STILL ALIVE?

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11785, 22 March 1924, Page 6

STILL ALIVE?

JAPANESE SUBMARINE’S CREW. SLOW SUFFOCATION. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association TOKIO, March 20. The Naval Ministry has announced that 18 of the orew of Subnfbrine 43 wore saved, and it is believed that 14 more men are still alive in her en-gine-room. The Ministry expresses hope that the submarine will be salvaged. The sunken submarine is lying horizontally on the sea bottom. The damaged conning tower is flooded in. the forward compartment, and the occupants, including the commander, are believed to be dead. Communications established by means of an underwater telephone with the after compartment reveal that two engineer officers and 16 men are still living, hut are faring a horrible death by slow suffocation. Rescue workers are hurrying to introduce air by means of tubes. The collision occurred as the vessel was coming to the surface which caused the breaking of a joint in the conning tower. The crew at first answered to signals, saying: “Be quick, we are gasping,” but since last night they have not answered. LITTLE HOPE OF RESCUE. (Received March 22, 1.20 a.m.) TOKIO, March 20. The latest report is that there is little hope of rescuing the crew of the sunken submarines. The diver’s report indicates that the men are still alive. Submarine 43, with a crew of four officers and 40 men, sank suddenly when cruising 100 miles outside Sasebo Harbour. The submarine was undergoing a speed test when she collided with the light cruiser Tatsuta. This marks the loss of the second submarine sinoe August, when one sank off Kobe.