Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-04-13

nearu q smell Slpp over my snip. AL
about the same instant my first mate,
an excitable Irishman, came tumbling
down the hatchway.
They're droppin' faster and
faster says he.
"IIl be above presently says I,
finishing my tea.
"'We'n be below sooner says my
mate.
with the screaming of the shells
coming one continuous shrek, L was
! inclined to agree with him and went
above. Then we got a fresh surprise.
THAT dishonest freighter suddenly
veered away from us and showed US
the cleanest pair of heels | ever saw.
If she was not doing 25 knots, she was
going backwards, and she was not go
ing backwards.
why, she had left us so uncere-
moniously became evident a minute
later, when we saw she had seen the
poor old Farringford, homeward-
bound. M lady with the cruiser bot
tom and the tramp top-structure didn't
bother to deceive the Farringford.
She opened fire at five miles and the
very first shell went over the Far
ringford and hit the water a half
mile the other side of her.
And then sane landlubbers try to
tell seamen that this Ponga actually
is freighter. They ought to learn
how a ship has to be built to mount
a gun that will shoot a shell six miles.
Prayed For Darkness
Il did considerable praying at just
about this time 1t was growing dark,
but not half fast enough for me. |
prayed those German gunners would
continue to overshoot the Earring
ford. The longer it took them to sink
her the better my chances would be
of getting away in the dark.
Then one of the Ponga's shells
struck the Farringford on the water
line and we knew our game was up.
The instant the Ponga saw she had
settled the Farringford, she turned off
and headed back to us, and when |
saw the bow wave she made, | rang
down to stop my engines and waited.
| had a suspicion the Ponga was not
going 10 sink my ship. She needed
what | had. OF course, l could have
scuttled my boat and robbed the Ger
mans of 5000 tons of the very best
Welsh coal. I've been extremely sorry
that moment l had hoped to get
away. and my coal was considerably
needed at its destination.
The Germans boarded the Cor
bridge at once and looked it over.
Then they put all of us, except seven
small boats and directed us to row
to their ship. The seven aliens may
get that outfit into serious trouble.
Four of them are Greeks, two Span
iards and one a Portuguese. So far
as l know, they are still aboard the
Corbridge. l do not know what their
governments can do about it, but I
can testify to the fact that these seven
men We're forcibly impressed into Ger
man service.
Seized by Armed Seamcn
Meantime, the Farringford's crew
had taken to their small boats and
reached the Ponga about the same
time we did. The minute we came
over the side, we were seized by
armed sailors and marched below to
boarded-in part of between decks.
There was only one door and no other
opening of any kind. To make mat
ters worse, we discovered the place
was half filled with water-soaked po-
tatoes. Those water-soaked potatoes
were all we had to lie on or sit on
for the next six days. Just to make us
a bit more cheerful, one of the armed
guards at the door told us we were
directly over the main ammunition
magazines.
AT daylight January 12, the skip
per of the Ponga sent for me to come
| to the charthouse. The Corbridge
was lying off our port quarter. The
German commander informed me he
bridge and persuade those seven aliens
to sign a paper waving their rights
and agreeing to be peaceful members
of the prize crew. | refused to do
so until / heard something that
sounded like 'cOurt-martial.' | did
quick thinking then and agreed on
condition that | could also get some of
my personal belongings that We're OF
value only to myself The commander
wanted to know what these belong
ings We're. If | had not told him /
would never had found out as much
about that cruiser as | was able to-
81 had explained that chiefly what
| wanted was my Masonic regalia.
which was in my cabin. | had three
diplomas, one from the Masonic lodge
in Tacoma, Wash, where / took my
first three degrees But the skipper
could not understand me at all. And
then one of the lieutenants, who was
Mason explained. and permission
followed mmediately.
There was a stiff breeze and we
had to row our own small boat back to
the Corbridge. That was bit of
luck, for it compelled us to drop back
under the stern of the Ponga and gave
me a first rate look at her afterpart.
She is a beauty. Below the water she
| is cut away like a racing craft. We
pulled along her whole length and
.tOulu see quite enough TO eStaDllSn
the fact that this craft was built on
lines none but a naval board ever
drew.
Back aboard the Corbridge. I dis
covered my cabin had been rifled, and
everything | owned had disappeared,
my Masonic regalia included.
when we returned TO the Ponga. |
took another look at her underbody
For all the fact that inside she was
fitted up with insulation and lifts,
such as fruit ships carry, her under
| body showed that she actually had
no carrying capacity at all. 1t made
me wonder if so much deception had
been necessary TO fool that volunteer
crew, who thought they were to stay
in the Baltic. Then ] decided it might
be only another example of German
thorouEhness.
THE next day, January 13, we came
mp with the Dromondy, the Author
and the Trader. Practice had i'm
proved the German gunners. They
about finished each one of these boats
with the first pair of shells. BY the
time the officers and crews of this
trio Joined us in our potato cellar we
were sad lot. 1t had been crowded
before; now it became fair imitation
of the black hole of Calcutta.
'Forty-eight hours passed without
anything happening. And then we
! heard those forward siX-inch guns
speak and we knew we were in for
another addition TO orr nIarters II