Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-11-14
William +. Ross Escapes
Barque Which Is Now
Bottom of Sea.
HALF OF CREW DROWN
Mighty Glad to BE Frying
Eggs Where the Floor
Doesn't Rock.

TO Jump from sinking three 70
l mastcd barque which had been rid
died by the shots from German
submarine, with II others, into life
boat, with the sea mad with rage, 9nd
TO spend two days and two nights ex
pecting every minute to he thrown
into the waters, and to lie finally
picked up after having travelled Il
distance of 24O miles, in Starving,
thirsty, wearied condition, was the
experience OF William f. Ross, who
recently arrived IN Tulsa.
Believe me, | never want to 60 to
that Europe place any more" said
Ross last night at Lyons cafe where
he is engaged as chef, 81 am salts
fled to stay right here where the floor
Is stationary and no submarines can
loom up from the gray mist and begin
to pop their fireworks"
Ross turned over the two sizzling
eggs and continued
Was Of the Crew
81 was cook on the three -masted
barque mverlyon" which ieft Port
land, oregon, on December 9, bound
for Limerick, ireland, with d cargo Of
wheat.
"On the thirteenth day out / was in
the galley making "a special order of
coffee for the captain, who had been
unable to come 20 mess that DAY be
cause the sea was too high. The waves
were pouring and ripping all over the
deck and there was such noise that
one of the sails gave way and | could
hardly hear it.
"Al of sudden | heard biz
noise like the crash of lightning ana
/ thought that the wind mad got
deNilsh and carried away one of the
poles or the masts. Pretty soon |
heard another and | knew something
was wrong somewhere and Il crawed
along the rail on the outside of the
galley and walked into the first mate,
who yelled There is a German sub
marine out there and she will get us
or I'm a liar; we've got to get the
boats out somehow"
That mate was right The last
word had hardly been blown away by
the gale when shot carried away the
foremast and threw the sails and rig
ging over the port bow
THE Swede who was in the wheel
room with the captain was scared to
death. He came wobbling down the
deck being thrown from side to side
and yelling, they're trying to get the
tiller room
Sea Ran High.
"The sea was so high that only oc-
casionally could we see the long black
form Of the submarine which was not
half mile away 1t quit firing for "A
while and the captain thought that
they would leave. The shots which
had already hit the hull had not yet
caused the ship to sink as the tightly
packed sacks of wheat in the hold
kept the water out The captain was
going to stick to the ship.
For about ten minutes there was
not a shot, only the crash of the sea
on the deck and the roar of the gale
through the rigging
Then they began with a fusillade
and never quit until the barque sank
below the surface. They tore the ship
to pieces. They cut down the masts
and cabins on the deck and ripped
holes big enough for a whale to swim
through in the hull. The poor Inver-
lyon was doomed.
All Men Jump.
"The 22 men aboard Jumped for
the boats Eleven piled into ours and
IL got into the one on the other side
of the ship. The captain walked up
and down a few steps on the deck,
looked toward the submarine and then
as another shot splintered the wood
work not ten feet away he yelled
through the noise, Let the ropes
down In thirty seconds the Inver-
lyon will be gone
1--WE cast loose while on the crest
of a mountain of a wave and every
man rowed The wind carried us
away from the old barque and within
a minute and half we could see the
rail at the stern sinking below the
water. Another wave caught her and
she turned on her side and sank like
sono monster who had put up a good
fight but lost out
"The men in the lifeboats tried at
first to keep together but a wave
caught us and both boats slid into a
trough together and almost struck. If
they had we would have all been
drowned. After that we rowed apart.
at was getting dark and we man
aged to put the sail up and let the
mon hail as the water was half way up
70 our knees i'm the bottom of the boat.
For the next two days we never
stopped bailing. sometimes all at once
and at other times two only.
Sncpdinp ,hc NIGHT.
,,,o ,.o,,os
an ina, hlsn, we I@iuns @ ~ 'mV I Vr ,,'os
AT the siue Oh .he poa. "s sne n"'
tossec ana huIieu "oout "S pay
thins 10 tne sea H. ,,,,
SOn1etlHleS WiSHeu SHc Nouiu