The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-05-16
AMERICAN SAVED
BY SUBMARINE
ChicagOan Tells Of Being
Picked Up at Sea.
TREATED WELL BY GERMANS

Later Sent Ashore.
Landing in New York with $1.10 in
his pockets from Liverpool, John d.
Harrison, high school graduate Of
Chicago, told a story Of having been
pulled aboard a German submarine in
the bay of Blscay 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 a Scotch
patrol boat and finally landed at Fal
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 filed a claim with the British ad-
miralty for $3.50 for the loss of his ef-
fects, but, as he added nonchalantly:
"Only the good Lord knows whether
I Will ever get it."
Cheered az Ship Sank.
'HThe 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,
"and after staying four days went to
Bordeaux, where we landed 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 Blscay, the first mate at 3
o'clock In the morning Of April 10
sighted 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 n 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 engi-
neer.
1--WE carried two lifeboats. 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 off,
while the captains boat, in which l
was 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 n bet
ter chance to be picked up. The cap
tain and | went aboard to get some
medicines from the cabin when the
submarine emerged 800 yards away
and fired 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
/ sAN biuipoNiu oihNI W btlt tht bbuL 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 planlIs.
was In the water twenty minutes when
the submarine came alongside.
Fod by tho Germans.
''The first thing | told the submarine
commander was that was an Ameri-
can. He asked me Il lot OF questions
about the ship, where we were 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 1t
surely tasted good. | never saw so
much machinery in so small a compass
before as In that submarine. She was
n big boat 800 feet long, carving two
six pound guns fore aud aft ana with
two torpedo tubes. The crew numbered
about thirty men, all young, fine look
Ing fellows. l asked the commander if
] could take off my clothes to dry
them, and he ordered some dry ones to
be given to me. was surely treated
very well, and everything about the
submarine was In neat order,
''The submarine had In some manner
picked up our life raft and was towing
It. The commander and his officers
held consultation. and was asked
10 go on deck. 1t was then that we
saw the Margam Abbey sink. We
stnyed around the place about an hour
and then the commander said he was
going 10 set me adrlft ON the life raft.
He said | would soon be picked up by
one OF the English patrol boats, for he
said they had been hunting for him for
week, but tell them from me-, he
added, that we are still here.
well, they pm me on the raft in my
dry German suit Half OF the crew
were on top OF the submarine watch
Ing me, and they waved their caps and
all shouted in English, 'Goodbyp The
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