New-York tribune., 1921-12-09
Socony 28, Attracted by
Burning Mattress Flare,
Takes Crew Off SAB.
Helpless in the Sound
Boat Springs Leak
On Her Trial Trip
Men ON Craft Built for
Navy Flee Deadly Gas
Through Torpedo Tube

OoPeaih iIubeHc OlScIl, maSCer OIL Jne
Standard Oil Company tug Socony
No. %, brought to the navy yard in
Brooklyn yesterday three naval officers
and civilian crew of thirty eight men
from the sunken submarine S-4S, who
had faced death for eight hours under
the waters of Long Island Sound.
Olsen came along at the right time
to save the imprisoned men. If he
had not seen the fare from a burning
mattress that six of the men set up on
the nose of the submcrsible, which alone
was out of the water, it is more than
likely all the sailormen would have
persisted from chlorine gas within an
hour.
Hescue was something the men hoped
Tor but did not expect. They were all
OF that calm, determined type who can
accept the inevitable and at the same
time work unperturbed to crcumvent
what appears to be certain death.
Within the she'll they had been SLOWLY
giving way to chlorine gas. Without,
they faced the rigors of choppy sea
and the chilling wind from the north
that whistled over the Sound
Mechanism Goes Wrong
The S-4S, which was built at the
plant of the Lake Torpedo Boat Com
pany. left her moorings at Bridgeport
at 10 A. M, Wednesday, on her test
trip and took a course to the south.
submerging midway between the Con.
necticut and Long Island shores.
1t is said that every precaution was
taken by the test crew and the three
naval officers to avoid mishap, but
despite their care the submarine filled
She had hardly touched the slimy bot
tom OF the Sound when water began
TO seep INTO her two after compart-
ments which house the motors and
auxiliary power. All compartments
were supposed to close automaticallv
but in this instance the mechanism
went wrong.
ne seeplng- increased to a veritable
Hood, beyond the power of pump con-
troll, and soon the men realized that
the salt water had found it's wav to
the batteries, throwing off the deadly
chlorine gas. Through the torpedo
tubes the men sent out bottles con.
tanning notes telling of their predica.
ment. Slowly the power Of their stor-
age batteries dirlinished and the fight
for life was carried on in partial dark
ness.
The craft was tilted upward at ar
angle of thirty degrees, and the onl,
chance of getting to the surface was
to tighten the stern and give sufficient
buoyancy to permit the nose of the
vessel to protrude above the surface
Within six hours the undersea prison
ers got rid of their entire fuel tonnage
and ton of lead ballast. The S-4s
was then sufficiently light to permit
her nose to project about six feet ou,
of water.
Leave by Torpedo Tube
Peter Dunno, a civilian workman. the
least affected by the gas, got through
the torpedo tube and clutched for the
deck. He missed the deck by a foo,
or two and fell into the chilling water
Swimming around in the dark ant
! groping about the bow, he clutched {
chain and pulled himself to the deck
Presently rope was put out through
the torpedo tube by George Buchanan
another civilian worker, and Dunno
made this fast to the bow of the sub
marine.
over tnlS Nne the others haule(
themselves to the deck of the vesse
and waited for help to come Tn.
seas broke over them constantly
drenching them to the skin. Some o.
the men brought up rockets and flash
lights, but they had little or no eff
feet in attracting passing craft. 4
vessel of some sort passed along tt
the eastward after making signal O
some sort in response to the flashlights
of the men.
1t was obvious that their signals
were ineffective and one of the me,
went back through the tube and brough
up straw mattress. This was Sc
on fire and promptly attracted the at
tention Of Captain Olsen of the Socon.
No. %, which was then about two miles
away.
The skipper had big barge in tov
which he did not wish to cast adrif
on mere chance, but he crowded OF
| (CnnfnuaH nm nexS usn.\