Nebraska Newspapers

    DAKOTA COUNTY HERALD, DAKOTA CITY, NEBRASKA.
- ''''"'WW'iiWMiH'iJgiimPgyT'' -,- - M
mm-mwumm mmmm wm u, M
H
1
DOLLAR
11
Ri
X
Jit
fc
i
,
mr
JTrffc.Vfft
Boats Revealed by Records
of the Navy Department
I r's
By RALPH D. PAINE.
UK Amurlcnn nrincd merchant ships
really sinking nny Gcrinnn submarines?
If you care to believe the waterside
rumors and fo'cnstle jams, one of these
ilcvlllsli marauders Is rammed or Mown
up on every voyage across the Atlantic
In snloons whole merchant seamen
seek haven nnd pound the bar with
hairy lists strong liquors magnify the
tales, and one concludes that the kals
undersea lleet must be wined nut hv
now. The navy's records are less fanciful, strictly
dhorln;r to the motto of the man from Missouri.
Here Is the account of an action fought by a
vargo steamer which leaves no room for doubt
that one very busy U-boat was suddenly removed
fi;om the active list of the Imperial Germnn navy.
It is advisable to omit the name of the chief boat
swain's mate who commanded the gun crews. He
was promoted to warrant rank as a reward for
i ho feat and Is now stationed ashore, but he mny
no to sea again in charge of another lot of gun
juts, nnd if he should be take.- prisoner the enemy
would not love him for what lu did to a missing
submarine. In his olllcial report he states:
"Weather hazy. Saw a submarine firing on u
'opsail schooner, which shortly after blew up.
hanged courbe to bring the submarine on our
Maibunrd beam about 5,000 yards distant and lost
dKht of her In haze. Continued on this course for
a)o hrrrS "ntl then rL'SUII1L'(1 "r original course.
At :o.j p. ,n. the submarine appeared out of the
haze at 2,500 yards on our starboard beam. She
immediately opened Are. We changed course to
bring her three points on the starboard quarter
mid returned the fire.
"The engagement lasted 35 minutes, during
which time the submarine fired about 40 shots,
scoring one hit under our port counter u foot from
the water, and causing u leak. We tired 27 shots.
The twenty-sixth shot was seen to hit her Just
forward of the forward gun, and a cloud of llame
and dark gray smoke burst from the hatches. Tho
irevv of the submarine left the gun and ran aft.
Almost instantly the submarine sank bow first,
flic stern lifting high out of the wnter, so that the
piopellois could be seen revolving. The steamer
vas leaking and temporary repairs were made by
U'o crew."
When the ship reached her foreign port of des
.inarion and reported the victory an (jflicinl in
quiry was ordered by tho French government. A
navnl lieutenant conducted it with great care and
'onflrmed the verdict of the American gunners.
I'ho steamer foucllt with tlin Amnrlrnn llmr il,.,r
,' " --...-. . ..J.,.H,
S he suited in his written opinion, tiring "7 shots in
half in hour. The distance Increased about 100
meters for each shot. The twenty-sixth shot ex
ploded, producing n thick black smoke, which was
visible to all on shipboard. Such an explosion
must have been produced In tho submarine itself
Me said, in summing up the evidence:
"The result of tho inquiry Is that the light hay
been very well conducted and that the men have
-hewn a very tine spiiit, doing honor to the Amer
ican navy. The conclusion may be drawn that the
submarine was hit and probably sunk."
This was ilrst-ciass shooting, the submarine
steadily drawing away until when struck she was
."i,000 yards, and more, or three land miles from
i he steamer. Binoculars and telescope sights en
abled the gunners to distinguish her with clear
ness anil to note the effects of the shell which
ended hex wretched career. It was her command
it's intention to move beyond rnnge and continue
i he action on the chnnce that he hnd the bigger
guns, but he miscalculated, and paid the juice.
It seemed a cruel slant of foitune that this
American steamer, which so brilliantly bagged a
submarine, should have accidentally burned at sea
on her next voyage. There was no time to stretch
hose or muster tho crew. Ablaze in an Instant,
he was one vast furnnce while the men raced for
the boats with deatli at their heels. All hands got
away, Including tlie'navj gunners, and their cruise
In open boats was made without severe suffering.
