THE SUNKEN SUBMARINE

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20822, 5 June 1939, Page 7

THE SUNKEN SUBMARINE

98 MEN STILL ON BOARD HOPE OF RESCUE ABANDONED SURVIVOR SAYS MEN BEHAVED MAGNIFICENTLY ' iunited Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, June 4 It was officially stated by the Admiralty yesterday afternoon that hope had been abandoned of saving the 98 officers and men trapped in the Thetis. The work of salvaging the submarine is proceeding. Hawsers have been placed under the hull and it is hoped to raise her on Tuesday. The builders of the Thetis, Cammell Laird and Company, Limited, Birkenhead, repeat that there is no hope of saving further lives. They consider that the 98 left on board will have died from the effects of chlorine gas, generated by the contact of the acid in the batteries with sea water. There are four survivors of the disaster, these being Captain H. B. Oram, officer commanding the Fifth Submarine Flotilla, Lieutenant F. G. Woods, Mr F. Shaw, one of the builders’ experts, and Leading Stoker Arnold. The firstnamed three were passengers in the submarine, and reached the surface with the Davis escape apparatus on Friday morning. , Mr Shaw stated that the chlorine gas, by which he was affected, was spreading when he escaped. The occupants ol the submarine were sprawling in various compartments as he - entered the escape chamber, but there was no panic and t everyone was behaving magnificently.