The Washington herald., 1917-08-12
Sailor Tells Real Story
OF Attack on Transports

its fatal burden Of explosive. Then.
as my informant said:
Hell broke loose. Our (the big
ship's) helm was jammed over. Fir
ing every gun available. we swung In
a wide circle out OF line to the left.
A smaller ship slipped into our place
and from what the lookout told me
1 think one of her shells must have
landed almost right above the sub
marine. But they are almost inn
possible to hit when submerged and
the perlscope Is no target anyway.
They fired three, IL not four. tor
4 pedoes. 1t was Gods mercy that
| they all went astray among so many
of our ships. One passed just astern.
\ AS you see, our helm jamming was
absolutely providential.
Naturally the old - acted quite
| differently from what the Boches ex-
peeted; otherwise they might have got
us. II was simply extraordinary. We
drove right at them (really. / sup
pose, the safest thing to do, as the
bow gives the smallest mark to shoot
att and 1t seems to have ratified
Brother Boche considerably. After all.
we draw enough water to smash
submarine at a level Of the periscope
awash. and no doubt he did not care
to wait for us. Or perhaps lucky
| shot disposed of him. We can't be
certain either way. Anyhow. he dis
appeared, and we saw no more OF
| him
THE whole business lasted only
| about a minute and a half. / know,
because one of those Fasteners from
somewhere in Maine (the speaker
boasted California origin) coolly timed
the mix-up, with stopwatch. But,
| believe me, It added more than that
J to my life.
while the thing was happening I
had no time for anything but to attend
! to my job. Afterward / found myself
sweating and my breast heaving as
| il l had run five miles. The other
boys told me the same thing, but we
got a compliment on the rapidity with
which the guns were served. IS /
guess it didn't interfere any with our
action"
I A second attack was made the next
morning. Every one on the transports
was excitedly talking of the thrilling
events OF the night, says the Times
| correspondent when
Suddenly there came a wild yell
! from one of the leading transports.
| Tho the tackles" affect to dispute It
1 was assured that 1t was far-sight
I youngster from Arizona "a blessed
/ new-joined rookie" as a comrade here
who told me termed him) who first
| deserted and thus announced the
deadly line Of bubbles.
| No periscope was visible this time.
and for the first moments those on
| ha IrfI 30 "a atfnYha M dnQt u
ers were incredulous. Then the un-
mistakable bubble line, clean across
the bows. put the certainty OF danger
| beyond question.
once again fortune favored US. The
submarine was in front instead OF In
the deadliest position, on the flank
| toward the rear. Perhaps the U-boat
| commander was ratified by the magni-
| tude OF his opportunity. Perhaps one
| of his excited pirates let fly too soon.
Anyway, it is agreed by experts that
he would have been far more danger
Gus had he waited unseen until part
at least of the hotilla had passed
beyond him.
Dearly did the Germans pay for
| their error Like a striking rattle
| snake one OF our destroyers darted be-
tween a couple of the transports. Her
nose was. 90 deep n the sea as to be
| almost buried. while a great wave at
the stern threw shower OF spray
on soldiers massed at the transports
bow. One of them told me he thought
the commander was crazy.
| why" said he "he ran her right
along the line of bubbles like a hound
| following a trail / said, God help
| 'em! The next one will get 'em for
! sure!'
| But that young naval officer knew
what he was about. AS he flashed
J at nearly forty miles an hour across
! the spot where the commander
! judged the submarine was hidden,
| he gave orders, and this one GER
tainly fulfilled expectations. A COL
umn OF smoke and foam rose a hun
! dred feet in the air. and in the
! waterspout that followed it the SOL
diers on the nearest transport (she
I had swung in a headlong curve to the
! lefD distinguished clearly pieces of
/ wood and steel, and some dark-blue
! fragments that a moment before had
been living men.
| Any uncertainty was impossible.
Transport after transport passed
! through floating oil, streaked with
Shiny red and patched with wreck
age. This submarine, at least, had
timed his hour too well He had met
the American f1otilla as he was or
dered, but never would he report his
| achievement.
As in all tragedies, the note of
comedy was not wanting 1t was
supplied by negro stevedore on one
OF the largest transports. This darky
had been throughout the voyage es-
pecially apprehensive concerning sub
marines. and when the supreme mo-
ment came he, at least, was deter
mined to miss no opportunity.
! AS the cry Of alarm rang out A black
hgure made one huge leap to the
mast and Skinned up the rigging as If
the devil was at his heels When the
excitement was over an officer called
up: "Hullo, there, you come down.
It's all over now"
But the occupant of the masthead
knew better. Said he:
Me come down there? Man. I won't
nevah come down. You can be drown
ed If you likes. bit I stays here.
tell you, sab, Use going to save nah
life, is.'
Americans should be glad, SAYS the
Times account, that her soldiers and
sailors were not found wanting when
they met for the first time this cruel
est of wars alarms; and a French
officer remarked when he heard the
story of the voyage of the transports:
IF your boys can come through
such an experience without losing their
! heads, we can be sure there will be
nc panics In the American army. This
war IL terrible for new troops, and |
I know it, but I would sooner pass
! tNTO1rOh q UarIt,n Aot