The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1916-06-22
AMERICAN SAVED
BY SUBMARINE
ChiCagOan Tells of Being
Picked Up at Sea.
TREATED WELL BY GERMANS

turous Voyage Aboard British Supply
Ship Which Was Sunk-Given Food
and Clothes Aboard the U Boat and
Later Sent Ashore.
Landing in New York with S1.10 In
his pockets from Liverpool. John D..
| Harrison. a high school graduate of
Chicago. told story of having been
pulled aboard German submarine in
the bay of Biscay after the ship on
which he was steward had been sunk.
| then cast adrift on a life raft, to be
picked up two hours later by Scotch
patrol boat and finally landed at Fai.
mouth. wearing a rough suit of clothes
which was given to him by the Ger
man submarine commander.
Everything he owned went down in
| the bay of Biscay, off Finistere,
France. when the English ship Margam
| Abbey was sunk on April 10. Through
the United States consul Lorin A.
Lathrop. of Cardiff. Wales, Harrison
has fled a claim with the British ad-
miralty for $3.50 for the loss of his eff
fects. but. as he added nonchalantly:
"Only the good Lord knows whether
| will ever get it
Cheered as Ship Sank.
1.-THE commander was very polite to
me-" said Harrison. He spoke Eng
lish. and he asked me to go up on deck
with the officers. and there we stood
until the Margam Abbey took her final
plunge and disappeared beneath the
waves. The Germans all took off their
hats and cheered.
1--WE reached Madeira" he continued.
land after staying four days went to
Bordeaux, where we landed a big cargo
of -four for Verdun. We received or
ders to proceed to Cardiff. Wales, where
were the Offices of the owners of the
vessel. Two days after leaving Bor-
deaux. while we were at the head of
the bay of Biscay, the first mate at 3
o'clock in the morning of April 10
sighted a submarine off the starboard
bow. We Immediately put on steam.
The German boat was about two miles
off. She chased us and began firing
explosive shells, and one rendered us
helpless by earring away half of the
propeller Before that, however. we
were in a sinking condition. for fully
fifty shots were fired. and many struck
us below the water line. The only man
on board to be hit was the chief eng1-
neer.
1--WE carried two Iifeboats. One had
twelve holes shot through it, but they
were plugged up. The captain ordered
them launched. and we left the ship.
One boat pulled toward the island OF
Ushant, France. about sixty miles of.
while the captains boat. in which |
was a passenger. turned toward the
coast of England. about eighty miles
away. After rowing for about two
miles the submarine disappeared. The
Margam Abbey was half submerged,
but the captain suggested that we go
back. believing we might stand a bet
ter chance to be picked up. The cap
tain and ! went aboard to get some
medicines from the cabin when the
submarine emerged 300 yards away
and fred two more shots, one passing
over my head in the cabin. | ran out
on the port side and jumped into the
water. while the captain jumped in on
the starboard side. where the boat was,
and was picked up and the sailors
rowed away. but not before the Ger
man commander had called out that he
would pick me up. had on life belt
and was supported by some planks. |
was in the water twenty minutes when
the submarine came alongside.
Fed by the Germans.
1.-THE first thing | told the submarine
was that was an Ameri- !
can. He asked me a lot of questions
about the ship. where we We're bound, |
what our cargo was. Then he took me |
down the coming tower and told the |
steward to give me some breakfast. | |
had hot coffee, ham and bread. and it |
surely tasted good. never saw so |
much machinery in so small a compass |
before as in that submarine. She was
a big boat, 300 feet long. carrying two |
six pound guns fore and aft and with
TWO torpedo tubes. The crew numbered
about thirty men. all young. fine look
ng fellows. | asked the commander if
could take off my clothes to dry
hem. and he ordered some dry ones to
De given to me. was surely treated
7ery well. and everything about the
submarine was in neat order.
1.-THE submarine had in some manner
picked up our life raft and was towing
t The commander and his officers
leld a consultation. and | was asked
o go on deck 1t was then that we
Jaw the Margam Abbey sink. We
tayed around the place about an hour
md then the commander said he was
,oing to set me adrift on the life raft.
lie said | would soon be picked up by
me of the English patrol boats. for he
aid they had been hunting for him for
week. but tell them from me- he
dded. that we are still here
"Well, they put me on the raft in my
nv German suit. Half of the crew
we're on top of the submarine watch
ng me. and they waved their caps and
II shouted in English. 'Goodbyr The
,,b,nariro poovad off and som sub- |