Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-03-01
MINES PLANTED
NEAR. DOVER BY
SUBMERs|BLES
American Who Escaped When
British Liner Was Sunk,
Tells of Experiences and
Narrow Escape.


London, Feb. 20 (5:5O p. m.)-That
ierman submarines have been sowing
mines off Dover was the belief ex-
pressed today by Ralph Foster, Of
Kansas, and other survivors of the Ma
lola disaster, including some of the Of
ficers OF the ship. The fact that a
number OF disasters have occurred In
he neighbOrhoOd OF Dover during the
last two Sundays Is considered in some
quarters in London as possible evil
denee that German submarines, know
ing that a number OF boats clear for
oreign ports Saturdays, have taken
advantage of that fact TO creep in as
near the coast as possible In the night
time and discharge cargoes Of explos-
ives.
Lifcboats Useless.
In the opinion of Mr. Foster, life
boats are virtually useless where YES
sells strike mines, as the ships almost
invariably sink quickly, and because
the crews are insufficiently drilled for
quick action and the boats cannot be
lowered when a ship heels over on her
side as the Maloja did Mr.. Foster
had a thrilling experience He was
afloat in the icy water and on up
turned boats an hour before he was
rescued.
II was promcnadlng the deck we'll
forward about 1920 o'clock Sunday
morning." said Mr.. Foster today to the
Associated Press representative, "when
heard slight report. I thought 1t
was a gun fitting a blank shot until I
saw debris falling. Even then the
conclusion had been so slight that /
concluded an accident must have hap
pened TO some other ship nearby.
Makes Struggle for Life.
II rushed back Immediately toward |
the stern Of the Maloia. but before ]
had taken a dozen steps the ship be-
gan to list. | started toward the life
boat that had been allotted to my I
cabin. 1t was SO full of people, most
of them Lascars, that ! saw il was
likely to be swamped, so | went below
for n llfebclt ] put on my overcoat
and the lifebelt and also took my pass
port
"By this time-already three minutes
after the explosion-the passageways
below were awash. | returned to the
lifeboat and tried to help shove il
clear. Two of the white crew OF the
steamer were standing by to lower the
boat, but only a steward and myself
were making any efforts to push it off
from the ships side. We could pot get
HE boat clear of the railing ON ac-
count of the heavy last of the MalCja.
situation Critical.
Everybody then piled out of the
feboat. Most Of them slid across the
leck and into the water on the other
side. The deck was inclined to such a
legree that we could not stand. II
grabbed at an oar and slid down the
deck into the water. The waves were
20 strong that | found that | could not ,
win in them and was washed back
against the side of the ship.
Finally ! managed to reach a cap
sized boat few feet away and
,rawled onto IT, From there / could
zee in the water near me several bod
es of persons who were bleeding +,
lbout the head. One Lascar was be-
ng ground between lifeboat and the
hips side. a big swell washed me off
NY insecure perch. knew what
would happen to me if stayed on the
ilde of the ship | was on so I man
lged To get to the other side and
lung TO the railing until only the
iavits were projecting out of the wa
er. l then pushed away from the ,
lteamer and swan q few yards to a
u at that had five or six Lascars in IL,
When looked around the last davits Of
he Majola had disappeared. We hao ,
10 oars and the waves kept breaking i,
,ver the boat. When 1t began TO sink
We swan to another capsized boat and
lung there until boat from a de- ,
itroyer took us off.
When we came alongside the de- {
troyer, l noticed that the swells 5
seemed to bob us up and down for {
welve feet. | looked at The clock on 7
,oard the destroyer and saw it was d
1880 o'clock.
The only terror of excitement t
hown aboard the Maloja while they I
we're trying to lower the boats was on {
he part of Lascars and some children :
Who had become separated from then '
Mothers. one child, who was on
Ieck near the point of the explosion,
vas blown to pieces, an officer told
ne.
"Onc thing which made an impress
ion on my mind while | was clinging
o capsized boat was a teddy bear
WHICH was floating about. The coxs- ii
vain of the boat which picked us up !,
escaed the toy, saying 1 must havelt,
hat for my kid. ~
Mr.. Foster said he also was deeply q
by the bravery of the wom- =
n and the white crew of the Maloja, =
ut not by her Lascar crew.