It was all In the day's work.
Very similar to this successful encounter was
the adventure of the steamer Silver Shell. In this
instance also the French ministry of marine added
its opinion that the submarine had probably been
lilt and sunk. The chief gunner won promotion
shortly after this statement was Issued bj Score
inry Daniels:
'William J. Clark of New York, chief turret cap
tain and commander of the naval gun crew of the
Stiver Shell, Is deserving of promotion, whi'ii we
are now considering. All the other member of the
crew, as well, and what they have done, deserve
'reat credit unci distinction. The chief ttm'et cap
tain Is a very cnpuble man. lie Is an enlisted man
i ho has seen nearly 12 years of servlco in the
navy unci ban won successive promotions by proven
capacity. For his work tie deserves the very best
that can be done for him."
Hefe was a man lit and leady for his Job, and
he knew how to put his own spirit and experience
Into the tenia play of his gi ners. An Amerlcnn
naval olllcer of high rank detailed on special duty
ut u French post conducted an inquiry and found
pleasure In writmg to Washington 'hat "the mas
ter of the Silver Shell was purtteuiuny enthuslustle
over the splendid work of the turret captain and
tho entire naval gun crew : he also states that hit
issK?
.
&
ti's-:.j&$mii
.
v- 7i'i rr
whole crew displayed a most commendable spirit
during the battle."
This Is precisely ns It should be, bluejackets and
merchant seamen standing together, tlghtlng the
enemy as one Intrepid American crew, and the
Stars and Stripes hoisted at the first shot by order
of the skipper. Chief Gunner Clark had the honor
to report to the navy department:
"As the submarine displayed no flag and wns
coming nearer, we tired a shot. The submarine,
which was then about 7,000 yards away, -rplled
Immediately with what seemed to me, on account
ol the rnnge, a six-Inch gun. Her first shot fell
amidships about 100 yards short. We chunged
our course due west, Increasing speed. The sub
marine followed us, keeping up tire. The light
lasted from 0 o'clock until about 7:30 p. m. We
fired 25 shots. The submarine llred over 30, in
cluding some shrapnel tovvaid the end, which ex
ploded astern of our ship too high to do any dum
iifc'e. "Our last two shells seem to have hit the sub
marine In the forward part. A few seconds later
her bow Jumped up, and she went down, stern '
upward nt an angle of about 45 degrees. The sub
marine did not come up again, nnd I believe It was
sunk then nnd there. No damage wns done to our
ship, and there were no casualties."
The steumer was still within cfTcctlvc rnnge of
the big guns of the submarine, which could have
hud no other reason than a sudden ntttick of acute
illness for vanishing lu this abrupt manner. It
seems fairly conclusive that a shell blew her part
ly out of water, and then she went lunging nnd
foundering Into the depths. The steamer did not
stoj) to search for traces of the disaster, but sen
sibly continued along on her course. Tankers
filled with millions of gallons of gasoline do not
linger In the war zone.
The American passenger liners, maintaining
their service almost ns regularly as In time of
peace, would naturally run the gantlet much ol ton
er thau the same number of cargo boats. They
sail on nn e:.press schedule and spend little time
in port. It is no secret that they are fast and well
armed, able to whip a submarine in n fight with
guns. Th deadly torpedo Is another matter, but
speed has so far been a saving factor. It Is what
the gunners on board call "the sporty life," nor
can It be recommended to people with nervous sys
tems as a restful vocation. For example, one ol
these liners, during the llrst six months of war,
made only one periectly tame and routine voyage.
Dining all ner other trips across there were lights
with submarines or escapes ironi torpedoes.
Extracts from the navy department's reports or
these steamers may be chosen almost at rundom
as Interesting reading with u thrill In it. These
are fair samples of what It mentis to make the
Atlantic voyage, which Is no longer a common
place, soothing "ocean ferry."
"The lookout lu the lower crow's nest, a cox
swain of the naval guard, picked up nn oil slick
abend, which veered off to port at right angles to
the ship's course. Following the slick, which was
about tho width of n ship, be suddenly saw the
periscope of a submarine appear at the end of It,
about one foot out of the water. lie Instantly
sung out, 'Periscope,' unci the next moment, 'Tor
pedo,' for the submarine had been exposed scarcelj
more than a second when she llred a torpedo. The
enemy was then ubout 000 yards from the ship
and three-fourths point forward of the beam.
