The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-08
SUBMARINE
IS II HOURS
UNDER SEA
Crew of Fifty One Finally
Escapes Through Tor
pedo Tubes.

bridgeport, Conn, Dec. S.-The
lake Submarine S-4S sank off this
tarbor last night and was sub
merged for u hours before the
crew. by tightening the ballast
tanks. raised one end of the craft
N the surface and escaped throug
the tubes.
Crew Tells Story.
New York. Dec. S.-(By the As
sociated Press. Fifty-one mem
hers Of the crew of the submarine
s-4s, who escaped through torpedo
tubes after their craft had made a
nose dive off Bridgeport harbor
Yesterday and struck the bottom,
told a remarkable story of rescue
on their arrival today at the New
York navy yard.
According to a report made to
the cOmmandant, they ightened
one end of the submarine, until it
appeared above the surface and
then sat perched on this pinnacle
for more than ten hours. until after
darkness had fallen.
Then, by lighting matches, and
then burning their mattresses they
attracted the attention OF a pass
Ing tanker which picked them up
and brought them here.
Suffer from Gas.
Several of the men, as well as
Lieutenant Francis Adams Smith.
we're found to be suffering from the
effects of chlorine gas. created by
salt water flooding storage batter
les.
After examination, however, only
three were detained at the hospi-
tai.
The submarine left BRIDGEPORT At
lO:2S a. m. on a trial trip. About
one mile off the entrance 10 the
harbor, after making d nose dive
sne failed to come up and her com
mander reported that the presump-
ton was that one of her hatch COW
ers had not been properly fastened,
allowing water to seep in.
Salvaging operations have al
ready been started. The submarine
is believed not TO have been seri-
ously damaged.
Burn Mattresses.
When night came on some of the
ntty-one officers, sailors and me-
enanics went down into the sunken
craft and handed out mattresses to
burn in order to get a brighter sig
naling fare than any matches
could give.
one by one the mattresses were
burned at the tip Of the up-stand-
ing bow the ST sitting around their
naming signal. Just as the last
mattress was burning, about 1890
O'Clock, the Standard Oil tug No.
% sighted the submarine and came
alongside.
small boat was lowered from
tae tug 10 gather in the men hud-
oied together on the tin of the sub
marine. Lieutenant Smith in the
hospital here, praised Captain Oh
zen Of the rescuing tug for the
sp'endid seamanship" in getting
Tue stranded men off the undersea
ciatt and aboard his own vessel
Nith the waters of the sound swish
iag heavily
None Seriously Hurt.
IL was said at the Brooklyn hos
pNai that Of three men who suf-
is'ed the worst, none was in a seri-
Gus condition.
:, ne submarine was taking one of
S ualiy trial trips under command
D D.. o-llcers from the Lake Torpedo
40. company, which built her, and
,s s.e uFe naval men aboard acted in
we capacity OF observers. They
~ere IN charge of Lieutenant-Com-
nander Stanley Haas.
any official explanation of why
ae submarine suddenly slid down
~ me stern to the bottom OF the
souNu sun must come from officials of
e construction company which
manned y, her. naval officers said.
muse muse aboard the craft attributed
ba he backward drop to an open