The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-03-16
life BELTS Are
At HAND ALWAYS
sHIPs PASSENGERS ARE RE-
QUIRED TO CARRY THEM EV-
EN- TO THEIR BATHS.
TRIP IS A NIGHT MARE
Carrxin And Crew Must Constantly
he On Guard Against The
Submarines.

on Board Ship, English Channel,
Feb. l3.-This great ocean liner
with its human freight tonight is
anchored in comparative safety aft
Ter having spent in the Mediterran-
can danger zone three of the most
strenuous weeks which the submarine
warfare has produced since the be-
ginning of the world conflict. For
DAYS the steamers wireless has been
cumming almost steadily with IS.
D. s." calls received from vessels in
distress. II was only yesterday morn
ing that a big ship was torpedoed
four miles from us, and signaled
wildly with rockets for assistance,
ghiIe we did the only thing which
we could do-ran away as fast as
the engines could take us. But to-
aight We are in quiet waters, and
Tor the first time in twenty-one days
the commander will remove his
clothes for sleep Tomorrow We
shall dock, and consider ourselves
lucky to have reached port at all.
Twice in the past six months a
correspondent OF the Associated
Press has travelled through the Med
esrranean on trip to and from In
lIa. From Indian ports to Port Said
there is. OF course. practically no
Eanger to be encountered from hos
aIe warcraft. but once the Suez Ca
nal has been passed on the home
ward voyage ship is in constant
peril.
day OF two after the ship left
Bombay the passengers were sum-
noued to the ships boats to which
they had been assigned, and the
chief officer made the rounds, deliv-
4ring instructions which gave to
many the first real idea of what the
canning danger was.
After we leave Port Said we shall
be in the danger zone" he began.
Each one of you will carry a life
belt about all the time. This is i'm
Yerative. Sometimes people get care
less or are forgetful. This must not
he You should have the lifebelts
with you night and day. carrying
them even to your baths with you"
Use of Iifebelts.
The officer gave instructions as 10
how the lifebelts were to be adjust
ed and continued:
I'm case we are torpedoed five
short blasts on the ships whistle will
cali you TO the boats. You will come
Immediately. bringing such warm
clothing as you can snatch at the
mOmeut. The unmarried men and
those who are travelling without
their wives will see that all women
and children are in the boats first.
Ycu will put them into the boats BY
force if necessary. ] may tell you
Bachelors" he interiected with IL
smile. That d woman will take more
rough handling than you may i'm
dgine. So throw them into the boats
Il you have TO. Married couples will
get into the boats together. II is
the husbands duty to go with his
wife, and ! make Il an order that
this shah be carried out. Many
times a wife refuses at the last mo-
mcnt to get into a boat without her
husband, and We want no delays Of
this sort.
In case you see that the ship Is
so badly hit that she is going to sink
Immediately, you will not wait for
the boats The men will see that
the women ana children have their
rifebelts properly adjusted and then
will throw them overheard, follow
ing as soon as possible themselves.
Jump as far from the side OF the
ship as you can and trust TO luck.
Probably you viii he picked up by
someone"
And SO he continued. II was not
thing which tended to relieve ncry-
BUSINESS. More than one woman who
was travelinp with little children
turned away white Of face ana
thoughtful, and for the thOusandth
Zinc inspected the tiny lifcbelts
which she was carrying, to make
sure that they were ready for her
babies.
From the beginning Of the voyage
no definite information as to when
the ship would reach port or leave
was given 10 passengers. In fact,
there were few questions which one
could get answered The corrospon-
dent tried to get the official number
ot passengers and asked whether any
other ueutrals were aboard, but he
was told that the ships officers had
bpcu forbidden 10 give any infOrma-
zion whatever After leaving Port
said even the emergency compass at
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