The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-03-02
THEY ENGAGED IN THE MOST
COURAGEOUS EXPLOIT
Bob Ferguson of Frisco aed Tom
Weloh and John Smith Were Given
Some Toss On the Waves; But Saw
ing Their Salvage Arrived Eventually
At Cardiff; Fought For Their Reward;
Thanks of the Court
j. w. PEGLER.
rom Fridays Daily.

from frlodyS Ddt1J.
London, February Ably Mail].-
Three American sea-heroes are sailing
home with $4,000 and the forma
thanks of a British salvage court az
their reward for one of the most cOur-
ageous exploits in British maritime
history. They are Bob Ferguson
of San Francisco, and Tom WEIGH an6
John Smith, "of the U. s.. A."
BY sudden impulse they pledged
themselves to stand by one another
and the sea going tug, Vigilant, OF
New York Battling one of the fierc-
est gales the Atlantic has ever known
the trio refused all aid and brought
their doughty but badly punished little
craft safe into Cardiff.
rs Ferguson Tells His Story.
Ferguson told his story to The
United Press as he left the salvage
court hearing, a man of independent
i means,
1--WE ran into a rough patch OF
weather soon after leaving New York
last October 49," he said. ut made
us dodge into Halifax for day but
we reached st. Johns on the seven
teenth That very afternoon we sail
ed again, with Captain Ince and as
crew of sixteen. was second officer
''We had dirty weather from the
start. But as the days passed our coal
grew lighter and we rolled more and
more. Four days this lasted. Then
800 miles off the Irish coast Captain
Ince wirelessed for help. Queenstown
replied that a patrol boat was COM
ing but she never did find us. Mean
while we put out distress signals and
sighted a vessel about two miles off.
She never even hesitated.
"On Sunday, the twenty-nin we
ran into the fiercest gale / have ever
experienced in all my years of sea-
faring. Captain Ince was afraid we
would turn turtle so he signalled
the Holland American liner Ryndam
for help and gave the order to aban-
don ship.
Il didn't want to quit so went be-
low to get volunteers to save theltug'
There / found the crew dressed in
their shore clothes, with life preserv-
ers under their coats.
Thought he was Kidding.
thought / was kidding. passed them
up and went into the engine room
There was WEIGH, getting ready to
leave.
81 looked him straight in the eye.
WEIGH / said, you told me yester-
day YOU were no bar-roOm sailor.
Now's your chane to prove. it He
didn't say anything, just stuck --.out
his hand and we shook. Then we got
Smith and the three of us told the
captain we were going to stick.
"Then Ryndam came tumbling
along. Captain Ince and the rest
went off in a boat still calling us fools
and the last we saw of the liner pas
sengers were at her rails giving us
a last cheer.
"Welch went down to the engines
Smith took care of the fires and
took the bridge We had no food;
| lust chewed tobacco. At last we
sighted the Scotch vessel, Flying Fo1
which sent us six men to repair a
break down in our steering gear
After that it was comparatively easy
to reach Cardiff"
Ferguson made just as hard
light for his salvage. The ship own
ers wanted to give him $1,000 an6
each of the seamen. Ferguson re-
an inscribed gold watch and $500 to
piled nothing doing" and fought his
case in court.
He received $12,5OO and WEIGH ant
Smith $4,000 each.