The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, March 07, 1917, Image 8
HOW A SUBMARINE
TORPEDOED A SHIP
Just What Happens Described From
the Point of View of Both Attacker
and Attacked.
Early in the great war the world
was astounded -by the "London Of
dieial," that three British scout cruis
ers-Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy-had
been sunk by torpedooe. Later, a wave
of wonder spread ovei the civilized
world when Berlin announced that all
three sinkings were the work of one
submarine, the U-9.
Froni that period of the war right
up to the present time the operations
of undersea fighters have held. the in
terest of every follower of the gigan
tic events.
Where will they lead? low does
Germany keep It up? Why doesn't
England get after the Germans? These
are questions asked continually. Oth
ers, which show the keen interest in
submarines, are for information re
garding them. What actually hap
pens when a submarine fires a tor
pedo? What is the usual distance be
tween the subsea boat and its intend
ed victim Is she on the surface when
naing 'the attack?
A succession of events has made It
possible for statements to be obtained
of men and women on torpedoed
steamships and at least one officer on
a German U-boat has been able to tell
his story regarding such attacks. The
World published these at the time
they were made.
Every navy guards with great care
its submarine secrets. Long before
the present war the United States
navy department Issued orders for
bidding any one to board its little
lighters unless they b in the navy or
armnled with many permits. The same
situation obtained in foreign navies.
Few books can be procured with the
data that, are of most. interest. A re
porter for The World, however, has
obtained from the highest authority
the facts that follow.
In the flirs. place, no submarine can
launch its torpedo w%'ith any hope of
hitting the target unless the latter is
seen by tle imian at the periscope.
Therefore, it iilust be near the sur
face, so tlat observations can be
tnade. Torpedoes have a range of
7,000 yards---about fou r hian(d miles.
As a general rih' lite Geriman I*
boats use(l in attacking merchant
vessel lan tii lheir torpedoes front
a distanlce% of two tiles. At. that di
tan ce it Is very diflicult for any one
on tlie doomied vessel to observe Iheir
periscope.
Torpedoes rush tIhro uuglh the water
at a rate of from 2S to 10 kiots an
hour. The average speed figureI In
land miles Is about 36 miles an hour.
As the torpedo speeds thlroughi the
water it makes a wake like a huge
fish. In addition is the telltale wa'ke
of bubbles-eaused by tile exhaust
from I tle coprlieI'icsed a ii chain bers
that give it niomentui.
Once the submarine Is clear of her
harbor and on the high sea, where
she Is destined to operate, her coi
mlanderi must keel a keen watch for
enemy craft. hie riemiia his (1n Ohe sur
face as mtuch as lie can, hils conning
tower and' Ju1 (mll eck being jutt
above w'ater and~ hiis lier'scope stick
ing uip 15 or 20 feet fur thjer. This is
the niormial c'ruiising piosillont. When('i
submerged thle gasol Inc engines must
be st oppied and t lie submartine r'ien by
Its elect rIc baterles. No submarine
can cru'tise tinder wvater for' miote
than about eight hours at. a tine
wvithou~t c'omintg upi for moi~re alir. if
it be desire io rest on the bottom
it miay r'emin undi~er a little hongeir
wvIthout endangering thle men on
board.
There are nlo submarInes bulii that
can desc'end to a depth gr'eatetr than
150 feet. ConseCinently ther'e Is v'ery
little resting on the bottom otnce they
start on a cruIse rat' out to sea.
A submarine that wvishes to dlodge
vessels afloat may sink and r'etmain
beneath the water until it figur'es that
all danger' is past. 11cr comnmandler
will know wvhen he has dlescendied
about eIghty feet and hie will remain
there. He has delicate Instruments
aboard-sounding bells some call
them-that convey to him the throb
of a p~ropeller. lie can then crulso
by comnpass to somne other portion of
the sea and there take his chances
of being discovered wvhen coming uip.
When rising to the surface for alt'
and observation those on submarines
* in war time take chances. They have
no way of learning the presence of
etome sdrifting trawler armed with a
light gun thne can destroy them. Nor
can they 1 a torpedio boat destr'oy
or Is watti... ready wvith hier' shaprp
lprow to rain them..
Aviation has proved of great assist
ance in thle hunt for submerged sub
marines. Observers in hyd roplanes
can ''spot'' the submarine even when
submerged and~ Warn torpedo boats Cof
its presence.
When thle subniaine lhas -poked
hior periscope ablove water and~ those
071 b)oardl have ftlotedl the nea i's clear
sihe ennX iise~. Shie reima Ins at the
ortiising dep9th wivle sea 'ehimi fot' hter
prey or wvatching f6~' thle aippieuaane'
of fighting slhilsef'romi $ch she wili
fico. She in defxenhe, dd must lie
careful lost zhe be dcestroycd while
trying to launch her torpedo. There
fore lie is used principally as a com
merce raider.
