National Affairs: Of Block Island

The City of Rome is a coastwise steamer and she plies northward from Savannah to New York and Boston. On a fine clear night last week she steamed out of Long Island Sound into the ocean on the last leg of her northward voyage. Only a few miles beyond Block Island, off the Rhode Island coast she sighted a light off her starboard bow. The light was low on the water and for a time was taken as the light of a rum runner, then suddenly it became apparent that the boat carrying the light was about to cross the steamer’s bow. The Captain of the City of Rome set up a warning shriek of his whistles. He ordered the helm hard astarboard and the engines full speed astern. It was too late.

A moment later he saw that it was no small boat, but a submarine. The steamer quivered. She had run on the port side of the submarine just forward of the conning tower and had stove a deep hole into the undersea ship.

Within a few seconds, before ring buoys could be thrown overboard, the submarine had sunk. The searchlight of the steamer began to search the dark waters below—and then suddenly burned out—leaving the sea once again in undisturbed darkness. In six or seven minutes boats were lowered. Three men were found in the water, seamen from the S-51 caught from their bunks and vomitted up through the conning tower by the sea water pouring through the hole in the bow.

The steamer circled the spot repeatedly, then sent a message describing the accident. After about an hour, when no other survivors were found, then the City of Rome, her prow only slightly dented, churned her way from the dark spot of oil upon the waters, on to Boston.

Submarines, seaplanes, and other naval craft put to sea. They found the spot of the wreck where bubbles of air boiled upward to the surface of the water. Divers went down and found the ship. They tapped her sides but no answering tap came from within. Yet hope was not given up. There was air enough in the S-51 to last for three days if any men had shut themselves up in one of the seven watertight compartments and were still alive.

Two giant cranes were towed to the spot but a heavy sea came up and they were obliged to retire some distance until it should abate. Hope waned: 34 officers and men were in the hulk below. Hope was very dim. Thirty-four corpses? It was only unwillingness to abandon hope that made the would-be rescuers persist.