"The totpedo was running straight, but appar
ently hnvlug trouble In maintaining Its depth, for
when about 200 yards off I saw a streak, then nt
n depth of about live feet. It dived and passed
under the ship about 30 feet from tho stern. Soon
after heading uwa from the submarine we picked
up an abandoned lifeboat two points off the star
board bow. The submnrlne bad apparently been
lying near the life boat, and on seeing us approach
had headed oil' to assume u position for attack on
our port side, probably expecting us to pick up the
lifeboat and thus miss seeing him. Fortunately,
however, the oil slick was sighted first.
"The old hands among the gunners paid no at
tention to the torpedo, which was coming right
for them, but made every effort to get the guns on
the target, which was the submarlne'H periscope."
What might bo called a close slmvo befell anoth
er steamer on the leturn voyage.
"There were several other ships In the vicinity,"
runs tho repent, "Including two tankers and a de
stroyer and two or threo tramp. Suddenly a perl
scope wns sighted u quarter of a mile uwuy, show
lug up plainly In the streak of moonlight on the
wator. Tho submarine seeimsd to be Just coming
up and bad probubl) misjudged the spued of the
Nteuimsr, having seen her some time earlier. He
fore a torpedo could bo llred or the guns inuuned,
the .strainer wus rl iht u top of the submarine
which submerged. The chief olllcer throw the
Itoltu hard over and went strulcht for him, hoping
to ram him. Hut no shock Was felt when tho
ship passed over the spot, so In nil probability tho
submnrlne was able to dive deep enough to escape
being hit."
There wns precious little room to spare In this
adventure, hut It was surpnssed by n liner, for
merly n favorite ship among Atlnntic pilgrims, now
carrying cargoes to the allies. A blanket of fog
covered the sen In the early morning. It lifted a
trifle, nnd n very much surprised bubmnrlno popped
up dead ahead of the lunging prow. She let ll.v n
torpedo in n wild Hurry, n.t the steamer's ide with
out exploding. A moment later the mihmnrlnt
Itself went bumping and scraping along the other
side of the vessel, whose olllcers, sailors, and gun
ners stared straight down nt it and uttered the
deep nnd hearty curses of the sea. They would
have swapped their souls for n few bombs to drop
in remembrance. Grimy stokers jKikcd their heudH
through the open ports and spat at the connlirj
tower, or passionately scrambled for lumps of con
and slice bars to heave at the blankety-blnr.k thing.
Then the fog swallowed It up and the Incident was
closed.
For hard lighting and the dogged courage that
we rightly ascribe to the men of the American
navy, the story of the Morenl and Chief Petty Olll
cer Andrew Copassakl, commanding the nrmed
guard, Is one of those which shines undlmmed In
defent. Germnn sailors cheered him nnd his men
from the deck of n submarine when he finished
with his ship on fire nnd n cargo of gasoline about
to blow him to kingdom come. He wns made a wnr
rnnt olllcer for devotion to duty and determination
to tight as long ns she floated. A summary of his
report to the navy department wus given out short
ly after It was received.
For wanton hititality there Ib the report of the
lost) of the American schooner Chllde Harold off
the French coast. Unudorncd, the episode is tlius
described :
"At daybreak an object reported by the mnto
wns believed to be the square sails of 'l ship hull
clown. The "lasses showed it to be the superstruc
ture of a submarine one mile away. (The Chllde
Harold was unarmed.) The submnrlne opened
fire, and the shells ripped through the schooner's
hull nnd sails. The muster ordered the crew into
tho motorhiunch and lowered away. Tills wns
plainly visible to the submarine, which had come
much nearer. She continued to flic, however, evi
dently nt the boat In the wnter, which escaped be
ing hit. Tho captain and Ills crew were ordered
about il the submarine and noticed that the cap
ribbons of the sailors bore the letter 'U-10' and
'U-17.' Two or the otllcers spoke excellent English,
and Captain Byrne of the schooner Inlormed them
that the firing was totally unnecessary and that
he had not expected such dastardly treatment from
any white men.