When at, the cruising depth the
lookout 'sights . the smoke of some
vessel the course is changed, and
when at the proper distance the sub
marine is sunk .beneath the surface,
only the periscope sticking up.
"Noiselessly we slip closer and
closer in oui exciting chase," the
commander of one of the U-boats has
related. "The main thing was that
our periscope should not be observed.
Po that the steamer would not change
her course at the\ last momeht and
escape us. Very cautiously I stick
just the tip of the periscope above
the surface at intervals of a few
minutes, take the position of the
steamer in a second, and, like a flash
pull it down again.
"This second was suflcient for me
to see what I wanted to see. The
steamer was to starboard and was
'heading at a good speed across our
bow. To judge from the foaming
waves which were thrown off from
the bow I calculated that her speed
must be about 16 knots.
"The hunter knows how Important
it is to have a knowledge of the speed
at which his prey Is moving. lie can
calculate the speed closer when it is
a wounded hare than when It is one
which in fight at high speed rushes
past. It was only necesary for,
therefore, to calculate the speed of
the Mhip, for which a sailor has an ex- 1
perlenced eye. I then plotted the ex
act angle we needed. I measured this
'by a scale which had been placed 1
above the sightS of the periscope. NowI
I only had to let the steamer come
along until It had reached the zero
point on the perlscop'e and fire the
torpedo, which then must strick its
mark.
"You see, it is Very simple. I esti
mate the. speed of the boat, aim with
the periscope, and fire at the right
moment."
Subminarine commanders must cal
('late well the speed of the vessel at.
whieh they intend firing and figure
exactly where it will be when the tot'
i'edo shall hit it. They have instru
rients for measurting the speed of the
Nessel. The commander who will be
successful in a surprise attack must
pr'ove coiect In hiis presti pt ion that
he has not been observed. The vessel
Imist be continued at its usual speed.
Tlhen it, is merely a mathema tical
problem, worked out with a $-4,000
torpedo that goes through the ocean
jst a 'few feet below the surface.
Nlast ers of Inerchan Iment can es
(ape torpe(does if they are seen soon
enotigh to change their course. Speed
and a quick answer to the helm are
p ecessary for the successful sinbma
ritne dodger. Constant lookout must 1
he mnaintained for the submarines, 1
and the ship's crew iust always he
onl the alert to do their part, once the
telltale wake of the torpedo is dis
Corned.
Submnarines have greater speed
than the average freighters. That is
why the latter atre so easily over
hattled and attacked by the deek
goun withI wihichi the larger Ul-boats
W\hent the Lutsitan Ia was t orpedoed
just off of the Old Ileadl of Kinsale,
on the souith coast of Ireland, on May
7, 1915, this Is w"hat. was observed by
one of thle piassengeris, J1. I1. ltrooks
of flrldg'lort, Conn., whent inter
v'Iewedl by3 thle Londlon copot' nd5i~~ett
of The Wor'ld t wo (lays later:
'"At abotut It) o'clock, shtipi's time,
the fog l ifted anid ou r sliced inicreas
ed to abiout 17 knots. At 2 o''clock
I finished a lightt lutnch and passed
uip on the boat deck and up the little
stalt'way which leads to the hutrri
cane deck.
"As I t'eachied the corner of the
Mar'coni house I looked out over the
sea. It was calm as a lake and the
sun was shining. Suddenly I saw the
wake of a torpedo comning towai'd us,
aind then the torpedo Itself. It was
traveling, I estimate, about thir'ty
five miles an hour. The tor'pedo,
'plainly visible about three feet be
low the suirface was, I should say,
aboult 12 feet long.
"I rushed to the side of the ship,
leanedl over the railing and looked to
see it str'ike. I realized at once
flhe aimt was perfect. My impressions
as I analyze themt now, wvere most
pectuliar. My ehtiefi thought was how
beautifuil the deadly instrument was
as it skimmed ,al6ng.
"The torpedo was fired after' the
ship had passed the submaine. It
struck us at an oblique angle just bo
l'iw wher'e I wvas standing, di'ectly
ePp)osite the forwar'd funtnet.
"My fir'st thought was that the
funnel might fall ;to escape this
jumpled to the shelter of the Marconi
house. I had taken three stepis when
the (deluge of water hurled up by the
(expilosion knockedl tie downa and~ then
there wans a rain of debris w.hich
sceemed to hiavr bieen forced tup
hrough the decks."1
Whlen the Califorcinla was tor'pedoed
(.n Vebi'uar i' Ilast, whvle off thge
rth coas;t of Ireland, with a loss of
-1t persons. t wo of whom were cll
drenu hor'n in Phf~ladphphi, the, bub-.
i,1c4 in the wvake et then toriOdo wereC
not leed by C.ant. ~IendersQJn i'tt bn0-!1
ALL FOWI THE LADIES.
