Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-06-06
A. ]. DAMN ON SHIP.
THAT DROVE SUBSEA.
AWAY AFTER ATTACK
OTTAWA BOY ON MONGOLIA AS
MEMBER or EVANSTON HOS
plTAL UNIT WHEN SUBMARINE
FAILS IN ATTEMPT TO SINK
THEM.

| Alfred J. Damn, youngest son OF
Mrs. J. j. Damn, of 923 Illinois ave-
nue.. has arrived somewhere in Eng
land" as a member of the Evanston
hospital unit that sailed within the
past ten days on the steamship Mon
golia.
The Mongolia has had a sensational
career during its last two passages
across the submarine infested pond.
A day out from her American port two
Chicago nurses were killed when
sub-destroyer kicked back and an ex-
plosiye shell wrought havoc on the
deck. On her first trip under the
armed neutrality" plan of President
Wilson's the Mongolia gunners took
the coming tower off a submarine
that was doing its utmost to sink
the American craft. On her last trip
over. while Mr.. Damn and the rest
Aof his party were nearing their Eng
Ilish port, the Mongolia was again at
tackled by submarine and for a sec
fond drove off the menace with her
sure-hit weapons
With only the members of his fam
ily and very few friends cognizant
of his sailing Mr. Damn left America
with the hospital unit to do his bit for
the descendants and kinsmen of La
eayette. as a member of the stretcher
bearers rps--consldered by experts
among the most hazardous of war du-
ties. He was determined to get into
some branch of the service and after
several tries was finally accepted by
the Evanston board.
The experiences he passed thru
Just before landing in England are
the experiences of other members OF
the Mongolia Major Frederick A. Bes-
ley, of Chicago, in charge of the unit,
relates the following story of the at.
tack to Floyd Gibbons. special cor
respondent for the Chicago Tribune.
Friday afternoon while the Mon
golia was about It's miles out from
Falmouth Maj Besley said, "the
lookou.s sighted at a distance Of about
500 yards an almost submerged object
making its way in the direction OF our
course. It seemed to leave a filmy
haze of blue-gray vapor in its wake
which caused it to be characterized by
the navy men as the new German
smoke torpedo. SO devised that II IL
missed it's mark 1t would reveal its
presence on the surface afterward
making it's recovery possible by the
submarine.
Mongolia Gives Battle.
HOur captain. who Is said to have a
German price on his head as the re
suit of the disastrous encounter will
another submarine on the last trip
, turned the Mongolia S bow toward th'
: obvious source Of the torpedo and pro
ceeded in hat direction under full
steam, thereby accomplishing the dou
BILE purpose of reducing our size a
target and hoping to ram the sui
:, marine.
"At the same time, the alarm wa
! sounded and everybody ordered int
= life belts and to their life boat pos
tions. There was a total absence o
= panic and not the least bit of confus
. ion as the $50 passengers more thai
u sixty OF them women nurses proceed
sd to their boat stations in an orderl
fashion the same as during the drill
on the way over All the davits wer
marned preparatory to lowering tn
boats
Three Torpedoes Fired.
u "The first torpedo passed 300 yard
" off our port side It's obvious sourC
. was fired at repeatedly by the gul
y ners on the stern, but the fire wa
" made ineffective by the rough So
The submarine, still unseen, launcl
I. ed It's second and third missiles at j
~ tervals of ten minutes, but bot
passed some distance off the port sid
VI Their obvious source was fired upc
10 repeatedly but without success.
IN almost simultaneously the stel
IN lookout sighted the periscope of Il
ly submarine and the bow lookout sigh
+, ed British destroyer on the sta
board rushing toward us at gre
speed,
Our wireless had been working G
cry minute The sight of the Britt
E craft was thrilling All on board chez
ed its approach while the stern &
!, boomed away a the periscope of t
submarine which found itself too ,
,nr comfortably within range or also h
a., sighted our escort, for II submerg
os. Immediately. Under the safe conv
we docked at Falmouth the next da,
ied The Chicago hospital unit is n,
Ied visiting places of interest In LOnd'
bJ. Is expected to start for the frt
next week.
-4-----------------~----a--------