Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-26

learned from them that the pipe lead.
ing down from the torpedo room to
the valve to which Michels had nearly
given his life to couple up an air
hose was cut somewhere in the wreck
age. In the S4's torpedo room they
had opened the valve on their end, but
a stream of water rushing through
showed the line was open to the sea.
When finally on Wednesday the
storm had moderated enough to allow
diving once more, we steamed over
the Sd to receive another bitter blow.
The heavy MANILA line tied to the
submarines rail had been sawed
across the torn steel plates and parted.
The buoy was picked up a short dis
lance off. with the long line still at.
tached but chafed through at its
lower end.
AS a second marker We thought we
still had the strong divers hose at.
tached by Carr to the coming tower
And there indeed 1t foated, held up
by three cork buoys. But when we
gently pulled up the buoys and hauled
the hose aboard we found nothing
holding the lower end. A short cut
near the bottom OF the hose. a few
frayed threads, told the story.
Visibility and Mud Bad.
The Falson anchored as nearly over
the S-4 as bearings on the nearby
lighthouses could get her-within per-
haps so TO 100 feet OF being right.
But we well knew from a visibility
below OF about feet and a soft mud
bottom. in which the divers might
sink TO their hips. that finding her was
not easy. ION the Ssh a diver who
landed between the submarine and a
pontoon lying only 90 feet away from
it to~'l 20 minutes to find a huge heap
OF anchor chair piled Up half way be-
tween the two.)
So while Wickwire went over to
search the ocean floor, Chief Boat
swain Halves went out in the swift
boat to drag the bottom. Wickwire
came up, having searched al area OF
so feet square. Ingram followed, and
Bird was standing by TO follow In
gram, when Halves made hard strike
with his graphing hook. Down the
line went Bird. and he lanoed on the
S-4's bridge. He secured the line and
Carr carried another line forward.
Wilson and Elben took down air hoses
to secure the s. c. tube over the tor.
pedo room Ia gambling chancel. while
Eadie practiced with a drill for pierre
ing the deck OF the torpedo room
should the interior valve on the S. C.
tube be found closed.
Eiben reported the connection made.
turned on the air. The pressure
rose in the hose. then fell sharply as
the air blew through into the torpedo
room. The men inside that room had
:. epared the way for us For hours
we blew in fresh air and vented out
the foul gas with which the torpedo
room was filed. the latter coming up
at first with a strange. pungent cdor
and gradually improving.
But IL was too late. No answer
came from inside. Lieut.. Fitch and
his men, brave and cool TO the last.
were beyond the point where fresh air
mattered. The sea had won.
The rescue " Jrk on the So Is over.
Salvage remains for the bodies OF the
captain and his entire crew and their
unfortunate ship
Salvage work on sunken vessels Is
dangerous. disc, uraging and slow. To
lift 1.0oo.ton submarine. even though
she be ashore. Is difficult. When she
Is half buried in cling!ng mud which
eNer;S q strong suction effect 10 is
worse. Not only Is IL se1aired ~ lift
1000 tons but 1t Is necessary 70 break
the suction grip of the mud. which Is
several times stronger than that
The position Of the S-& FOR salvage
is slightly better than was that OF the
Ssh. The Ssh was In iS5 feet OF
water. Is miles out in the open ocean.
and exposed to wind and sea from all
directions. Her battery room was
smashed by her collision with the City
OF Rome. and her torpedo room burst
open when she hit the hard bottom,
nose first. The Ssh was badly hesled
over 10 port. Finally. when raised.
she had 10 be tcwed $50 miles TO the
nearest dry dock. which proved a
hazardous piece OF seamanship.
S. Smaller Craft.
The S~a is about ioe tons smaller
than the ssh. She lies in les feet ~
water which somewhat relieves the
pressure that the sal divers worked
under, The 81 - just westward %
tho tip Of Cape Cod. which shelters
her position from eSsterly winds. but
leaves her badly exposed 10 westerly
and northwcStcrly gales. which are
In Winter and Spring The
SIS battery room il cut open. but her
torpedo room is intact. as are all the
other compartments, The bottom Is
sof, mud much softer than OF Hleck
Island. where the S,St hay. And this
seems worse AZ II makes IL harder
Tor the divers To work on the bottom.
hut easier 10 wash Through the tun.
nels, Tho 81 lies on an even Keel,
and IN oalv 80 miles frcm Boston, sc
the dansorcus part II the tew to dry
dock VIII tse shorter.
The S.A can h. ;a!ScA, The same
divers who raised the S.Sl and the
Same equipment tsonse Of II much int
proved are avalianle The WORN viii
hc slow. dtseouragias. dangerous, and
some lives may easily be lost. Eut 10
can he done.