The Calumet news., 1912-09-21
NAVY HERO|SM
IN PEACE TIMES
Disasters That Produced Stirring
Examples Of Courage

ism of American ana british passen-
gers and seamen at the time of the
wreck of the great steamship Titanic.
The navy departments of two countries
have records 10 show that American
and British discipline almost always
has been maintained i'm times of trou-
! BILE at sea.
IL is held sometimes that i'm the face
of death supposedly brave men turn
towards and that occasionally the sup
posed towards turn brave men. Army
officers and naval officers i'm Washing
ton SAY the records show that when
the supreme moment comes almost all
men of proper birth. upbringing, and
some OF them add nationality" prove
themselves To be made of the right
stun. In the archives of the navy
there are stories of hcroism which
infrequently see the light. IL Is said
that II the records Of the merchant
marine were kept as carefully as ere
the records of the armed sea service.
the stories of bravery m the face Of
death woL,d be multiplied.
The bandsmen uf the Titanic went
down TO death PLAYING. When the tenn
pest of 1883 struck the Samoan coast
land the wreck Of the American man
Of war Trenton. Capt. Farqubar com
manding was imminent, the members
OF the ships band took TO the rigging
cf the old wooden ship ard We're lashed
thereby the sailors. The bandsmen
played the star Spansled Banner and
the music was heard above the storm,
iheartenins the sailors who were bat
tling with death.
The story of the sinking of the
British troopship with the soldiers
drawn up i'm lines upon the deck and
going TO death uniinchingly and ia
parade formation. is known To every
schcolboy of whatever land. How many
are there who know that this act OF
heroism has a parallel in the deeds OF
the officers and crew of an American
mau- of-war? In January of the year
$40 the United States steam slcop-of-
war Oneida went to the bottom of the
Sea of Yeddo carrying with her "a Of
ficers and l52 men. 1t was q dark
foggy night. Suddenly out of the
gloom loomed the prov of great
steamer. Before even the discipline of
! the man of war could do anything 10
avert a disaster the stem OF the APP
preaching steamer crushed into the
stern of the Oneida and carried away
It's whole quarter For reason uneX-
planned TO this day the vessel which
struck the oneida. and which after
ward was found TO be the British
steamship Bombay. did not stand by
TO learn the results of the collision or
10 offer needful aid.
\ large number of the Oneida's
boats were smashed in the collision
and made useless. In the boats that
were left there was room for ONLY
30 men. These boats were lowered.
and then Capt r. p. Williams ordered
the sick brought up from below. These
men were placed in the uninjured
boats. completely nlling them. Captain
Williams then ordered the surgeon to
go with the invalids He demurred.
saying that ne preferred to stay by the
ship.
Your place is there doctor" said
Captain Williams mine is here.
order you TO go"
The surgeon took his place in one
of the boats and cast off. the con-
lvalescents acting as oarsmen. Captain
Williams and his officers went TO the
| bridge. Below them stood the mon ir
groups: calm and motionless. The
sick STOOD BY i'm their boats ard saw
the last scene of that tragedy at sea.
The ships lamps threw a faint light
upon the bridge and over the forward
deck. The Oneida slowly settled. Soon
it's docks were awash There was one
last throb OF the engines, a trembling
Of the whole ships structure. and the
sea claimed 176 gallant American
souls.
In November. 1877. the new iron
American man-of-war Huron was
bound south from New York. When
off Nag's Head OF the coast Of North
Carolina the Huron struck the rocks
and In less than an hour the disaster
was complete. There was tremen-
dous sea running There appeared to
be only one chance to save any part
of the crew The boats were useless
in that pounding. grinding sea. A vol
unteer was asked to attempt to carry
a life line TO the shore. Ensign Lucien
Young. now n rear admiral. volunteer
ed TO make the attempt although ne
was told by his captain that chance OF
life was not one in thousand
A seaman named Williams volun-
teered to accompany the young officer
The two took what is known rs bal
sa. attached rope, and. making their
way out upon spar. dropped into the
icy water. A wave beat them back
against the spar and Young was Sc
vcrely bruised by the contact. He stuck
To- his task, however. and with VIII
liams. succeeded In escaping death
among the storm beaten rocks. and ~
gaining a foothold upon the sands be-
yond. The result OF their heroisrn was
the saving of portion of the Hdrons
crew. though the vessel went to pieces
so quickly that the rescue OF all was
impossible.
themselves. That is about sS'OO0,Ooo|