South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-05-19
ARMORED CARS
RUSH To RESCUE
Story of Auto Dash to Save
Men of Wrecked Ship
Tara a Classic.

SUE, Egypt May l9-I have Just
heard the details OF the armored
car fleets dash TO the rescue Of the
nren OF the wrecked ship Tara It
will stand as a classic in motoring
annals.
When Gen. Lukin reoccupied SOL
lum in western Egypt, he found that
the Arabs had burned the camp. Ten
srmOred cars came upon n remark
able road which. starting in the des-
e.. runs 20 Tobruk. 90 miles away.
in TripoH. over It the motors had
a speed OF IS miles an hour
At AZiZa the cars suddenly came
upon the Arabs. and dashed into a
Turkish mountain gun and two ma
chine guns. killing every gunner b.
maxim fire. Then. without a halt,
they charged in line over the bOul-
6ers. stin scrub. sandy patches. The
charge continued for seven miles.
Three field guns, nine machine
guns. hundreds o: rifles. spare parts,
dynamite, travelling work shops. and
a quarter OF million rounds OF rifle
ammunition were captured.
Some OF the camels, hit by ma
chine gun fire, blew 10 pieces as If
struck by a high explosive. and then
burst into flames. II was found
that the Arabs had loaded them
with bombs and petrol.
The Duke OF Westminster was in
formed that a letter had been pick
ed up from Capt. Gwatkin Williams
10 Nuri Bey, complaining that the
Tara prisoners were starving and
III. and suggesting that medical COM
forts should be procured az SOllum.
The lette- mentioned Bjr Hakim as
the place of the prisoners deten-
ton.
Every prisoner and refugee was
interrogated, but none knew Biz
Hakim except a man who said he
had fed a flock there 50 years ago.
subsequently. another man, who
had been the prisoners guard. was
discovered. and the duke asked per-
mission TO attempt a rescue. Every
man in the batteries sat up all night
and next day tuning up the ma
chimes. The batteries were rein
forced by light cars carrying the
guns, and all the motor ambUlances
within travelling range OF Sollum
we're brought in
There were gathered at the old
Turkish fort on the ridge above Sol
lum nine armored ROlls-Royce cars,
FIVE touring cars with guns. light
cars-42 motors altogether.
At o'clock on St. Patrick's morn
ing the column moved out Of the
fort.
When the column got so miles on
the Tobruk road the car turned on
the desert due south. After 1 . miles
OF rough-and-tumble over desper-
ately rough ground, the party be-
gan TO feel uncertain of success. The
two Arab guides were arguing as TO
whether they were on the right
track; the man who had not seen
Biz Hakim since his boyhood.
thought they were wrong. The other
Arab would not say much.
The desert was now very stony. a
hundred miles went by, and then
los. Still there was not the faintest
sign OF the Tara prisoners camp.
Between 10 and 115 miles nobody
spoke. and the silence suggested
fears OF failure. A mile further on
the Arab became animated on seeing
"a sort of small mountain.
A halt was called at 3 o'clock and
the duke sent forward the armored
cars to attack. They raced up to
within zoo yards of the mound.
The prisoners were standing sill
houetted against the skyline. dumb
with amazement at the appearance
OF the strange throbbing fleet.