Evening star., 1939-06-22
Change in venti|ating
Equipment Of All
i. 5. Subs Urged
Construction Expert
Hits Present Type in
SquoIus Testimony
BY the Associated Press,

BY the Associated Press
PORTSMOUTH. N. H., June o.
A civilian expert in submarine con-
struction-the only one OF three
non-Navy men who survived the
Squalus disaster-recommen to-
day that the ventilating equipment
OF every United States submarine
be changed in the interest of safety.
Testifying before a naval board
OF inquiry into the tragedy which
claimed 26 lives, Harold c. Preble,
naval architect who has participated
in tests of every submarine built at
the Portsmouth Navy Yard in %
years, declared he did not consider
the present type of air induction
valve efficient or effective.
Previous witnesses told the board
they believed failure of the Squalus'
main induction valve caused the
disaster.
Not Emergency Valves.
Mr.. Preble explained it would be
impossible to close one of the present
inboard valves manually with water
coming in because "a man couldn't
even get near it; he would be swept
away by the water and couldn't do
thing"
They are not, in fact, emergency
valves because they are no good
when water is coming it, and that's
when we have an emergency" he
added.
|. Regarding the Squalus main in
duction valve, Mr.. Preble said
There's no doubt in my mind that
it was closed and I don't believe
it is possible for it to have come
open. Some part of the mechanism
must not have been functioning."
Mr.. Preble said he believed rescue
OF 80 members of the Squalus' crew,
including himself, from 24O feet of
water with diving bell constituted
the most efficient engineering project
ever undertaken and completed in
the world"
Eleven Crew Members Testify.
Eleven members Of the Squalus'
crew then followed each other to
the stand In quick succession, de-
scribing matter of -factly to their
hair-raising brushes with death.
An eerie note was injected by
Machinist Mate Allen C. Bryson of
Greenville, S. c., "talker" sta
toned at telephone in the for
ward battery room.
Il heard a statement on the
phone, " he said, Take her up, the
induction is OPEN"
The voice was 'haZy," he said and
he could not identify it or determ-
inc from what section of the sub
marine 1t came.
Lloyd B. Maness, electrician S
mate, of Greensboro, N. c., who was
named one of the heroes of the
disaster after he exercised super
human strength" to shut the water
tight door that saved 80 of his COM
panions, was preceded on the stand
by three of the last five men who
squeezed through the door.
Describe Fight for Safety.
Walter L. Washburn, seaman,
Greenwich, Ohio; Raymond F..
O'Hara. pharmacists mate. of Ell
mira, N. Y, and William Boulton.
seaman, Luton, Iowa, told how they
had fought their way through the
swirling water in the after COM
partments to reach safety.
Water came in at a pretty good
pressure and kind of washed me
back" Washburn said. II had to
pull myself up to the control room" Z"
Maness said merely that several
men passed me" He added:
The water was up to my feet
and coming in very rapidly. I be-
lleve I was the last man out (of the
after battery COMPARTMENT. When
| went through closed the door
behind me. Water was getting up
pretty high. 1 looked through the
eye port of the door. I could see no
one. The lights were out and the
water was right up to the eye port
Best Friend Left Behind.
Later I got f1ashlight and tried
to look in, but still could see no one
1t would have been impossible to
open the door even if I had seen
any one, because of the pressure of
the water"
One Of the men left behind when
Maness shut the door was his best
friend.
The ships cook, William Isaacs of
Washington, D. c., related yesterday
in calm, slow phrases that he saw a
solid sheet of sea water pouring into
the vessel through the main engine
room ventilating duct as she carried
26 men to their deaths Is miles off
this port.
That testimony was the first di-
rect confirmation of the early the
ories for the cause of the disaster
failure OF air-induction valves to
close and keep out sea water.
Saw Solid Sheet of Water.
Reporting that he heard sound
like air escaping as he stood in a
small compartment off the after
battery compartment as the Squalus
executed her tragic dive, Mr.. Isaacs
testified:
Il stuck my head from the galley.
Salt water splashed in my face.
I looked through the doors
eyeport. I saw solid sheet of water
pouring down from the engine room
opening of the main engine induc-
ton duct. Water was coming out of
ventilator openings and in water
knee deep I waded forward to the
unfiooded control room as the ship
started to up-angle by the nose"
He was one of the last five men
fhrailol, &lao hafo..a I