Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-06-03
Thetis
Continued From First Page)

1t been available. with the craft
lying at a 45-degree angle was
doubtful.
With rescue hopes abandoned, it
was said salvage operations would
continue.
Even before the announcement
that the men probably had died of
gas. little hope had been held that
they still were alive.
Naval experts calculated that air
in the submarine would have sus-
tanned the imprisoned men only
until about l 80 am. G:30 pm,
E. S. T., Friday)-36 hours after
the craft made a trial dive in the
Irish sea.
Some hope was raised even after
this period expired when divers re-
ported they heard faint tappings
at am. g pm. E. S. T., Friday
from within the submarines stout
walls.
But as the hours passed without
further indications of life aboard
experts said that only by miracle
could the men still be alive.
Number Raised to SO.
The number trapped in the craft
was raised to SO by the British ad-
miralty. which disclosed eight civil
ian technicians not previously listed
were aboard for the trial run before
acceptance of the new craft by the
navy from the builders
Even among the crowd of sorrow
ing relatives at the Cammell Laird
Offices abandonment of hope was
evident. An announcement from
the offices, which proved erroneous,
that the Admiralty had stated tap
pings were heard as late as 4 am
Go pm. E. S. T. Friday created a
little stir among the crowd
The wife of F. Shaw, one of the
four men who escaped, quoted him
as saying that even when he left
the submarine yesterday the air was
foul land getting dreadful"
5000 Attempt Salvage.
The fear that numbed wives.
mothers and children of the crew
and civilians aboard did not swerve
their comrades of the sea in the
mighty daylight salvage effort,
which employed a score of men
o'war, tugs. mine-sweepers and the
hands and brains of nearly 5000 men
aboard them.
Every known rescue device was
used, with the exception of a diving
bell like that which barely 10 days
ago saved 80 men from the American
submarine Squalus.
But the British man on shore
openly coupled his sorrow with
pointed questioning Of the efficiency
OF the navy in succoring her own
sailors-Whose safety seemed tanta-
lizingly within reach when the
shark-shaped stern of the sub
marine was visible for nearly seven
hours yesterday.
His attitude and the significant
viewpoints of his newspapers, which
asked editorially why rescue opera
lions were so slow, assured an in
vestigation in keeping with the mag
nitude of the accident.
Speed of Work Questioned.
The fact the Thetis now lay on
the bottom of Liverpool Bay on the
edge of the Irish Sea. was treated
with far more Importance in curb
stone comment than the variety of
ships and devices brought into play.
Why didn't they act fast enough
to cut hole, when the tail could
be seen? Why didn't they try a
diving bell? These were among
questions frequently heard.
Explanations by former navy men
and experts now in the service were
that the men couldn't reach that
part Of the tail and that diving
bell was not Immediately available.
There was, furthermore, some doubt
whether it could be used or the
Thetis.
Seven salvage men who helped
raise the German battle fleet scut-
tied at Scapa Flow were among
those descending in the early morn
ing after being flown here from the
Orkneys. They were regarded as
among the best divers in the pro-
fession.
Accident Battling.
Study of the few established facts
available only made the what and
why" as to the cause of the Thetis
accident more battling.
The navy already has in service
one of that class of submarines Two
more are about to undergo tests
A large group of civilian tech
nicians and the commander of the
flotilla-Capt, H. P. K. Dram. who
was one of the four to escape by the
lung apparatus to help direct rescue
operations-were aboard, as is GUS
tomary.
It Is now established that SUM-
cient Davis escape lungs were