Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-06-15
u BOATS ATTACK
LINER MONGOLIA.

LINER MONGOLIA.
] The following from the Chicago Ex-
aminer of June is a vivid and in
teresting description of the exciting
voyage of the Steamer Mongolia. After
the accident on the Mongolia in which
two nurses were killed by faulty shells
from the Mongolia's guns, the vessel
returned to New York in order than an
official investigation might be made as
TO the cause of the accident After
this investigation was made the vessel
again sailed with its load of doctors
and nurses and succeeded in making
safe landing in spite of the battle it
had with submarines as told in the
dispatch. Miss Sarah Purdum, daugh-
ter of George Purdum of this city, was
one of the nurses aboard the vessel:
LONDON. June 5.-The Mongolia,
an armed American merchant liner,
ran in a nest of submarines, was
attacked from every side and escaped
after sinking a U boat, according to
members of the crew of the vessel,
which put into a European port to-day.
The attack took place 225 miles from
the Mongolia's port of destination.
The first submarine was sighted l0o
yards distant and Immediately an
American naval gun was trained on it.
Almost simultaneously the aft gun
shot at the second periscope, this one
about 1900 yards distant Lieutenant
Seymour, q. S. N, in charge of the
gun crew, believes this aft guns shell
reached its mark and that the subma-
rim was sunk
British Destroyer Arrives.
The first two shots from the Ameri-
can guns brought a British destroyer
hurrying up on the starboard horizon.
Immediately the U-boats were sight
ed the Mongolia began to zigzag. The
torpedoes could be seen, making their
white tracks through the water-but
they missed. All passed astern of the
American ship.
1t was exactly 12:15, according to
those aboard the Mongolia, when the
ships alarm of one long and four
short blasts brought all the American
ships passengers and her crew to the
lifeboats-all with their life belts buck
led on. There was no panic
Nurses Line Rails
workers, en- route from Chicago to
France to join base hospital No. II
from Northwestern University, hung
over the Mongolias rails and yelled
Get EN-" as the long gray British
destroyer sped aft.
As the chase started, the destroyer's
bugler stood on the deck of the speed
ing ship and sent over the waters the
clear bugle notes of the "Star- Span
gled Banner" and s'God Save the King"
The destroyer thrice circled the Mon
golia-the gallery of Red Cross off,
GERS nurses and men following hur-
riedly from port to starboard and back
again, unwilling to lose sight of her
for a single second lest she run down
her quarry.
Major Frederick A. Besley of Chi
cago and a number of the Northwest
ern University medical unit aboard
the Mongolia declared the conduct Of
the nurses aboard the vessel was
splendid.
Three Torpedoes Fired.
The German submarine fired three
torpedoes at the Mongolia. Our ship
was hurried on a zig-zag course to
avoid them and each time the torpe-
does passed astern. There wasn't any
doubt about them being fired as their
course was plainly discernible by the
small columns of white vapor and
foam they churned up
Majors NJ Mandel and K Speed of
the same medical unit corroborated
Major Besley in full.
The medical unit which arrived on
the Mongolia viii leave Saturday foc
France.