"The conversation developed the fact that the
commander or the submarine knew the date of sail
ing of the Chllde Harold from an American port
and was on the lookout for her. Ho hnd also re
ceived Information of the departure of the four
master Alicia IJ. Crosby and the ihroo-master A. V.
Sherman on the same date, all three vessels hav
ing pasaed out to sea together. Ilo wanted to
know where the other sch'ooners were. According
to bis schedule they .should have shown up by this
time,
"The Germans looted the Chllde Harold and
seemed very hungry. Thev hud only coffee nnd
dry bread for breakfast aboard the submarine.
After fetching all the stores in tho launch, they
put the captain and his crew In the boat again,
wlilch was stove and half full or wnter. The
ffclionner was set on lire. Her people were res
rued by a steamer. Captain Byrne Is anxious to
try it ugaln."
A robust Ameilciin shipmaster, this skipper of
the Chllde Harold, who told the Germans to their
faces what he thought or them and was eager to
have another fling at It
of till)
coinbl-
AN ATOM A 3MALL WORLD.
In a paper concerning the riinellons
minute elecliical charges in the chemical
nation of atoms, delivered b 1'iof. William Al
bert Noyos of the University of Illinois, before
Die National academy at Washington, he said Hint
for u ceiiturj the atom was thu ultima thule of
smnllnesH for scientists. Now they know (lint
each atom Is a complex system s.mllar to our
sun and its planets, that Is. with it central body
and from one to a hundred smaller bodies revolv
ing around It. The differences between h.vdro
geti, oxygen, Iror gold, nullum, etc.. are all In flu
electrical charge or the central nucleus and lu the
iiiiinbnr and airangement of these little satellites
of their atoms.
UNACCOMMODATING WELLS.
lu Ihu desert of vi ostein Australia there ar
wells which ylelcj water only at night. Before
the water begins to flow, weird hissings and tint
sound of rushing air may be heard. The phe.
noinenon Is believed to be elite to a change In tho
form of the rocky channel through which the wn
ter flows, nnd to tho extreme change In te'inpera
ture between day and night which ex-curs In (bin
region. The hissing is duo to thu escape of air be
fore (he advance,' of the water I'opulur Science
Monthly.
TOWN i?
helpseL
MORE HOME GARDENS NEEDED
Necessity Will Be Greater Coming
Year and Organization and Co-Op-
cratlon Should Be Begun Now.
Co-operation has been suggested as
a solution of many problems In farm
production, and now ,T. T. Unsn, Jr.,
jf the University of Mlsour! ctilloge of
igilculture suggests co-openitlon as n
means of reducing production cost for
he vacant lot gardener. The average
-Ity gardener Is not in position to plow
mil prepare a garden plot himself.
Mr. Hosn suggests that a number of
;ardener In n given neighborhood em
ploy a man and team to prepare their
pinions. In this way the expense can
io divided utnong them nnd the mnn
mil team can be kept busy throughout
ihe tlay. If the community garden
iiovotnont Is extensive enough men
and teams may be hired by the tiny or
week, and each gardener's plot can bo
fitted In turn. In this way the work
can bo done more cheaply than where
nnch gardener hires his plot prcpnred
by the Job. A great deal of trouble
jnn also bo eliminated. Other advan
tages, such ns purchasing fertilizers,
manure, seeds, plants and other gnr
3en supplies enn be had through co
)pcrntive effort.
Since tho Bprlng gunlen should bo
planned In the fall, Mr. llosa suggests
Hint organization he effected Immedi
ately, The ndvnntnges of fall plowing
and fall manuring have been demon
strated. The work should bo done
while the weather permits.
Co-opemtlon will also provide effi
cient means of marketing tho surplus
productB. Mr. Itosu snggests that ev
ery town have nn organization of this
sort. If the project is not supported
by somo other civic organization, thu
municipal authorities, or somo Indus
trial concent, the community garden
movement should he organized on nn
Independent basis. If the movement Is
large enough u technically trained mnn
or woman might be employed to Biiper
the work. TIiIb would be advisable
only where the community garden plan
wan extensive and where the garden
era were well organized. While It may
not be possible to organlzo the whole
town, It Is entirely possible for nelgh
Dors to obtain some of the benefits of
'.he organization by co-operating In
preparation of.thclr garden plots. The
necessity for homo gnrelens will be
greater than ever in 3018, and plans
mould be made Immediately, so that
'Jie garden work will bo moro efficient
and give better results during tho
:omlng season.
