The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-12-13
ESCAPES FROM SUBMARINES
AS oiler In Merchant Marine "Run-i
Away Survives Four Attacks by
German Wasps-Surprises Parents
Who Had Mourned Him as Dead.

Eight years ago Edward D. Roth,
then mere lad of fourteen, ran away
to sea. Today after eight years of
narrowing experiences, four narrow
escapes from German submarines and
glimpse of part of the great war,
he surprised his parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
Carl Roth, 500 Huron street, who had
long ago given him up as dead. I'm
like the prodigal son of the famous
parable he has returned stronger and
richer, but with the same penitence for
the neglect of his parents which has
led them to believe that he was either
lost in the great city or at sea. His
arrival this morning was the first
mixing of his whereabouts which his
parents had received since his sud-
den disappearance.
The story of his long escapade which
has won him to the life OF the sea reads
like an adventure Of the seventeenth
century. One morning eight years ago
when the steamer Marquette sailed
from Kenosha harbor, Roth, who had
had some little trouble with his par
ents, was aboard as a deck hand.
When he reached Chicago after several
weeks without employment he was en-
gagged 81 4 lake ,s7tai. a. ON beard
coaler to Buffalo Gradually he
worked his way eastward until four
years ago he found himself in New
York and entered the Merchant Marine
under Captain Martin Petersen. In
four years he has made seven trips
across the Atlantic and four times he
has been the survivor of a boat at
tackled by submarines.
"Let's see,' he said this morning,
as with the drawl of typical sailor
he spun his yarn about the sea, "the
first one was the 'Boland Cornelius
an English ship sailing under the
American flag. Then there was the
steamer Harry Yates and the steamer
Dawson and last Of all the German
Prussian ship that had been pressed
into thes American service when war
was declared. We were warned every
time by the German commander and
given sufficient time to man the life
boats and get away from the wreckage.
Tt was only twenty minutes though
when they blew up the Harry Yates
and we thanked our lucky stars for
that much We were picked up
every time by English ships who car
ried US to port. l."
ct remember about the sinking of
the German the best, ~ he continued
FtThat was only last month"; was
my last cruise Captain Petersen set
sail from New York with a cargo of
sugar; we were within fifty miles of
Liverpool when we were sighted by
submarine and ordered by wireless to
leave the boat as it would be sunk
within thirty-fve minutes. We knew
the Prussian meant what he said and
we didn It have any guns anyway which
would reach the submarine and we got
away as fast as we could. When the
big blast came it was just like rolling
ball into a bunch Of ten pins; it all
exploded at once and another good
steamer and tons of sugar went to the
bottom. Several hours later we were
picked up by an English ship and
taken to Liverpool and then I came
to America as soon as I could be
brought across"
'tsee anything about the war7"
someone .queried. :EWell, not much,"
thee prodigal'' answered, "onIy [
was in the Gulf of Riga when the Ger
mans started to lombard it during
last summer" He had seen many
transport ships and reported that the
devotion of the English to the cause
of democracy as demonstrated by the
soldiers who returned from the front
was remarkable.
He explained that he had meant to
come home time and again, but each
time a cruise would interfere but that
how the war had tied up the shipping
until after Christmas and at the cap
tain s suggestion he had returned to
visit his parents. He was very much
alarmed this morning when he was
not at first able to find his parents as
they had moved from their home but
was finally able to locate them.
When asked if he would return to
the sea, he declared that he had start
ed around the world and although the
war had stopped him he meant to
finish the trim somedaY.