The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-07-22

Herbert Epperson, nineteen. son of
J. A. Epperson Of Sumter, a quarter,
master Of the ill-fated collier. Hector,
which struck q reef last Friday off
Cape Roman, was one of the heroes
Of the rescue Of the crew and marines
from the doomed vessel to the tug
wellington. which loomed up on the
horizon at the critical moment and
was the means of saving the
lives of the men on the United States
vessel.
Herbert Epperson arrived In the
city last night from Charleston,
where he is on the United States bat
tieship Hartford until such time as he
Is removed. or his term of service ex-
pires. which will be at the first of
August. At that time young Epperson
expects to enter the service of one of
the biggest American merchant lines,
which he does not think will be so
dangerous, and whose duties will not
be so onerous.
Young Epperson gives a very graph
ic picture Of the hardships and suffer-
ings OF the crew and marines on the
Collier Hector until they were rescued
by the Wellington and the tender
Cypress. And as quartermaster in
command Of the motor boat which
made the transfer of men from the
Hector to the Wellington. he was in q
position to know all Of the hardships
the men had to undergo. Young Ep-
person entered the navy two and a.
half years ago and served for one and
a-half years. when he bought him
self out Of the navy" and entered .'the
the United States naval auxiliary SER
vice. in which the enlistment was for
period OF only one year. On the
Hector Epperson was at first in the
radio room. having become very much
interested In the wireless telegrabhy,
but Becoming dissatisfied with condi-
tions. he was transferred and became
one Of the quartermasters Of the ves-
sci. He is now visiting his father here
and expects to return tomorrow even
Ing to the Hartford, at the Charleston
Navy Yard. His mother is seriously Ill
In Columbia, and he had hoped to see
her, but has been unable to do so, On
account OF the high water which pre-
vented his going to Columbia today.
Quartermaster Epperson thus de-
scribes the accident to the Hector and
the rescue Of the crew by the Yelling
ton:
"On Wednesday, July 18th, we stood
Off Charleston with orders to take
sixty-five marines to San Domingo,
where a revolution was in progress.
The marines were brought out to the
Hector In the afternoon by a small
tug and We at once set out to sea.
bound for San Domingo. at about
four knots an hour. It was about q
hundred miles Off Charleston harbor
that we ran into the hurricane. The
wind was blowing a gale of more
than hundred miles an hour and
struck the Hector with full force. The
vessel withstood the blow. until tho
matches were crushed in like paper by
the winds and waves and the water
poured into the hold, wetting the coal
and causing the vessel to gradually
sink lower in the water. The firemen
had hard time to keep up steam with
Me wet coal, most Of which was COW
cred with water. but they strove
manfully to do their work, until ex-
They were helped in this
work by the marines on board. who
also worked hard in the gale to get
the ship to rights, but 1t was impossi-
tle to keep up steam with the wet
coal. The collier was in a monsoon
ana seemed to be going round and
round, as soon as the engines were no
longer working and it was impossible
to control the ship. We did not know
where we were and had to ascertain
our position only by dead reckoning.
We took deep sea soundings and as
,ertained from our chart that we were
on Charleston, but this turned out to
De wrong and the vessels which re-
'ponded to our S. o. S. call went to
he position We gave them, but did not
reach us at all. After twelve hours of
his we were driven by the seas,
which were running thirty-five and
,orty feet high, and wind against a
'eef. The ship was split i'm two and
he men had to remain where they
we're. The captain and twentvora