Evening journal., 1915-04-07
RESCUED FROM TWO
ships THAT CO DOWN
Arley ]. Wilgus, Back to
Roxana, Was Engineer
on Mine-Sunk Evelyn
TAKEN FROM DENVER
WHICHFOUNDERED TOO

Special TO THE EVENING JOURNAL
GEORGETOWN, Dci, April show
ing M signs of having been effected by
his perilous encounter after the destwc-
ton OF the ship Evelyn, which was de-
stroyeJ 10y German mine in the
North Sea on February 10. Arlcy J..
Nilgus. of RoNana. arrived here Sunday
for visit to his brother inl law, Harry
f. Hudson.
Mr. Wilgus was first assistant cngi-
necr on the Inflated ship. which carried
cargo Of cotton consigned from New
York 10 BREMEN.
Mr. Wilpis gave the following version
of the catastrophe: ut was about 4.O5
o'clock when we etruck the mine and |
believed that il would be but few min.
utes before the boat and crew would so
to the bottom The mine took effect
on one end of the boat. Had the eNplo-
sion taken place in the center OF the
boat there is little doubt but that she
would have parted and most of the crew
would have been killed. was in The
engine room at the time and the jar was
30 terrific that ! was raised about q foot
OF the floor. All OF the crew iuadc for
the deck. When ] reached the deck |
saw them getting out the lifc-boats, and
] knew we did not have any time TO lose.
"After we abandoned the boat the see
ond explosion took place. which blew
the Evelyn about fifty feet in the air, II
eeemed to me. They told us VIC we're
about ten miles from shore but after
being adrift for about thirty-siX hours
when picked up by the German patrol
boat Morris, we learned that we were
then about sixteen miles from land. All
of the crew of twenty eight was saved
except one, fireman, Frank kcrl, who
died from exposure. We were landed at
Bremen Haven, a seaport, n short dis
tance from Bremen, where we were cared
for. We got everything VIC wanted at
the hands of the Germans, and were
given tho best treatment Food and
clothing for all didn't cost us any
thing"
In response 10 a question MIR. Wilgus
said; "1he Germans are well prepared,
and believe they will be successful. hut
in my opinion they will eventually be
beaten. They have got the vim, and
have got England scared, but under such
odds ! can't see, notwithstanding their
preparedness and enthusiasm, how they
can he successful While great interest
is being taken in the struggle there
seems to be little demonstration in
Germany.
'elhcv seem 20 have plenty of food
with the exception OF -four, which is
very scarce and high in price. oil Is
very scarce and high-priccd. also"
lie stated that the women arc filling
ll.tI
all males who are old enough have beer
pressed into service. Boys from iiftccl
10 seventeen years of age. at least bu
few Of them, he stated. have been force'
into Tic conflict. He says there are many
wounded in the cities, all of the hos
nitols being filed.
While in Germany. he stated that The
press Of the country was giving glow
ing accounts of the successes with The
Russians.
While in the harbor OF Dover, Eng
land, he said, the searchlights were kept
constantly in motion for detecting Ger
man submarines and other warcraft.
"The Germans" he said, "arc deter
mined to cut of the commerce of Eng
land"
Mr.. Wilgus and Joseph L. Carey, o.
Frankford, who was second assistant en-
gineer on the Evelyn, shipped from Ger
many ON the Mallory Liner Denver
which sprang leak in mid-occan scv
eral days ago and went to the bottom
Mr.. Wilgus was taken aboard the Man
haitian. While the sinking Of the Den
yer was hair-raising affair to him, ye
he did not consider that drop p-in.thc
bucket" as compared with the destruc
tion OF the Evelyn of Borkum, Holland
Joseph Carey, of Frankford is a brothc
of e. G. Carey, deputy in the Unite'
States internal revenue Office in the Bal
timorc Custom House.