WINTER STOPS THE INSECTS
Black Ground Beetles and Others Not
Killed, But Merely Experience
Suspended Animation.
With the coming of tho frostB and
freezing vventhor the Insects ure si
lenced, and aa long ns the temperature
holds below CO degrees Fahrenheit
they nro rendered also Inactive, ac
cording to n writer. Above that the
hurdler beetles mid giasshoppers, along
with a few spidorn, nre moving about,
ami when the sunshine warms the air
more and more certain moths and but
terflies and two'wlnged flies, including
the gnats, nre on 'lie wing.
Somu species of insects feel the ef
fects of cold far loss than others, nnd
tills does not seem to be influenced by
sturdy bodies, hairy coverings or the
situations In which they nro found.
The gnnts are among the most fragile
species, but they and tho slim-bodied
wnter stridors nro found actlvu later
In the uutumn and earlier in the spring
limn any other creatures, excepting
perhaps tho mourning-cloak butter
lly and the wasps, till of these creu
lures responding to the sunshine on
the warmer, thawing days of winter.
The black ground beetles also are
quickly resuscitated by slightly wann
er airs.
This proves the fact thut most in
sects ure not normnlly killed by cold,
but merely experience suspended unl
matlon, and aro ready to resume their
activity after nny length of time.
Hidden Seas.
In boring for oil, it is n common ex
pet lenee for the drill to t .rlke enor
mous flows of salt wnter. Formerly
Ibis salt wilier was supposed to be ruin
water, which soaked through beds of
salt cm Its way down to some chasin
In the bowels of the earth, says Bodies
lor Union nnd Advertiser. The latest
scientific opinion Is Inclined to believe
that the salt water cuiiiuh from prohls
lorlc oceans, hurled In the earth by
ecologle changes, in much the sumo
way that hurled foresls gave rise to
Ihe coul beds. These hidden oceans
'ire not conceived as lying in a subter
ranean space or hollow, but as filling
Ihe billions on billions er crevices In
nods of porous rock.
Petroleum From Chale Banks.
An important new process for ox
trncting petroleum from the enormous
bunks of oil-bearing shale or certain
western status Is iudlcuted In an
noimcemeitta from Nevada. Siuh u
process If huccensful would help s,r'iit
ly in solving tho gasoline problem Tho
new process, which I? now being test
eel, was developevl by u prisoner In thei
Nevatlu sttt o prlcem. A special pardon
w.is granteMl him to grvo him an oppor
tunity to contluuo his cjicmlcul wuilc.
This Price Will Hold Fbr 2mm
Years.
A well advised conimcmlnl nuBwurtlr
gives It as his opinion, "na a &Ic,
descent mny be counttet on la tiw
price's for grain when the war cnt
it may take several years to rcstow
the w oriel's slock of foodstifTs to nor
mal theie Is good ground for econft
lenci' In the out look for niplel cfem
opment In agriculture."
If Ihls be correct, H fctow that
the profession of funning will tnnto
ilull.v Increase Its ranks In 11 wo mt
few years.
Today, the price of wheat In sct.bj
tho Unlti'd States government at .'5i;l8
per bushel, nnd In OeiHntlei tne ptc
lias been set at $2:21. Thbe, T coursW,
Is less ft eight and hmicillng cbarnys
which brings the nvenige to the far.
its at about $-00 per bushel. This
price will pay so long ns luiut, matj
rial and labor can lie secured nt rv
sonalile prlccH. It remains for Uw
would-be producer to nscervuln vvhe
lie can secure these ut prices? that vR"
make the production of gmln profit
ilile. He will estimate what price I
can nlTorel to pay for htoel lltit will rv
'Iiii a yield of wheat wlUeii when, si
nt $12.00 per bushel, will return hltn
fair profit Local anil social oa04
linns will nlso enter Into Ike? eewifriUe'ra
tlon. Finding what ho wants ho tsouW
be wise to malco his purchiKK) bcv.
