Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-10-07
NO BLOOD Split
ON DESTR0YERS
American Ships in War Zone
Continue TIum-Drum, Blind
fold Campaign.
PERISCOPES ONLY TARGETS
Gunners Seldom See More Than
Wake of Germans Faulty
U-Boat Torpedoes.
PERIscoPEs ONLY TARGETS

NEW YORK. October G.-Tae de-
stroyers' work may be viewed to
yield more culorful and human ma
teFial than that SO tersely recorded In
their war diaries. 1t is stimulating
from the mazcs of convoy and sub
marine search work TO untanglc vivid
threads OF adventure. For the first
hhlf of certain month few points
stand out for emphasis or visualiza-
tion. Certainly no laxity is yet so
frustrating the personnel in the grow :
Ing monotony of it's duty
Enemy operations have been largely
In the southern part OF our area
Calm weather and tho moon have
Favored them. Merchant ships have
assembled thickly at the rendezvous.
and tho sight has been frequent of
one destroycr-oftcn OF the older type
with four or 1--WE great vessels on
her hands before others assigned have
Joined tho escort.
Many rescues OF crews have been
successfully made. hut they have shown
tendency to leave their ships long
before danger Of laundering.
In behind the net" however 1t is
Tess easy to borrow the lookours eyes
set for the pin-thrust OF the distant
pcriscope through the blue frets OF
the quiet. treachcrous ocean: or to
hear In tho dark small hours the throb-
Ding general quarters alarm, the
blowers hum in racing crescendo,
and see the gun crcws-like Tweedle-
oums and Twccdledccs in their slate
hued life prescrvers-tear the covers
from the ammunition boxes.
1t is tension TO bear down at
twenty-five knots upon the lean tramp
mat makes no response to the nap
Hap OF your searchl!ght blinker, SPELL
ing out the challenge; to distinguish
whether the phosphorescent streak
mat mt night flashes across your bow
In made by Hun torpedo. or the
animal shippers have named the tor
pedo Asia blackfsh or porpo!se.
Survivors come mutely up the side.
OFTEN Lascars and cinsalesc. niuttcr-
Ing OF Allah and America indistingu!sh
ably. Given cigarette makes. they roll
Pill. calmly stick II behind an car;
ana, as the surgeon uncorks his .odo
FORM In the Mushroom and ga.hes
made by wrechaSe. Sound old gunner
OF the reserve takes pneumonia from,
his hours OF exposure. and Is pat
ashore at y. say. on 4 stretchcr. and
| with his hours OF life numbered
CAPTAIN DREAMING OF ROSES
WHEN EXPLOSION ~ HEARD
The Y and the have been in the
thick of zach incidents AT ,ls
O'Clock on the morning OF the Ilih. the
y was stcamins singly At fifteen knots.
with quiet sea and good visibility for
that hour. The captain was smoking
cigar on the bridge. wondering, he
told me, whether Mrs. G. would ever
have the pleasure Of putting roses on
| NJ
a heavy explosion. without flash, shook
the darkness about three miles over
tho port bow. y whistle blcatcd three
times. aud the radio shack called up
tho tube that the steamship Kioto wo,
torpedoed twenty miles southwest by
west OF Fastnet Light
The switched on her general alarm
, for battle. changed course 20 22S de-
grccs true. and plunged thther at full
speed. In two minutes she made out
the staccato sparks OF blinkcr, re-
peating over and over "Torpedoes-
! torpedoed :" In five, she
changed course 10 degrees farther cast.
and at 1870 the flush decks OF single
stacker of about 1000 tons doomed
over the coco mating ard thrusting
men about the No. 4 gun.
She now was nearing the frcighter
/ boW-on, DIT 10 port. suddenly, out
| of the darkness TO the right II iivid
beam rushed straight and simmer
ing at her under the see W.. put
over full right rudder. The torpedo
passed close aboard across mis- bows.
to the left. just ahead OF the Kicto:
and as the luminous wake rcceded like
a mufled $carchlight. it seemed to
break spent upon tho near EoriZor
"Anyhow," said the Captain
afterwards. lit was worth crossing
the ocean to see and feel that instant.
IT made those roses seem lot near
The destroyer began to circle the
Kioto at high speed, with alternate
right and left ruddcr. Her blinkcr
stammered on: that she had been hit
in the port quarter abaft the cnrine-
room Then the light ceased. Ten
minutes after two loaded lifebouts
emerged out of the starboard darkness.
They held fifty-nine men, including
tho second officer and a tall engineer.
wounded in the leg. Soon after .
o'clock all were safe aboard the Y.
She continued to circle the steamer,
which was slowly sinking by the stern.
Alarm of the disaster had flashed to
adjacent patrols. The Y messed into
sight and stood by; likewise His
Alajesty's Ship -. who signaled
that she had taken aboard sixteen more
survivors, and the Eiotos impctuous
captain-he that returned to the
wreck At 1920 o'clock the freightcr
sank by the stern, blotted herself out
.,ith hardly a CLEAN of wash, leaving
only floating wreckage and a Coston
light which nickcred up from time to
time until daybrcak, like IL lantern
in lifeboat.
Neither submarine nor destroyer had
used gunfire. The German was not
even sighted. Only two torEedoes
were known to have been fired-the
ono which crossed the KS bow and
thd one which settled the Kioto.
Only two days before the x had
had better brush with sub, and
may have gotten her; shippers put in
the claim on evidence as good. She