Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-11-27

danger. Then things began to move.
Cadiz informed Tangiers, and they
both attacked Gibraltar with sheer
persistence until the naval outposts
there were wide awake and stirring.
In few moments the same process
had put life into the battleships at
hand, and by the time the early
morning tapes in Fleet street were
thrilling London with the story this
fragment of the fleet was steaming
hard for the task of rescue.
It is familiar story now of the way
in which a French cruiser, the Friant.
came first upon the scene and an
chored half a mile away as she en-
| tered on the perilous task of lowering
| boats in q raging sea. When those
| boats arrived and burly Frenchman
shouted through the impromptu mega
phone of two enormous hands, We
come to save" an orderly procession
| of the women and children was soon
| arranged, and the transfer began. In
the difficult work three Lascars were
drowned, but not a life among the
passengers. and the rewards that were
afterward bestowed upon the officers
| ly and rich earned. Ropes broke. and
were replaced with terrible difficulty,
and not before boat had been hurled
toward shore by waves that must have
swamped and smashed her in consec
utve moments. The Friant's launch
made a dash for the hapless truant.
recapturcd the rope and towed her
/ back into safety; for the battleships
| had arrived by this time and were put
| ting all their men into the work.
| Throughout all this the princess and
| the duke had kept to their saloon and
/ bore things with surprising cheerful
| hess. They invited one or two of the
i passengers in to keep them company.
| and Mr.. Bell might possibly have been
| included if he had not been busy help
/ ing the crew in their arduous work. At
/ length the royal party were persuaded
| to allow themselves to be rowed to
| the shore, seeing the princesses royal
shuddered at the prospect oftransfer
to the ship like the rest of the pas
songers. She had seen too much Of their
hardships and it was not in human ma
tnre to risk repetition. One of the
/ battleships boats-it was the cutter
of the Duke of Edinburgh-put out for
the shore and foundered in the surf.
Jusc at the critical moment when the
bS at heeled over Mr.. Bell, who was an
inmate. was sitting near the elder of
the two rireesses-Princess Alexand
ra socn to be duchess of Fife, and the
happy bride of the present day. AS she
sank he made dash forward and
put his arm around her so that when
they rose they rose together. The prin-
cess was utterly unconscious, ana i'll
the boiling surf the task of saving her
was one to tax the hardest and most
experienced seaman. He was none, but
he stuck manfully to his task. and it
was several minutes before the waves
washed him near enough 70 hand his
precious burden to willing arms ashore
He waded up the beach exhausted and
helped to restore the princess to ami
nation. AS she came to, she exclaimed
that Mr. Beli had saved her life, and
II was no mere than WAS his due. But
it was the last time of their meeting.
for presently the party We're setting
out along a rocky and inhospitaDle
coast To the nearest point, the cut
skirts of fangiers. Someone went
ahead to procure mules for the weak
er members of the party. and the 9TH
ers had to toll in the wake of the
giders as best they could. When they
arrived at the English ministry there,
an inconsiderate junior secretary came
out and asked them curtiy what they
wanted. They passed on, to scatter
themselves in various hotels, and IL
few days rest served to put them in
better spirit with themselves and set
up communication with friends at
home And this was the more ne
cessary in that they had lost every
thing but the drenched and torn
clothes they stood up in
No less familiar than the fact of the
wreck itself is the sad sequel of the
dukes death few months afterward
as the result of the shock and ex-
posure he had endured. II he had
lived, it is very certain that he would
have made some kind of acknowledge
ment to his daughters rescuer; as it
is. Mr.. Bells fellow passengers have
sought to secure this in vain. The
doctor in attendance on the royal
party and the admiral in c:large of the
battleships have had their services
handsomely recognized--or, as certain
of the survivors think. somewhat in
excess. The fact that the princess
owed her life, and owes it to this day.
SO far passed unreeorded and have
my friends permission for telling the
story without Mr.. Bells permission.