NEW DETAILS OF DESTRUCTION OF ZEPP.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14048, 19 July 1916, Page 6

NEW DETAILS OF DESTRUCTION OF ZEPP.

EXPLOSION FOLLOWED ATTACK BY BRITISH SUBMARINE. KINDLY TREATMENT OF PRISONERS. LONDON, June 5. It. is now possible to supplement the details of the destruction of the Zepplin Avhich was severely damaged by H.M.S. Galatea and Phaeton. The destruction of the monster gas-bag was completed by a> British submarine commanded by Lieut. -Commander F. Feilmaii, R.N., who rescued seven of the airship's crew and brought them to England. When the submarine; first observed the damaged Zeppelin, Ithe latter was just rising from the sea. Apparently [some time had been spent m making [repairs, which were so successful as to enable the damaged airship: to resume her flight, even though she was badly winged. She was about twenty or thirty yards, above the sea, and the submarine at onoe opened fire on her; fifteen shots m all were fired. The first three were registered as hits, and caused effectived damage. The next two vsnere misses, but every succeeding shot struck the Zeppelin. One of the later shots' evidently hit the airship's bomb magazine, because the Zeppelin blew Tip with a great flare, wreckage being hurled m all directions. The Zeppelin fired at the submarine without effect. The captain of the British submarine at once appealed for "four strong swimmers to volunteer to swim out and see if any of the Zeppelin's crew could be rescued. Four men at once volunteered and swam out. They were successful, as. the official statement pointed out, m assisting seven members of the. crew of tho Zeppelin to reach the submarine. All of the seven survivors were cot on board the submarine, but some delay was experienced iii getting the last man down . He waa of huge size' and girth, and to make matters worse he wore tin fewer than , four lifebelts. By dint' of much tugging from below and pushing above the sailors managed to squeeze him through the hatchway, and the submarine quickly submerged. Of the seven survivors of the grew of the Zeppelin four' could speak English fluently. The prisoners were given ( the best, quarters on the submarine, and were well fed on the way to England. It appears that the Zeppelin's crew numbered 28, and apparently the remaining 21 were either killed or drowned;