Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-26

\ Sergeant Douglas Smith. United
states naval reserves. son OF MIR. and
Mrs. H. G. Smith, 3l4 Ninth street. |
was wireless operator on the American
steamer schuylkill. which was tor
pedoed in the Mediterranean.
1t is believed that Sergeant Smith
was saved, as information the navy
department has received Is that 40 OF
the crew have safely landed and the
opinion Of the head Of the Schuylkill
steamship line Ii that none Of the
men met with death as the crew did
not exceed 40 men In number.
Mr.. Smith, father or the operator,
who ia connected with the auditing
Department of the Modern Woodmen
Of America, IL awaiting information
from tvs sources today concerning
his son. Upon learning yesterday
through newspaper reports of the
sinking OF the Schuylkill, he imedi-
ately wired the Marconi wireless conf
pany in New York and the navy de-
partment at Washington for news OF
his son. No reply had been received
at late hour this afternoon.
There was, no naval armed guard on
board the vcssell Sergeant Smith
merely having been assigned by the
navy department as wireless operator
on the vessel, IL being customary TO
have navy men on the the on Ameri-
can ships, including the merchant ma
rine. Sergeant Smith Is 10 years old.
He Is, rs far as is known, the first
h Rock Islander to have experienced the
SenBation of being on ship which has
been torpedoed. The Schuylkill was
headed for Greece at the time It met
z with the disaster.
EnlIsts In Spring.
Sergeant Smith enlisted last spring
In the naval service as a reserve. His
enlistment was made in Detroit, and
he was first sent to the wireless teleg-
raphy school at Valparaiso, Ind. Fol-
lowing q course there, he was station
cd at thA'creat Lakes naval training
Station and later went to New York
Early in the fall he crossed the ocean
once on the Schuylkill. being assigned
Marconi operator on the vessel by the
navy department. The course was to
England and return. The trip proved
uneventful
On Oct. 10 the Schuylklll left New
York for Greece. Several other YES
sells had set out In the past for the
same destination, but were sunk in the
Mediterranean. In a letter to his par
ents on the day he sailed, Sergeant
Smith wrote: "We're going to make
II. though"
However. despite the certainty he
expressed in the letter, he was doom
ID to disappointment, as the German
Or Austrian submarine which shot a
| torpedo at the Schuylkill was success
full In, fits object and the boat sunk.
The last heard of the boat previous
10 the news OF the disaster was on
Nov. rs. Mrs. George Terrell of New
York, wife of the captain, wrote the
parents OF Sergeant Smith that she
~hxf received cablegram that the
Schuyllill had passed the Cape Of
Gibraltar safely.
.l Both in Zone.
Both German and Austrian submar.
ines are operating in the Mediterra'
mean, but, so far as known, the ma.
tionality of the submarine which sanl
ie Schuylkill was not determined.
The American steamship Schuylkil
Eft New York on Oct. 10 for Piraeus
freeze, with a cargo OF miscellaneous
merchandise valued at about 81 1900,
900. N. A. Galanos. agent for the yes
sci, said that If 40 of her crew haC
been landed IL probably meant tina
all we're saved, although he did no
have a valuable record Of the humble,
aboard.
The Schuylkill was commanded b!
Captain George Terrell OF New York
The vessel was former lake steam
err OF 2,206 tons gross and was bull
in Cleveland in 1892. She was report
ed passing Gibraltar about five day
ago.
Other Sons in Service.
Mr.. and Mrs. Smith, parents Of Ser
geant Smith. have two other sons Il
the service. Lieutenant He. Smith
Three Hundred Twenty-ninth machin
pun company, known as the "Presi
dents own" was on the transpor
which several weeks ago turned bac'
after having left an Atlantic port. H
was among the officers in training a