The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1916-04-06
CAVE HIS LIFE To
SEVER A CABLE
How British Commander Was
Shot by Turkish Forces.
DIDN'T PASS OBSTRUCTION
LiOutenant Commander Cookson Chop
Across Tigris River to Prevent His
Advance Until Wounded In Seven
Paces-Forced to Turn Back.

Advance Until Wounded In Seven
f'laces-Forced to Turn Back
How Lieutenant Commander Edgar
Christopher Cookson. in command of
the British gunboat Comet. during the
advance up the Tigris river. attempted
sir gle handed to cut a steel cable
Which the Turks had stretched across
the river as an obstruction is wildly
told by a letter which one of the crew
wrote to his mother and which was
recently published in the English
newspapers. While trying to cut the
cable the gallant commander was shot
seven times and died soon after reach
Ing the deck of his vessel again For
his gallantry he received the Victoria
cross
In his letter the seaman explains that
the Turks were heavily intrenched not
far from Ali Gharbi During the
time that we were bombarding them.
he writes. some of our troops and
caTalry went inland to try to surround
them. They nearly succeedes but
found the enemy little too strong.
tough they captured 1.600 prisoners
and about twenty guns. Just as it was
ge ting dark our seaplane dropped on
to the water alongside us and told
Lieutenant Commander Cookson that
the Turks were on the run.
"A little farther up the river they
had placed Instructions so that we
COLD not pass without clearing them
away, giving them time to get away
Ills turned out to be the liveliest time
I have had since the fighting started
Commander Cookson decided to go up
and clear this obstruction and then
give chase to the Turks 1t was very
dark when we started off, with the
Shaitan and Sumana following.
Turks Open Hot Fire.
when we got around the head of
land the Turks opened fire with rifles,
but we steamed right up to the OBJ
stluction. The Turks were then close
enough to throw hand bombs, but luck
lily none of them reached the deck of
the ship. The obstruction turned out
to be big cable stretched across the
river with dhows made fast to it An
attempt was made to sink the center
dhow with gunfre, but when this fail
ed the commander ordered that we
steam alongside of it.
Commander Cookson, when he saw
that the boat could not be sunk by
firing. took an ak and leaped over the
bows of the Comet on to the dhOw
He chopped at the cable until he haG
to turn back, he was so badly wound
ed. He was shot in seven places, and
when we dragged him back aboard his
last words were: 4 am done. 1t is g
failure. Return at full speed He
never spoke afterward We had six
wounded, but none seriously.
During that time we had not beer
silent. We fired at them with guns
ard rifles, and the Shaitan and the
StImana were also blazing away. Oul
troops ashore said it was a lovely
81 ,ht to see the vessels with all thei
guns working. We must have fright
Ell ed the Turks, because on going III
afain at daybreak after burying on
OllCeE we lOuuu ludL lHey udu CledIOt
out and retired farther up the river
We steamed after them. and when w
reached Kut-el-Amara we found tn
cavalry there. This is the first plac
to which the army has got before TIL
navy. Subsequently we received OF
ders to pursue the flying Turks. an,
we forced the enemy to leave seyera
dlOwS laden with stores nroyiSinn
and ammunition"