Fashion Hints From Gay Paree on the
Screen at Idle Hour Theatre Monday
Fashion hints from gay Pare and
New York are found .in abundance in
Lhe Vitggraph Blue 'Ribbon Feature,
'His lVfe's Good Name", which will
be at the Idle Hour Theatre on Nlon
Jay.
The model for most of the attrac
tive creations in this V-L-S-10 release
Is Lucille Lce Stewart. Already is
this young lady gaining the reputation
or being one of the best dressed we
inen upon lhe screen, and fairly,'too,
for Miss Stewart wears any number
3f beautiful gowns in this feature film.
In the first part of the story Miss
Stewart is it little country girl and
tere she must dress accordingly. Her
rrock takes the form of a typical cotin
try lass's dress. 31ade of a flowered
Inuslin, tile waiste, which is short, is
trimmed with narrow black velvet and
fornis a strong contrast to the French
models seen elsewhere in the produc
[ion.
An afternoon dress of navy blue
taffeta is made with a Jacket effect, the
ollars and cuffs of which are a sheer
lawn with a bit of embroidery. The
skirt is perfectly plain with a few
omall pleats.
The various scenes in the restau
rants and cabarets offer many other
)layers gowned in the latest creations.
In fact thre is no end to the fashion
Aints which this drama offers as the
;tory runs Its course.
The latest things in hair ornaments,
loslery aln( other accessories also
Inds a conspicuous place in the story,
vhich deals withi a country girl who
3mies to the-big city in order to be
ome a prima donna.
ildredina llr lieiedy Never Fails.
Tro restore gray hiair to Its natural
2olor and beity. No matter how old
ind faded your hair looks, or how long
'ot have been gray, it will work won
lors for you, keep you looking young,
om'otlioe a luxurianl growth of lealthy
air, stop Its falli g out and positive
ly relove dadru f. Will _110t soil
skil or linen. \ ill not fiure Your
mir. Is not a dy ..
liefuse all su). t Itt .s; 50c a bottle
it Lauriens DrI ug C
111 EE' We will send a large trial bot
tie lilC10 by return m a11il, to
mnyonte who sends this colupon to Mil
I red L.ouise Co. Ilost.on, Mass., with
heir namte and address and 10 cents
11 silver to pay postage.
Trap Shooters Met.
The icibers of tile Laurens Gun
'lub held their first outing last Wed
iesday afternon at the trai)s on It. G.
liranks' place. The club had as Its
muests a number of the Greenwood
!lub and the local shots and the vlsi
ors had all enjoyable afternoon of
looting. The Greenwood visitors
present were j. 1. Ciipley, 10. 1. Arn
ld, Paul .morris, Jerry Smathers, X,.
FI. Williams, A. F. AlcKitsick, Dr. Pitt
[an an(1 T. T. Todd. The Greenwood
bisitors ex pressed themsls s1 be
ng delighlted wIth the0 gun club's
rtoun~ds aind eqinitent.
.\tr. P. D). linff, soni of .\ir. and .\lrs.
Aug. 1 luff, of thtis city, whlo is sittldy
n~g law at thle Unti'rtsity of Flotidta,
vasl ret'Oly1' ( seted to reipresenlt tile
mtiversity at in itntercollieglate debate
het weent tile Untiverty3 of Florida,
I'l'niversity3 of S'outhli Cartoll ina and thte
U'niversity of Trennessee. Thtere were
Wtwety entr iants itn tile preliminary
try'outt to select tile contestants an~l
i. hluff w~as one of four' decided on by
Ite judges. Tile debates will take
place Apiril 23rd ad 26th.
HELPFUL HAIR HINTS
Wlorthy thie Attention of Eyeryone
Wiho Wot 1 A void 'landru ,' Itching
Nealp. 0r iy Hairs andi B duness.
"Whtat wvil stop mity I IIr comng
Dtlt?" Ilepli I: Parisian Sage is the
best re(meidy for' hair d scalp trou
ble' said to I 'event b' dness, grdyness
lnnd dandruff
"Ihefore go ig o bed, I always rubh
Er little Paiiu Sage Into my scalp,"
says a woman whose luxurtliouts, soft
mind fluffy hair is greatly admired. This
stopls itchting scalp, keeps) tihe hair
fr'otm fallng out and makes it eaay to
[lrecss attraetively.
Ileautiful sott, glossy, hlealthy3 htair
for those wh'lo use Parisian Soge. You
can get a bottle of this inexpensive
Firenchl hair dIressling ft'om the Lau
rons Drutg Co. and druggists every
whierem, w ill guiaratitee oif satisfactiotn
>r' money r'eftunded,
fore tile vessel was struck.
