The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1917-10-04

had been on the bridge, was in the
ward room when the explosion came
and not one of them survived. II
would be useless to describe the APP
pearance OF that room. The living
breathing human beings who had filed
1t the night before with laughter and
courage and hope We're one shapeless
mass-part of the twisted, broken steel
And they never had a chance to
fight. Death came to them without
warning and without giving them the
opportunity so much desired to strike
q blow for Britain in the going. But
that is part OF war as It is fought to-
day.
went up to the hospital to see the
navigating officer, and, swathed In
bandages and suffering from terrible
burns, he told me all he knew OF what
had happened.
1--WE were running along at fair
speed" he said, with most Of the crew
on deck and watching out sharp, for'l
knew that sixth mine hadn't been pick
ed up, and it's pretty safe to count on
six being laid here every Wednesday
The rest OF the officers were below
poor chaps! Not one Of them left, they
tell me.
Thrown Into the Sea.
81 was swinging her round, which
guess is what brought her stern quar-
ter on the mine. I thought a thunder
clap had detonated right under my feet
I went spinning Off the bridge like
catapult. / don't pretend even to know
whether / was conscious as i hurtled
through the air. but the shock eft the
cold water brought me to. was some
yards from the destroyer and started
to swim toward her. could see some
Of the men lying on the deck, Others
crawling up the companionways and
some crawling about on the deck. A
very few were standing on their feet
and doing the best they could TO help
the others.
There wasn't an officer I'm sight, ana
I knew then they must all have been
killed or at least knocked unconscious.
"My leg hurt me so that 1 could
scarcely move It, but kept on strug-
Cling. The water tasted oily, and i
could make out that oil was escaping
from the destroyer and spreading all
over the surface OF the sea, which was
as calm as If it were mirror.
suddenly there was flash. A lit
tie tongue of flame darted out Of the
entrails of the wounded destroyer and
ran short way over the surface of the
oily patch, then died. Presently came
another tongue Then half dozen
began to lick. A dozen! Twenty!
Great God, there We're Thousand,
and they were licking the surface or
the water as though thousand hell
cats We're tapping a giant bowl OF
fiendish milk.
They ran toward me, and / may
have screamed. If didn't IL was be-
cause / was too scared. i struck our
away from the destroyer. The tongues
ran toward me faster than L couiu
swim, then seemed to curl back upon
themselves, but only to dart out once
more, and each time they darted near
er to me.
III Only Il couiu get pe.ohu s
The sun glimmered i'm rainbow colors
on its surface, but the only thing IL
meant to me was I was still in II.
The smell of it in my nostrils ana tne
taste of it I'm my mouth SO terrified IN!
imagination that could feel the plerc-
ing pain OF burns already.
II envied the men who had been
smashed to jelly quickly in the waru
room.
AT last the flames were upon me:
I felt them on my neck. i dove anu
drove myself forward under the wa.
ter, but when came up my hair was
singed and / could smell 1t burning.
After that I do not remember wna'
fConf;nuad on mage seyen)