CHASED BY SUBMARINE PIRATES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2418, 25 March 1915, Page 6

CHASED BY SUBMARINE PIRATES

HOW THE STEAMER GRAPHCI

ESCAPED

A VIVID NARRATIVE

A vivid story of how Captain Porter, of the passenger steamer Graphic, saw the submarine making towards his ship, and by clever sea-craft avoided the enemy vessel, and brought the Graphic safely into Liverpool, was told to representative of tlio "Manchester Guardian" by a -Manchester business man who was a passenger 011 the boat. The Graphic was due to leave Belfast at a quarter past nine 011 Friday night. "We started out," said the passenger, ""but when wc got to the entrance of the Lough a signal was received and the boat was turned back. We were not then told the reason for this, but in Belfast we heard reports that submarines had been seen in tho Irish Sea." "The boat sailed for Liverpool at daylight'on Saturday'morning (lie continued). The weather was good and we passed quite close to the Isle of Man. A little later we ran into a squall of rain, and when we were through with this the sea was choppy. About a quarter-past three in tho afternoon, when we wero about 20 miles from tho Bar, we noticed a lot of dark objects bobbing up and down in the water. At first the passengers thought they were porpoises, but when wo came up to them they turned out to be barrels of oil. Our course was slightly altered to avoid tho barrels, and as the belief arose that there had been a wreck the captain got a boat ready to lower away. ,

The Submarine Sighted. "Then, right ahead of us w® saw what appeared to be a coasting vessel low down in the water. She would bo about four miles away. As we watched the boat in the distance she suddenly gave a sort of heave, water spouted up, and then she had gone. Tliero can be no doubt that the captain at once suspected a submarine was in the neighbourhood, aud a few minutes afterwards lie got a glimpse of the raider, which looked as though it were making directly for the Graphic. "Captain Porter turned tho boat right 'into the wind, because of tho difficulty the submarine would have in making any speed against the wash of the waves. Ho proceeded to develop a zig-gag course in order to avoid giving a mark, and during the chase he took the Graphic seven miles uut of her ordinary track.

Precautionary Me?curos, "All the women were ' hurried up from below and they stood on the shelter deck. The men among the firstclass passengers gathered on the promenade deck, and we were all served out with lifebelts. The seameu were ordered to the boats, and they made the tackle ready for lowering. The steerage passengers, who werq down aft, whero there were plenty of boats for them, also received lifebelts. It was not generally known what danger wo wero threatened with. Many of the passengers believed that the captain feared collision with wreckage from tho boat which had gone down, and I do not think more than a few of us knew that the submarine had been sighted. '.'After an hour had passed, however, the captain ordered the lifebelts to be collected, and, leaning over the bridge, ho congratulated the passengers upon a fortunate escape. He said afterwards that he was going to have a cigar, and he went down to his cabin to get one. We got to Liverpool safely at 6.20 in the evening."

Passengers Wonderfully Calm. The gentlemau who gave the interview to our representative said that the passengers wero wonderfully calm during the run before the submarine. Several of the women were seasick down below at the time they were ordered to tin deck, but they kept their nerves. The first-class passengers numbered 51. and there were about 100 second-class passengers. He paid a warm tribute to the bearing of Captain Porter. The captain, lie said, while taking every precaution to ensure the safety of those in his charge, avoided causing unnecessary alarm. The normal speed of 12 knots an hour which the Graphio maintains in her crossings was worked lip to IS knots and every man of the crew carried out orders methodically, smartr ly, and with no show of anxiety. "It was all typical of the British way of doing things," the passenger 6aid. "As soon as the submarine was sighted the -captain hoisted signals to warily other vessels of the danger threatening, and after we were clear he signalled to every ship we passed that a submarine was about." Testimonial to the Captain. Before the passengers left the Graphic they handed to Captain Porter a written appreciation of his conduct, stating that it was due to the prompt measures taken by him and the crew that the boat got free of the danger when it appeared that they must run right into it. The signatures of the passengers were attached, to the appreciation. Not one passenger, it- may bo added, cancelled his passage on Saturday after the Graphic had been sent back to port on Friday night.