, Of the steamship Gen,
George Goethals, reported upon his
arrival at Hoooken. Earlier reports
were that the Gen. Goethals had 10.
Gated the distressed underseas vessei
by means of telescope buoy releas-
ed from the submarine.
The crew of the submarine owed
their lives, he said, to the quick work
of Chief Engineer =. -. Grace, of
the Gen. Goethals, and his assistant
R. A. McWilliams.
The Alanthus was unable to rescue
the crew as she had no apparatus for
cutting through the submarines hull.
The crew of the Alanthus, however,
began pumping air through the small
hole MADE py the undersea crafts
crew.
"It was about $40 last night,
Capt. Swinson said, "when we sighted
the Alanthus flying distress signals,
about forty miles east of the five
fathom lighthouse.
eve drew up along side and found
her made fast to the bow of the SUBJ
marine by a cable. This cable was
only to keep her from drifting away
as the submarine was perfectly buoy
ant. Her after tanks were full and
her forward tanks empty, so that she
was lying in the water at an angle
of sixty degrees, with thirty feet of
hull above water.
"The Alanthus explained the sub.
marines plight and said she was un-
able to give any other than pumping
air through the small hole. The Alan
thus had a radio outfit but no opera
tor, so I sent one of our radio men
over to her. By 6 o'clock Grace Nc
Williams and four other men were
standing on the submarines hull, drill
ling for all they were worth with only
one small hand ratchet drill. The
.Alanthus radio was only good for a
twenty-mile range, so we relayed their
rlessage.~to Cape May, Philadelphia,
Norfol and New York, telling Of the
submarines plight and calling for aid
rs I didn't think we would be able 20
cut through the hull with our one lit
tie drill.
AT 9:15 the Alanthus flashed US
that Grace had number of holes drill
led through and the men were greatly
revived. | sent out the messages but
still called for help.
later the Hunt, an oil tanker. ar
rived after picking up our messages.
She had an electric drill but we found
it was useless. She stood by several
hours and finally left, finding she
could offer no assistance.
"In the meantime Grace and Nc
Williams were taking turns with the
hand drill and finally at 1:20 a. M,
after hours of the hardest kind of
work. hole was cut through large
enough for the men to escape.
"The first man was taken out at
1:25 and by 2:45 the last man, Lieut..
Commander Charles M. Cooke, Jr.,
climbed through the hole.
"The men from the submarine 70
vived quickly after being put aboard
the Alanthus, where they were given
hot soup and put to bed. Many were
bleeding though they still had plenty
of spirit.
"All credit for the rescue belongs to
Grace and McWilliams. If ever men
were heroes they were."
The submarine crew was later
transferred to the battleship Ohio and
the Alanthus steamed towards Nor
folk.
The Gen. Goethals was on her way