Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1916-12-18
Divine Spirit
.PlayedLeading
Part IN Rescue
Sent Aged RescMey
To Coast" -"I3"ALSO
In Evidence

the fatal number 13 on the other, PLAYED
important parts in the series of thrilling
experiences that befell Captain Joe Sod
washed ashore with him at Playa de Wash
ington, west the mouth of the Rio
Grande, last Wednesday.
At the Brownsville Sanitarium last
night, Captain Sodermann, who with Sailor
Arnold Is now recuperating from the ef-
fects of their six days sea experience.
grew talkative and for the first time dis
closed some of the odd and interesting
facts about the episode.
"God sent that old Mexican gentleman
to US" said the Captain, referring to Com
!isario Cisneros of district No. 23, who
found the men and brought them to Mata-
moros. "We were washed ashore shortly
after daybreak and ut the point where we
landed the old man was waiting for u with
water, fire upon which pot of hot cof-
fee was bubbling. and other articles Of
food. / suppose that we could have search
ed up and down the miles an miles of
beach in that section, had we been able to
walk at all. and never have seen nor have
been seen by living human being The
old man had driven about 25 miles before
daybreak to the beach He thought that
he went there to gather sea shells for use
on his farm, but we knew that God sent
him, there Cisneros loaded the men in a
wagon, the bed of which contained soft
hay, and drove them to Matamoros the
en- Iau 1t.}a .,f fha, h,-t,
miles. Cisneros is about 80 years old.
"We had hunch that something was
going to 60 wrong on the trip before We
started said Captain Sodermann.
captain Soderstrom Of the tug boat
Gulfport-by the way, | have known him
since he was a small boy-also seemed to
be worried about something. He called my
attention to the fact that he and his crew
numbered thirteen" Soderstrom command
ed the boat that drew the Bob in tow.
"Soderstrom asked me what to do in
case his fuel should give out, and ] told
him to cut loose, in that ease, and come
back after US later. | told him that i
knew what to do in the gulf. Had he cut
us loose when the storm rose, as | sig
nailed him to do, the barge would never
have been lost. It was brand new and
well made boat, but it broke to pieces like
kindling when the tug boat pulled Us
through that storm. The number thirteen
showed up wide on the trip. The tug start
ed with crew Of thirteen and we wash
ed ashore Wednesday, December b."
| Much of the time the first day after the
wreck was spent by Sodermann and his
sailors in evading sharks. school Of
them, he said, played around the wrecked
barge and kept them busy dodging and
guessing which one would turn on its back
first to bite. The Spanish cook, whom
Captain Sodermann held in his arms, may
have been the victim of one Of these man
eaters Captain Sodermann finally re-
leased his told upon the Spaniard when he
was convinced that the latter was dead.
The second day, huge gulf turtle ap-
peared. Captain Sodermann, who tired to
swim to him, he said. believes the turtle
Il TO measure more than twelve feet across
the back.
"My intention was" he explained, "to
/ climb on the turtle. The brute was asleep
and I though I might climb on quietly
enough not to awake him. ] could have
saved my strength that way. Arnold and
Osorio. who had succeeded in reaching one
of the boats Of the barge. picked me up
before could reach the turtle"
American Consul Johnson yesterday aft
ernoon succeeded in obtaining permission
from the Mexican authorities to bring Cap
tain Joe Sodermann aud Sailor Charles
Arnold to the United States side Of the
river. They are now in the Brownsville
Sanitarium. where Arnold is undergoing
treatment for fever.
Threatening symptoms of pneumonia
made il imperative that Arnold be removed
quickly from the commandments IN Mata-
moros. With fever Of 100 to 1O2 de-
prees he has been subjected to fireless
room, without bed clothing and with only
canvass cot between the two men, since
the second night after their arrival at Mat
amoros. Ysidoro Osorio, the Mexican
member Of the crew, il still In hospital
at Matamoros, but will be removed to the
Brownsville Sanitarium today Their re-
moval TO this side was made contingent up
on Consul Johnson's willingness to be re-
sponsible for the men. Sodermann, who II
able to walk about, must report to the
military authorities In Matamoros each
)day until the government decides 70 re-