The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-05-09

with all the force of the powerful
gasoline engines. failed to move her.
Imagine that silent crew huddled
about, each man so near the other
that their shoulders touched. yet
each man with the certain knowl-
edge death faced him. pretending
all was well and even trying to
cheer up the man beside him.
Thoughts of the mother or sister,
or perhaps the sweetheart at home.
must have passed through their
the dim light of the deep sea.
Fishes flashing by the portfolios
must have been the most serious
reminders of their fate for those
fishes meant life-free life in the
open-the principle that every man
recognizes as his greatest boon To
the human under. such ctrcum-
stances the approach of death is by
far more agonizinS than to an AMI
NAL in such circumstances, even
than to the proverbial rat IN the
trap as it slowly browns. To the
beasts it is but question of preser-
walton of Iife-that instinct that
makes it struggle until the last
gasp. To the man and especially to
a member Of the United States navy,
trained to bravery in emergencies
and taught to expect possible death
as his possible reward for the de-
fence of his country in times OF
war. death-death by such means
brings great mental agony
Above him. he knows, are other
United States ships. with their hap
py care-free crews. Far away on
shore or hundreds of Americans
enjoying themselves in freedom
THE
END.
But there at the bottom OF the sea
were 81 stalwart sons of Uncle Sam
doomed to a terrible death and des-
tined to face death like the iron men
the United States navy produces
If it had been on shipboard with
national airs playing and foe in
sight these men would have rushed
into thousand dangers and gladly
gone to death for the defense OF
their country. But here they were
prisoners with not even glimpse
of the sun to liven, them. to cheer
them in their last hours. II they
had been in battle line ashore or
behind the big gun aboard ship they
would have been contented for a
wh1Stl1nE steer Shell, a Oeettu SCISd10
and all would be over.
But now hours OF agony faced
them. For several days they had
lived on scanty rations In the hopes
they would not starve and that they
might be rescued at any time Il
they were still alive what joy must
have possessed them when they
heard the graphing hooks pass over
the deck of their vessel That
sharp pronged hook was as If the
whole United States were lifting out
its hand to aid them in their rescue.
What disappointment must have
possessed them when the hook fell
to the sea, having failed to catch
their deck rings.
BY this time the air in the oxy-
gen containers must have been quite
exhausted Breathing would be diff
ficult. The air laden with no nitro
gen and carbonic acid must have
pressed heavily on their lungs
Imagine them tearing open the
bosom of their shirts as If to relieve
the great pressure. Seated about
with swollen lips. distended eyes
and lungs paining as if a knife had
been thrust through, these men
must have sat about praying for
the end. The captain can be im-ss
aRlneQ sui DIT
as an officer must stand while on
duty. yet with his head bent on his
chest, his breath coming heavily !
and his mind a blank
On him had rested the RESPONSE
biIity of the lives of those 81 men,
While they sat helpless in their
places beside the shafts of the pro-
pellers, he thought OF all the ways
ever employed by mechanics in
such circumstances. The engineer
backed him up in an effort to raise
the vessel But there came a time
when orders ceased to come from
the bridge and when the engineer
was not prepared to heed them The
latter long since had sunk into q
coma and was dreaming happily
despite the heavy pressure Of his
lungs. Death was showing mercy
The tired captain, his head sunk on
his breast. still stood half uncon-
scious and also in a coma His
work was over when the hand Of
death took charge of the wheel OF
that vessel. but death was slow, al
though it had kindly given him the
anesthesia OF Inconsistencies
Thus the crew of FL went to its
death Historians may add another
chapter to the history Of the United
States when that hulk Is raised and
the bodies recovered.