Ijinil prices In same pmtloiui eS tho
country nre low, vertaluly wi Ion M
they will ever he. CI y property naA
town property will HuctuatO, Fuji tam.
property will hold its own. The prijBB.
of grain Is as low an II will bft Mr
some yenrs. Tltcrcforo It woulef fa
well to look nbouL nnd find wlsat mm
be elone.
There are doubtless immjj opportt
nltles In the United States, cspcclar
in tho Western States, to purchase
good agricultural hintls, that will pro
duce well, nt reasonable prleea It the
would-be buyer has the Utcro to Inves
tigate, and that Is needed, for tboge
lands do not exist In nny nirjilitcniQ
area, he would be well repaid. Kpt
only will bis bind ecrtnlnly increase I
vulu tit unearned locremcit would
be ad - t- -while undi'r c Itlvtitlen I
.run nothing that will Je bitter
resmts tie will nt (he same tl be
uerfoiinlng a patriotic nil, a needful
act, one that would meet with the foptl
controller's plea to Innenio UgrlewW
turn! production and uBsist tn vceiuciafi
thu deficit of 73 roUUeu bti.'ibcji of
wheut reported by the coutroHeJi.
In uddltiou to tho vueutH mmto ba
the United States wliku (indole! lie
brought under cuIOtiHHhj. WvaScra
Canada offers today tfcs pelatcot iw;a
of Just thu ltiBd thut Is rocu4i'e& and
ut low prices prices tfint ennuel last
long. Even new land pslccs ore Iw
creasing, ns their value to dully bepi
Ing more apparcut, ami ftdr feeatflin
deslnihle.
As to the intrinsic value. oB kind
In Western Canada, hmirtrcdsi of em
crete cases could be cited, wfcUh go
to prove that nt fifty ant) sixty doltara
per acre figures Hint Unve recently
been paid for Improved fnnns (lie
crops grown on them guvo o profit et
from twenty to thirty per ewt and
even higher, en such an investment,
One Instance. Is thut of ti young Kng
Msltmau, unaccustomed to running tx
Toru he took his seat on the sulky
plow with which he does moat pf Ula
work, after allowing himself StjOOQ for
his own wages last year, innde a proUt
of ?12.200 on a $20,000 lnvestureut. Ilia
total sales amounted to $5,700 nnd bLi
expense, which included thu 1,00J
wages for himself, was !3,C00. Tin
Interest was ll1- per cent
To "the man who does not caiys to
buy or who has not tho nve.'iiw to pur
chase, but possesses wealth hi his own
hardihood, his muscle, ntiel dctunulna
lion, there aro tho thousnnds or free;
homesteads of which he may have th
pick on paying mi entry fee of ten
dollars. These aro high class kinds
and adapted to all kinds of farming
Send to your nearest Cuuatliun Gov
ernment Agent for lltonilutv, descrip
tive of the splendid opportunities ttuit
are still open In Western Canada. Adv
Safe.
Lille lllchard's mother took hlut Ux
n visit ty his grandparents. When bed
time npproached he was Instructed to
kiss each of his relatives goodnight
He hesitated when be came to his
grandfather, who wore a long, heavy
tieuril.
"Aren't you going to tell grandfather
gooel-nlght, dear?" his mother asked
"No, mother, I e-iin'l," was the re
ply; "there Isn't any place to tell
him."
"They tell me Jones Is clenel." "Ah I
I hat's probably w by we see him so
seldom "
To Curo Cokl In One Duy
I'nkel.AXATIVH llltOMDOuliiliia'l'ailli-ts. ltM'l-
ihtt Coujh una Hernial he unj ork oft tlio Coul.
W. CiUOVU aUgiiiareoniiicti bui floa
If a mini never changes his mind,
bo Is either very right or very stub-orn.
AlwavB tiure to pirate, Bed Cru ila!l
fJlue. All grocem bell it. Adv
Besolve not to be poor; whtiu-e-r
our enrn, spend le ss.- Dr. Johnson
7flUPINE Granulated Eyelids,
SI fcK5& Sore Eves. EIntbmul by
Ton'-wi jBWrclicved by Murine. Trltla
6. 'i-?yr,CyowCycamlinUaby'si:ei.
YOUR tYtNoSmtitini.JaitEyeCoalorl
r aN, In Tub 80a. Pur l!ok (A AV .
nikUfgrteeEr SltnuecJy Co., Cklcaga
Jl