"FIre on thtat spot!" he called
tht'ough thte spealdng tube to ithe
:grewv manning thte 4,7-i rcht gutn
liotunted after. The steam hip was
mtuck before Ithe gttn coutld lie
'rained, however.
"It seemed fair'ly to lift the ship
ml (if the water," said (1ne of thte
itrivivors. "M\any ot t he passengcers
bnd crow wore thrown from ,their
'cot, and besides the five :killed in
>lantly, mtoro thlan ai score were' In
nsrd by flyingsrpulinters."
A Few of H. Terry's New Spring
Attractions
Our store is now blooming in the many beautiful new
Spring Colors. Each express brings something that
needs only to be seen by the ladies to be esired.
NlEW SPRING VOILES. lACE SPECIALS.
The charming new Voiles for i lady's We are now displaying a. comPlete as
spring dress are now being slio% n. They sortilnt of att'attive lacs, including
are in all the new colors an designs pretty, nii'oW cdges and insei
and in many combina tion s. i All in the modish colors and de
signs.
Nl-.CW\ SPRINUCQO. TS.
NI'AV 1)IU~lN{4O IS " SPRING IrOS M1Y.
I f you desire something reall3 I1.1 T :.' who appreciate beautiful ard atc
1111d t the samne time moderate i dee .- l e 'Ilne d l e Hosiery, will do
(ll and)(] inspect our beauitifull line of popular prices.
Ladies' Coats. Special in plaids and spriag line, in tie fancy stripes and at
the newest shade('. Mustard, well to a ke an ispection o , opl new
A -PEEP INTO THE FUTURE
With the adlvent. of the New Year yon are wvell, strong, Vigorous, able to do a day's wori
and1 to enijoy life. You have had a reasonable (legree of srcess nar so yo are now care-free.
Youi have little worry oA What lext week or ionth may bring forth.
Do You Know ThatIMMM
Nitiyt. -five per cii I ol" the m1enl who cilgage inl bi.siless event uwhly -api ? The estate you
'UP bulilding up for- yourl famnily i~an't Melt like the snowM in tile 8spr SIn?
NotIi lig is; leillailellt iln pr'ivate foil liQ or ilh private b si ess. If ydl really want to
insure tile ('011) oit orf your Co mi i youl mu1st d10 it thIirough lprottii 101 'rred ill sonmc est ablished
oprin line, inu e thefacy trpesan a
This Is An Old St ymm
'n Ith the beent ofnd tht life is uncertain w le only way to lay safe is to be rotecter.
Y aohlssness s the greate eause for Mlac protetion as iost men really beliebre inn fro
teet ion./
Your Own- Insuanc olicy
is one of te best ithim n e agaist earelessness.
Tbi I i to rI, your to t a y me of ptect in whe yrn sun get ,.
Nothing f i s maet inihyipo k privt e otnsi e or inprvtebsi(s.1 you(til o(0efly n eallyoI wat to
insur shel clofortoke ,vofnoi youe m usoi hog rtcin re nsm salse
Fo lnisrae MisouranyieInu.neCo pn
3len haeiI1 be wane uhtld is unestatingl, only waytollaysf st epoetd
Caelsses i*te ret (lone for slak evoe in ah mOt mndraly belning eve 2inpro
1*neoth besecitin 11mnt r moainst carsss. VP.Ceradadnwbokthogthsile
This* is to ur yo to takeou bdvataean o roterio whrive, yofuh ay, oget i dah ..B
M l ommyissuesl oerdeda ne oe bes t Rapholicies eanse it osountl, whifea ane ho t clai
nar' Cedar roe euly buary y idrGov ehouisbe oneiteredokdeyo ough omnituly anvdstoiany whaoI
motsan d h'er boyu lid tohes way ~ ofretind ors Mvedes Rginst wat tfhen bervdinesshfartlske
eiayu heuetr alo brutakery m them.g fCme. aiy h a hogto ~sdai
te servies da o hrlieeil anoaswe Hng beseeb tenae f h Lrd"
shock t o he iniu reild tr ough evtlehirwntoteu(15vorfedle vskonthogu
yer.is d btea Cokerdiedlat hse hewe in ovrter retls.ii iadakndh rclm ,lya
nerCdrGoeu churhibrar Our bea
mon thirten e boyldt rest- hers haywtirifnoii elwan a ayl
wiae a greatfu ag o ra ( tribute h er-s ii et 11)~~~lfo l trluc fcaati v h wr
sping r grae. ofv J.01 P.ae~l Colmanh i ae e uov a awy e~ orsou oal
lo wiponil 01 le hr batr, itcondsurUo h 1Ot1al ihan el al itedbe uheey le ~
sHera aidath oes ut onexpected, ye th ald Cm oe loiTm aiyhs01'(CIetH1
Ithe announcgemegnt taued a lledgrfial0tpth nthu
shock o her any frendietrough
out he ounry.She'wa inher26t