New Britain herald., 1928-03-21
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 0ALvAuL .....- ''''ur0o . IN SUB UNbROKENI
Life in S-4 Might Have Been Prolonged, Investigators Find
MORE FATAL RELICS FOUND
Had Air Line Been Attached to Sal wage Piping, Men Could Have Had Air Until Killed by NonoNitle Fumes.

Boston. March 9l Llr - The salvage air line of the submarine S4 was found in working order to- day when members of the naval boar! of investigation tested it at the Boston navy yard where the wrecked ship rests in drydock.
 The line which runs to the vari- ous compartments of the submersi- hle was not broken. the board found, and functioned properly. Naval o1fi- cers said that had an air line been connected to this salvage line. air could have been pumped to the men within the submarine to maintain life until carbon monoXide collected in sufficient quantities 10 cause death The line, if was found con- tained some water and the members of the board believe that it was opened after the S-4 was rammed uy the coast guard cutter Paulding and then closed. The men of the submarine probably believing it had been broken.
 The salvage line had no connec- tion with the air line to the ballast tanks which was found broken. The latter is used to force out water from 'he tanks so that the ship can be made buoyant.
 Lived For Three Days
 Indications that Lieutenant Ora ham Fitch, one of the six men who remained alive for three days or more in the torpedo compartment, continued his efforts to signal to the rescue force until he died or lost consciousness werc found by mem- bers of the board today. Several small hand wrcnches were found on the submarine decks near the spot were Lieutenant Fitch's body lay and the deck bore scars as though it had been hammered. Reconstruct ing the story of what happened as the undersea ship lay on the ocean bed. the officers said that these marks probably were caused by the final faint signals noted by the men on the sister submarine. S-6 on the " iiltSbtS Alloi iilbS tI ltI tllt tolll- sion
 A knife and gold watch were found in the engine room today The watch bore the initials "D. w. and was believed to have been thai of Lieutenant Donald Wheeler. en- gincer officer. A navy torpedo watch also was found in the room. It had stopped at S:o5. The body Of a large dog fish also was found in the engine room.
 Still Is Sub Man
 James Rice. lst class nachinist mate, who was a member Of the crew of the S-4 but who escaped the fatal crash when illness kept him from making the last trip, visited the submarine today. He declared he had no intention of giving up the submarine service which he asserted was as safe as any branch
 Mystery Is Solved
 The board also believed if had solved what has been probably ths major mystery of the disaster sine. lHt 1tNtldllOll tl the SlndlIlltSS D' the hole made by the destroyer Paulding in the collision of the yes sells off Provincctown last December and that was what caused the sud. den desertion of the control room.
 As reconstructed by the investiga tors, the accident let sea water into the pierced battery room winch wa! promptly abandoned by men station ed there. who sealed the door lead ing to the control compartment. Tn. pressure of the water against ven tilator pipe leading from the batter, room caused it to burst above th, switchboard in the control com partment with resultant short cir cults and diffusion of fumes iron the batteries which made the plac. untenable.
 At the same time the water iron the battery room had sucked into the pipe a piece of green curtain from an officers stateroom and ar American flag which became wedg ed in a valve between the battery and control rooms, making it i'm possible for the men in the la::cI compartment 10 close the valve ant shut off the thrush Of water whicl a few seconds afterward destroyed
 Continued on Page l5)