The San Francisco call., 1910-03-26
BATTLE FOR LIFE
IN HUGE ICE BOX
1t. Col. Kniskem and Aid Are
Trapped in Refrigerator of
the Transport Logan
Make Desperate Fight for Six
Hours Before Being
Rescued

Barely to escape from death in the
great refrigerators of the United
States army transport Logan was the
thrilling experience of Lieutenant
Colonel Albert d. Kniskern of 2S21
Elmwood avenue, Berkeley, purchasing
commissary of the transport service,
just before the troopship last sailed
for the Philippines
Locked in the icy cold storage com
partment with companion Colonel
Kniskern was in imminent peril of
having to remain in the frozen tenn
perature in the bottom of the ship
until the vessel reached Manila a
month later. Death was the only ap-
parent promise of relief from the tor
ture which the two men faced.
The army officials have kept the facts
quiet, and the secret came out only
yesterday.
Colonel Kniskern, as purchasing COM
missary of the transports service, has
charge of all.army purchases shipped
out of San Francisco.
The Logan was to have sailed March
., but. owing to delays in the arrival
or troops from the east the sailing
was postponed until March T. That
day the last of the refrigerated goods
were stored in the vessel and Colonel
Kniskern and an aid went into the
cold storage hold to make final in
spection before the compartment was
locked for the voyage. When the off,
Ger entered the room was lighted by
electric lights.
Without warning the lights went out
and the officer and his aid found them
selves in the depth of the ship, with no
means of making quick escape from
their icy prison.
Carefully they grouped their way to
the wall of the compartment and
worked around to the door
To their horror they found the great
double self-locking doors of the ice
house shut.
Through the steel keel of the ship
they could hear the great propellers of
the vessel churning in the bay, and
they believed that the troopship had
Stdi lCo OH It's way 10 the OTiGHl.
Made desperate by the terror of the
situation, they threw all their energy
into beating at the prison door which
barred them from the world. Hour
after hour passed. The propellers
turned and rested and the vessel rocked
in the tide. The soldiers did not know
but that the lines had been cast off and
the voyage had begun.
One, two, three, four, five hours
passed in the terrible vault. The arctic
temperature froze and stiffened the
men. but they fought off the chill and
battled and battered on the great door
For six hours they made their reso-
lutte fight.
Then down the companionway of the
vessel passed sergeant making his
on the ship. The men in the
prison could not hear his footsteps, but
the sergeant heard the faint rappings of
the incarcerated He could not locate
nor define the sound, but the regularity
of the taps moved him to make a report
to the officer of the ship. 1t was imme-
diately ordered that the refrigerator be
opened.
AS the great doors swung out Colonel
and his companion tottered
in to the light and fell exhausted, numb.
across the threshold
Mrs. Kniskern, when seen at her home
in Berkeley yesterday stated that Col
onel Kniskern had now recovered from
the effects of his dangerous experience
and that it was believed that his health
was in no way affected by the ordeal
he had undergone.