South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-28
Officers of "NOrth Carolina"
Describing Events at Beirut
Reveal How Near Nation
Came to Entering War.
PREPARED TO LAND
A FORCE OF 500 MEN
Capt. Oman Finds Anti-FOreign
Situation so Alarming He
Keeps Men Under Arms for
Instant Call.

NEW YORK, Dec. 2S.-The United
States cruiser North Carolina was
cleared for action az Beirut. syria.
duriug her visit there in November.
All preparations were made 20 shell
The Turkish town. Five hundred men
We're fully equipped for shore duty.
The president of the American college
there was supplied with set of sig
mails hy which he could call for help.
These conditions prevailed for three
DAYS. but AT the end OF that time the
auu-toreisu situation became less
tense.
just how near the North Carolina
came 10 firing upon Beirut and precip-
/ itating war with Turkey was learned
today when four naval officers return
| ed on the liner Finland after being re-
HeNed from duty ON the North caro-
lima. which Is sull in the eastern Med
iterranean protecting Christians, I'M
Guiding Americans in Turkey. The
naval officers who reported back 10
duty in this country were members OF
the aviation corps at Vera CRUZ where
they had done valuable scouting duty
and were picked uD hastily and order
ed on the North Carolina when that
/ ship received orders over night 10
/ leave Caribbean waters and proceed
+ With the Tennessee abroad TO furnish
( gold to stranded Americans.
Describes Beirut Events
The four Of1cers are Commander
Mustin. Lieut. r. 81. Bellnger. Ensign
/ w. Caphart and Lieut. O.. Sauhey.
/ There four We're in the party that car
I ried American gold 10 Paris. Afper
Z distrihuun- the money they left With
the North Carolina for Turkey. One
! of them told this story of the Beirut
| events:
! "As we proceeded TO smyrna we
passed the British Mediterranean fleet
which consisted of one drcadnaught
! three battleships seven cruisers and
! two submarines. We afterwards
/ learned that one of the submarines
/ which came within hailing distance OF
MS was the famous B-1l. which later
/ diyed under the mines. I'm the Dar-
: danelles and sunk Turkish battle
/ ship.
Reaching Beirut we found the mis-
I siOnarieS panlckE but no serious
/ cause for alarm We then proceeded
/ 10 Smyrna arriving there about hVe
/ hours after the firing of "a shot across
! the bow of one of the Tennessee =
| launches. II was trilling affair."
merely a. warming Five days later
we put back into Beirut where We
found the situation alarming
$50 seriously did Capt. oman of the
/ North Carolina consider Ia, situation
/ hat he sent a number of officers
ashore 10 look around. When we re-
4 turned the decks OF the North Caro-
! lima were cleared for action. Five
/ hundred men were piped on deck, all
provided with three days rations and
/ armed 20 the teeth. Landing boats
! were lowered with machine gums i'm
/ them. while the rapid fire guns on the
! decks were sighted SO that, at "a mo-
/ ments notice they could rake tie
1 shore The president of the Ameri-
/ can college was supplied with "a set OF
/ signals so that ne could communicate
( with the cruiser.
Armed for Three Days.
"For three days the men remained
4 under arms expecting orders any min
ute 10 go ashore and start a night.
I Moreover. the situation calmed down
and the four OF us LEFT on the Vulcan
While N Paris the four officers Wit
/ messed German air raids.
They were spectacular but not
/ very damaging said one of the Off
/ GERS THE French have excellent
nying machines. but their discipline -
| aellew. They are better as spectacu-
/ lar flyers than as scouts. For Instance
A Frenchman viii loop the loop over
q German generals tent and then fiy
| back 10 his comrades 20 receive their
! cheers. He fOrgets TO make obscrFa- =
tions. so occupied is he with doing the
! spectacular