Show Jap Raid Stirs Excitement but Poor 1 t z r 9 t t e x Associated Press W SOUVENIR OF VISITOR TO CALIFORNIA COAST This fragment of shell fired by enemy submarine is about six inches in length Witnesses of Attack on Oil Field Call Gall Sub Biggest Weve We've Seen SANTA BARBARA BARA Cal Cat Feb 24 INS INS INS-An An eyewitness who saw the enemy submarine ne rise from the sea and open fire on a shoreline oil field and refinery near Santa Barbara said Tuesday that the undersea craft was larger than any United States submarine he had ever I seen It was so big I thought it might be a destroyer or cruiser G. G O. O Brown oil field worker told au au- au- au I have seen many submarines submarines submarines sub sub- marines and this was larger than any of those in the United States navy that 1 I t have seen seen Browns Brown's description of the Undersea undersea undersea un un- craft prompted the belief that the the- vessel might have been one of Japans Japan's giant range long-range submarine cruisers Few Shells Find Mark The oil field worker said that the submarine shelled the refinery for 20 minutes with few shells finding finding finding find find- ing their mark Most of the shells exploded against the cliffs the beach and on open fields Several missiles burst in a nearby nearby nearby near near- by pasture Brown said and two horses in the field screamed and raced about in mad frenzy Dozens of other persons witnessed witnessed witnessed wit wit- the attack from shore All agreed that the vessel was as large as any weve we've seen in pic pic- tures Lawrence Wheeler reported that the bursting shells his roadside roadside roadside road road- side cafe and when he rushed toa toa to toa a window he saw sawa g geyser of dirt shoot into the air ir less than a quarter-mile quarter away One shell hit a well and blew the pumping plant and derrick t td bits he declared That was the only real damage they did There must have been 20 or 25 men working in the field at the time Nobody was injured Scared to Death Wheelers Wheeler's wife admitted that she was scared to death during the attack I saw several shells explode on the beach she declared Great fountains of dirt were shot into the air just like in the news reel pictures The shelling was so heavy it shook our house like an earthquake Santa Barbara police said they telephoned the refinery when the explosions were first h heard ard and asked what the trouble wasI wasI wasI was I dont don't know an unidentified shouted Im too busy dodging shells Authorities received the first report that a a. submarine was lurking lurking lurk lurk- ing off the coast from Fred Mendenhall Mendenhall Mendenhall Men- Men cleaning establishment operator He said he saw the huge craft heading southward in Santa Barbara channel at p p. m. m He said he glimpsed the submarine only for a minute and then it disappeared disappeared dis- dis appeared beneath the surface I I |