Evening star., 1928-01-15
COLLISION OF Sd
RELATED IN COURT
Two Coast Guardsmen Tell
of Witnessing Two Yes.
sells Crash.

By the Associated Press.
BOSTON. January 1.-two men
who had watched from shore the col
lision between the Coast Guard de-
stroyer Pauldine and the submarine
S-4, off Provincetown Harhor Decem'
her IL, described the scene today be-
fore the naval court Of inquiry inNes'
t:catirS the S.4 disaster.
Roatswain F.. r Oracle, in charge
@. Wood End Coast Guard life saving
station. told of picking up the peri
SCOPES and part of the coming tower
Of the submarine as she drove forward
toward the DESTROYER.
MY God. Frank. there's going TO
he a collision" he shouted 10 Surfman
Frank E simmons. who was on look
out in the tower Of the Coast Guard
station. 4 few seconds later the two
vessels met. Simmons also told the
story on the witness stand.
Brumby Testifies.
The Coast GuardSmen were called
Al the afternoon session of the court.
the morning having heen devoted TO
Rear Admiral Frank N. Brumby's ties.
timony on the rescue efforts conduct
ed in the DAYS that followed the col
Gsion. Admiral Brumby declared that
everything possible had been done in
the weather conditions prevailing TO
rescue the six men imprisoned in the
torpedo room OF the Si in l05 feet
Of water. He said that each rescue
attempt had been taken after fun dis.
cussion by group Of competent sal.
wage and submarine officers and that
he took full responsibility for all de.
cision taken.
The graphic story told by Oracle
bore out versions given by previous
witnesses as 10 the relative positions
and courses OF the rauldinc and the
50 before they met zoo yards from
the outer buoy Of the measured mile
standardization course off Wood End.
Under examination by Comdr
Leslie E. Bratton, judge advocate.
Oracle said the collision occurred
one minute or less from the time he
saw the submarine. When part Of
the coming tower emerged from the
water the Paulding was half a ships
length away. After that the col
lsion was a matter of seconds.
Passed Over S..
Surfman Simmons said that when
the two vessels came together, the
DESTROYER appeared 10 go right over
the submarine, and the S-i sank i'm
n,ediately.
He said he had noticed the SUBJ
marine operating at intervals for
several hours during the afternoon.
and that on one occasion she was a
raile beyond the buoy marking the
measured mile course,
Admiral Brumby in his testimony
went over ground which had been
covered previously during this in
ouiry by Lieut. Comdr. Edward Ellis
berg. salvage expert. He said the
first efTo,ts of the rescuers had been
TO blow the ballast tanks of the
sunken submarine and bring IL 10
the surface
Then vain effort was made. under
Impossible divin- conditions, In lead
an air lire IN the compartment. The
after two ,lays of delay due TO rough
10 the 50 listening tubes and furnish
air tn the six men imprisoned in the
torpedo room.
was no chance for the men he said
everybody e.so thought the same.
but we ke.t on IN the possible chance
that We might io s",ne good.
Other witnesses heard TODAY were
Chief Radio Electrician n II. r.. Eothen-
burg. W no produced the file OF mes.
ssges exchanged between The impris.
oned men On the 50 u I'D the rescue
ships, and Lieut.. Howard Wilcox.
comma nder of the second Coast Guard
district, who testified as 10 the duties
of the Coast Guard Service and pro.
6uced the weather log covering the
date Of the collision.