Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-11-17

have ever seen. Through the binoculars
the captain of the Audacious was seen
walking up and down the deck calmly
with his hands behind his back.
Five Men in Bont.
81 saw one boat come along the stern
of the super-dreadnought Ii had five
men in it. Just as 1t came into position
for the designated men on the Audacious
| to jump into it big wall of water pulled
| it up and slammed it upside down into
| the sea. Instantly four men came to the
| surface, and, clutching at the becker,
! hauled themselves up on the keel, One
! man was missing. lie was the officer in
command. The men had not chung long
| to the upturned lifeboat when another
| boat came bounding by and picked them
| up.
| In spite OF the fact that there were 800
| officers and men on the Audacious and
that the rescue work was carried on under
! great difficulty in a heavy sea and n
westerly gale, only two lives were lost.
| One was petty officer, who was
drowned out of a lifeboat. and the other a
gunner's mate, who was struck by a
| fragment of steel when the Audacous
was blown up.
Beautiful Pickup,
1T was a fine piece of work. beauti-
full pick up. On the deck of the Auda-
cious the officers directed the work OF
sending off the crew. Men were picked
for each post and told to jump on or
ders. There were about 900 on the Auda-
cious. but only $50 were taken 10 the
Olympic. About 400 were transferred to
other warships by the Olympic's fourteen
lifeboats.
Some of the small boats made three
trips between bsttleship and merchant
man. About 200 men were left on board
| the Audacious to assist in the handling OF
lines and cables. while the Olympic made
| its futile efforts to take the Audacious
in tow. Later these men were taken eff
to the Liverpool in the Olympics life
boats, when it was decided the Auda-
cious should be blown up and sunk
| Flash Lights Up Ship.
| The olympic dropped anchor OFF Tough
| SwillV at p. IN. An hour later Beames
and Griffiths who were below. said a
tremendous flash lighted up the entire
! ship. They rushed to the deck and could
see for fully twenty seconds afterwards
burning fragments shooting upward from
the place where they had left the Auda-
cious Then came a roar. 1t sounded
! llty Salu, as II some IndInInOLn DOller
were letting off steam. 1t stopped as
suddenly as it came.
That was the end of the Audacious
Everyone on board had been aiken eff
and the Liverpool had put the finishing
touches to the havoc that a mine had
begun in the forenoon OF that day, the
musicians said.
AS q reason for destroying the Auda-
| a hot he 40
lhopelessly damaged and that If not blown
up it would become a menace to naviga-
ton.
With Squadron.
One of the new features of the loss of
the Audacious, according to statements
made on the New York, was that the bat
tleship was steaming with a squadron
when hit by the mine, and that immedi-
ately its companions Of the superdrcad-
nought class steamed away in conform
ity with the admiral's orders
The impression was that it had been
torpedoed, it was said. and the other big
war craft sought to escape a similar fate
by getting out of the danger zone. as
quickly as possible. Only the Liverpool
was standing by when the Olympic came
along, but about the time the White>Star
dozen destroyers and trawlers came out
from Lough Swiftly.
The maneuvers of the Olympic in maxi
ing fast to the Audacious and trying to
tow it to the shoals, were Interestingly
described The destroyer Fury came by
the Olympic's stern at high speed and
a heaving line was thrown to it, In this
fashion, a stouter line was carried out
, |
two steel cables from the Olympic were
taken over and made fast TO the Auda-
cious. Slowly the Olympic got under
way and the lines drew taut.
Strain Too Great.
Hardly had the merchantmen began to
tow it's heavy charge when the dread
noughts bow plunged down under a ter
rifle sea, just as the liners own stern
was lifted up on a wave, The strain
was too great even for the steel hawser,
and all lines snapped as the Olympic
> steamed on.
The liners propellers were reversed
ana it came to a stop, finally going
astern of the pounding dreadnought II
I got within heaving distance again of
the dreadnought's bow under the skill
full MANAGEMENT of Captain Haddock
but the fast approaching darkness made
1t impossible TO continue the attempt to
! save the big warship II was thought
that some OF the collision bulkheads Of
the Audacious must have given way and
that more water was finding its way
. into the hold, for It's commander signalled
to Captain Haddock that 1t could not be
saved and advised him to risk Mis- ship
no further.
al Boats Sent Adrift.
heavier sea was now running, and as
the Olympic lifeboats came longside Cap
tain Haddock had his men hauled
n aboard, He decided, however, that the
boats could not be taken up on the davits
2 and they were sent adrift. being picked
4 up later by trawlers and other small
n ! craft.
S None OF the olympics 200 passengers
!. was allowed ashore for six days, and all.
] it was stated. were requested by the