“ DOWN UNDER.”

Hokitika Guardian, 1 June 1922, Page 1

“ DOWN UNDER.”

AVAR THROUGH A PERISCOPE. SIX YEARS IN THE SUBMARINE SERVICE. THRILLINO EXPERIENCES. WELLINGTON, May 30. “That’s the voting man you see in the overhead electric crane, and if you can get him to talk (I doubt it), yon should hear something of the preeari ous, adventurous life in a submarine . . . . a submarine which penetrated the German entrance to lay mines, but found itself practically cornered . . . .

that's Eglinton, torpedo-gunner Eglin ton, and lie’s surely been throng,. h , if that place exists on this sphere." Tile speaker, an engineer attired in denims, addressing a “Times” repro sentntive in the city powerhouse yesterday, pointed to an overhead crane, wliieli moved amongst the din of the whirring generators and dynamos—- “ That’s the man. it lie will sjx'nk.”

A wave ot the hand, and the crane' moved swiftly towards the duo standing beneath. A blue-clad figure leaped nimbly from the crane, mid swiftly descended the iron ladder, iust as he must have slid down the ladder of the conning-tower ol his submarine when lie heard the order, “Dive!” a few years previously, when life was a lottery decided by the ironic hand o! Kate. PREFERRED NOT TO TALK. Ho advanced smilingly, and with eyes which radiated goodwill. Would he relate a few of his experiences, and were the statements authentic that lie had been so near death and yet beer extricated He was not altogether struck by the idea of ‘'’breaking into print.” That was bis last thought. Ho had had a few experiences tha’ might he interesting, but hoped that Ins name would not be mentioned, or, rather, associated directly or solely with the incidents. At till events, the. were perfectly true. His extreme diffidence and modesty placed the pressman in an awkward position, but. presently, after an exchange of confidences. lie wanned sufficiently to hi-, subject. The interior of the powerhouse became the stuffy interior of a .submarine hard pressed by seaplane mine-sweeper, and depth charges The environment changed to the Ger.man coast, with the smell of the salt sea air; then, imagination awakening, the two plunged into the depths of the sea and traversed the “trying hours” when death hung in the balance. unit a keen etiemv "up above.” ON A .MINELAYER. “I was on a British submarine minelayer in lb’lli," said the young man.

‘‘alid w ■ left Harwich to lay mines off the German coast at the entrance to n harbour. Of course, it was necessary not to he seen, at once ‘seen’ by the enemy, was a fair indication that your chances of being ’seen’ again alive were rare indeed. AA’e travelled up as closely as we could, under the cir- < umstnnces, until it became necessary dive for about four hours ami gain aness to the harbour.” “AA’e commenced to dive, but an accident occurred to our pumping-out tank, and we nose-dived badly to ‘eighty feet.’ The impact'caused a torpedo to fire in its tube, and, although it did not explode, it filled the interior with gtts. The gas was causing us trouble and filling our lungs so that without fresh air we would probably all be asphyxiated. It was a ease ol immediate action, with the risk of death up above as well as down under. However, if a British sailor must die he likes a ‘fighting chance,’, and we gave it a go. AA'e had tried various means to counter act the gas fumes, hut eventually came to the surface in sight of the coast. \\' o started to lay mines at 12.3(1 p.m., but apparently we were sighted, as after we had been working for about an hour and a half, we discovered cruisers about two miles a wav. A CLOSE SHAVE. “AA’e turned to come out of the entrance, as must of out; crew were more or less dazed as the result of I Ingas fumes. It became necessary to “go down” again, and this time it somehow seemed a sort of a forlorn trip as we submerged. The mine-sweepers were after us, and as a rule, they don't leave much to ‘Davy Jones’s Locker However, we went'down until our gang.

showed ‘forty feet’ ii.-e., forty teet lion: the bottom to the centre of the sub marine). In the grim depths of tie. ocean we had the satisfaction of heating the sweejiers pass over us, am! their implements actually grazed our vessel. . . . but they passed, after ■>

period of time which might'have been a century.”

BATTERIES AVEAK AND SEAPLANE CLOSE.

“By Ibis time we. made the discovery that our batteries were running (low'll, and it was necessary to go to the* surface to charge them and cfiitip our selves in ease of a sudden ‘dive.’ AA’c ventured to allow the periscope to cut tlie surface of the water, and Captain Hearn (since deceased) looking through the peiiseopo, observed that there wen four mine-sweepers close, and also a Zeppelin. However, soon after it was absolutely necessary to come to the sutfaee, and we rose to commence cltargine our batteries.” A HASTY D 1 YE.

“1 vent on deck and had not been tlu-re when 1 saw :i seaplane. Il appeared suddenly out ol tile smoke, and it was evident lie had seen us. The o flieer on the bridge immediately sounded the Klaxon horn, which is the emergency signal to dive. Tanks wery flooded aiid the boat dived. When we were twenty-eight feet down we could hear homhs exploding, and it was evident that the seaplane had not been long in getting about his .business lie smiled, “ours also I think. d\ ell \\t hung around the vicinity, but we heard another ‘crack.’ obviously a bomb, and decided to remain where we were, only a. little lower. We descended to wit Ini 00 feet of the bottom and lay there until dusk, and then . . all was safe,, but it was a ‘close go.’ ’ MANY EXCITING EXI*EIIII< NCI-.'j The narrator finished, as calmly and modestly as he had begun. '1 he environment changed; narrator and listener were now back in l he powerhouse, with the incessant hum of the inip-hiiiery which generates oui cit> lights. “That of course, is onlv one ol my experiences” said the young man but 1 am afraid I cannot spare the time to relate more,” he made to go. 1 rested for a few further questions, Mr Kglinlon said lie had served m <he submarine service for six years, aijd had also been on a destroyer in active service.- grange to say one of his recent '‘trips” lin'd simply ended in the vessel being sunk and Mr Eglinton had been rescued. The El 4 lie

s still tvns it ft. 01 tv st vd s sunk but i stiscd st 'stiti. Speaking of. Lieutenant-Com-mander Hearn, of Kl 7, who was on tlio submarine with Mr Kglinton wht'ii t,lio V run so <lum' to doarh, he stated tbsst tlio eoiiunander, unlortiinn toly, lost bis life bn January 31st, 191 S, sifter t!:o cessation of hostilities . ‘•Well, 1 must he going,” said Mr K.diiitou, extending the cordial band of friendship and treating the pressman to one of bis natural smiles. Ho swung up llm ladder mul somehow seemed quite at bosun iimoiitt the bu/.z of the monotonous machinery. The crane moved along above the dynamos, and the blue figure immediately commenced to investigate the trouble on which be was working. The pressman took liis bat off to a plucky 1 and adventuresome young gentleman.