New Britain herald., 1928-01-06
COMMANDER DETAILS
 S.4 RESCUE ATTEMPTS
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 dinarily had more intelligence and initiative than others.
 The witness said he had learned to dive during the S-5l salvage work.
 "As my life depended on 1t, I took good care to make study of diving before began to dive" he said. Be- fore undertaking the S-51 salvage. he added, he made careful study of the records of every submarine sink ing in every navy in the world.
 Commander Ellsberg said that no safety appliances could be attached to a submarine which would do the crew much good unless they were assisted by surface vessels. Such appliances could only be used with great risk to the submarine crew. Favorable diving weather wa1 al- most essential to successful salvage operations.
 The witness said that aftea read ing in the Sunday newspapers De- cember IS of the S-4 disaster he offered his services to the navy and was ordered 10 Provincetown. By train and coast guard destroyer he reached Provincetown and after . wild ride in a surf boat over noun tainous waves succeeded in boarding the mine sweeper Falcon. base of salvage operations, just as Diver Michaels was being treated for bends" after being trapped for more than three hours on the deck of the S-4.
 Conditions Unfavorable "It appeared to me that the con- ditions under which the divers had gone down on the S-4 were not con- ditions under which diving should have been attempted" Commander Ellsberg said.
 The witness said that on Monday morning the weather forbade diving. work. It was decided it would be better for the Falcon to attempt something for Michaels who was in danger of pneumonia than to be in Provincetown harbor awaiting bet ter weather. So Rear Admiral Frank H. Brumby, the senior officer, ordered the vessel to take the diver to Boston. The submarine s-S was left to maintain communications with the S4.
 When the Falcon returned, 1t re- mained at the scene of the wreck until Tuesday afternoon. when 1t steamed into the harbor to transfer some of its crowded personnel to the submarine tender Bushnell, later returning to the scene. 1 Personally, I did not think the vessel should have remained out the witness said. Diving was im- possible, and living conditions on the Falcon were poor. I think the divers should have been allowed to live un- der best possible conditions because of the nature of their work. The weather on Tuesday was hopeless for submarine operations
 Rescue Operations End
 "I may say that rescue operations ended then" said the witness. The time he set for the final giving up of hope was 10 or II o'clock on Thursday night.
 On Thursday. Commander Els berg said. the work of driving tun- nels under the S-4 preparatory to raising operations. was begun. On that day the witness went down him. self to the S-4 and found the star board side not as badly damaged as the S-5l had been.
 7 He said that it was not more than an hour after an air supply had been assured to the men in the torpedo room that work was begun on drifting the first tunnel under the wreck.
 In response 10 questions by the judge advocate Commander Ellsberg described the method by which II had been hoped 10 furnish food end I other supplies to the men on the s-4 by way of the torpedo tube.
 It would be necessary first. he said Ito flood the torpedo tube, and then | turn a wheel which opened the out CT shutter Then men inside would have to do these things. \ diver standing on a stage would then pass the articles into the tube. after