Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-12-08

tional military
hymn, THE Flag
genlied." Singing that song they went
to their death cheerfully. The Ibis be-
gan her last voyage on July % last,
when she left Chefoo, in China, for
Nagasaki, in Japan. She was a gun
boat Of $500 tons, small vessel of the
class which is maintained by European
powers in Asiatic waters for the pur-
pose of Furnishing natives, protecting
citizens, and so forth. 1t does not ap-
pear that she had any one particular
defect, but she was too weak to face
the terrible storm which overlook her.
Before nightfall the ship was over
taken by one of those terrible storms
which rage with such fury on the east
ern coast Of Asia. When darkness
came the storm was still increasing in
fury. The crew were helpless and
crouched under the bulwarks holding
on to ropes and rails for their lives.
Great seas broke over the deck, drown
ing and injuring many men. The ship
was beyond control of helm or engines
and incapable of making a course in
the direction in which safety lay. I'm
til nearly midnight the storm flung
the helpless ship about. Then. having
been lifted on the crest of an enormous
wave, she fell with a crash which
shook her from stem to stern. She had
struck on a reef, which proved to be
one off the southeast promontory on
the Chinese coast. The boats were
washed away, the men were powerless
to save the ship, and their only chance
Of life lay in clinging to ship that
was fast breaking up. After nearly
twelve hours of battle with the storm
it only remained for them to die. Cap
tain Braun, who had never for a mo-
ment relaxed his efforts to save the
ship, saw that his work was over. His
stalwart form and his calm, but strong
German face will live in the memory
of the few survivors until their last
hour. He called all the officers and
men around him on deck, and. taking
each one by the hand, babe him fare
well. Then he told the whole crew that
they had done their duty like men, and
would do well to end by giving three
cheers for the Kaiser and for Germany.
These We're given with a strength that
struggled with the roar of the wind
and waves. The ship was then fast
breaking up. A chasm had opened
abaft the foremost, and the waves
breaking over the deck threatened
every moment to tear away the greater
part of the ship and sink in under the
boiling sea. Then Gunner Raehm
yelled to the men to sing the national
military hymn, the "Flaggenlied." BY
that time sort of intoxication born
of contempt for death had come over
them. Joining hands for good-fellow-
ship and also to save one another for
few moments more from the clutches
Of the waves, officers and men danced
on the deck of the ILLS as they sang
the hymn, the refrain of which is:
THE Kaiser and our standard, Hoch!
"The flag, black, white and red"
They had barely concluded the hymn
when the ship broke up and the after
part of her was engulfed in the sea.
A very few managed to reach the small
part fast on the reef-not one officer
among them. OF the thirteen men who
succeeded in clinging to the wreck,
eleven were eventually saved. They
spent terrible night, during which
several Of them were washed off and
two drowned. The whole Of the next
day the storm continued with consid-
cradle violence. and they remained In
their miserable position. At the end
of thirty-six hours the lighthouse
keeper at Southeast Promontory was
able to reach them in boat and then
taken off. Moslohner. boatswain Of the
wrecked ship, has written letter to a
friend describing that terrible night.
In the course of his letter, the boats
vain says: ut almost made my heart
sick, though, when, as the Ills lay
pounding on the rocks, almost on her
beam end. Capt. Braun came down
from the bridge and shook each of us
by the hand. i could have cried like
an infant, but he waved his hand to-
ward the flag, and before we knew it
we were singing at the top of our voices
our dear old national hymn. Our voices
sounded weird and strange above the
storm. l can't describe the scene-it
was so unlike anything you can mag
ine There we were dancing around
the deck like school boys, while every
one of us knew our time had come. 1t
is said that one conjures up everything
that has passed when death comes,
but thought of nothing but the grand
words of that song and the cheers we
gave the flag. In fact, before / had
much time TO think of anything else.
she went to pieces, and l found myself
guzzling the briny water. Phew. but it
was rough! l was caught in the crest
Of a wave and carried toward it, and by
good fortune managed to clutch rope
that was dangling from the bowsprit.
/ scrambled up on the top of the wreck,
and in few minutes others as fortu-
cate as joined me-"