The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-02
Will Finley and Dewey Simon Tell of Adventures and Narrow Escape
 From Death IN SALONIKI WHEN BULGARIANS WERE
 FORWARDING CITY
Saw Interesting Things as They Were Brought Back Through France and
 England to America
By REUBEN A. LEWIS

To feel mighty vessel quake and U-boat of the German war lords; to be tossed about high sea with the inverted black bowl of night above; to experience the narrowing ravages of hunger and the profound joy of cheating death of its due-alI Of these are known to two BirminE- ham boys, Will Finley and Dewey si mon, for they were aboard the Brit ish steamship Russian when it felt the ruthless thrust of the Teuton sub marine in the Mediterranean De- cember 10.
 It was by merest chance that the youngsters, who, gripped with wan derlust, sought to see the world are alive After being tossed by the waves of the sea and buffeted about in an open boat for eight long hours a Brit ish trawler, looking for survivors of d sunken transport, chanced to come upon the scene where the Russian 65O-foot passenger steamer that had been converted into a cattle boat-haG gone down.
 RESCUED AFTER MIDNIGHT
 It was two hours after midnight when the British patrol boats effected the rescue. Throughout the night, from 545 in the afternoon when the tor. pedo hit the ship near the propeller, 25 men in leaking lifeboat sat pray ing, moaning and despairing. It was dark. Above the inverted black bowl of night offered no cheer, for there was not a ray of light until after mid night, when the survivors saw two faint specks of silver on the tempest ous horizon.
 As these grew the red fires of the lfeboats were lighted and finally the shipwrecke ed men, the greater major ity boys of tender years, were landed aboard the British patrol boats and taken to the island of Malta.
 SAW MANY PHASES OF WAR
 Before returning to their homes in Ensley the boys saw war in it's many phases. At Marseilles, Lyons and Paris, In France they viewed the crippled French soldiers. women driving street cars, thousands of Germans in deten- tion camps At Birmingham and Liver pool, in England they saw how Great
 
 war
 But finally they reached the United States and admit that nothing in the world would tempt them to go through the same experiences again.
 The youngsters certainly saw some real fighting. At Saloniki. in Greece they viewed at distance of five miles the defense of that city against the onrush of the Bulgarians
 The tale of the two boys is quite eventful.
 We two decided early in November to see something of the world,' said Will Finley yesterday. "In Newport News in early November the British cattleboat Russian was getting ready to steam for Saloniki with load of horses and mules We got jobs as muleteers, and were promised $20 as pay for our voyage.
 SHIPPED FOR SALONIKI
 "The Russian was the old British from Liverpool to New York and was one of the biggest boats on the sea She was $50 feet long and made is knots an hour. We carried the horses and mules and supplies to Salonikl Greece. safely. but while there we got our first view of the war.
 We docked in Greece just four days after the English had taken Athens by bombarding it. While unloading at Sa- loniki, where there are people from all countries of the world, the Bulgars tried to capture Greece. One day saw a big alrplane in the heavens above the hill on which Saloniki sits and below it great ball of smoke.
 T thought that it was a hostile air plane bombarding the city, but it turned out to be a signal. The Bulgars were attempting to take the city. On the hill, above five miles away, the forces of the French were defending the city and be- lieve me it was some fighting. Why, you couldn't carry on conversation, the cannonading was so loud and fast. I could see the smoke following the shoot ing of the guns, but didn't get within close range of the fighting.
 STRUCK BY TORPEDO
 'We sailed for the United States shortly after the bombardment began and every thing was all right until we were about 250 miles east of Malta. 1t was about 5:45 in the afternoon, for we were eating when we felt the ship lurch and settle bit The cry went up that we had been torpedoed so we all ran for the life boats for we had been drilled.
 'It was time of great excitement for some of the crew were just kids and
 (COntinued on Page Nine)