South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-12-23

naval officer. tosethe With four OF his gunners
matter of accident There would have been more
"frightfuness" of the brand made i'm Germany if the
boats had been filled with children
There was one young seaman Of the armed guard in
whose arms comrade ded while they still afloat
IN the Water-ogged boat He lived long enough TO be
cast ashore on lonely island the Hebrides, off the
western coast of Scotland There he died. but mean
while his mother has written this letter to the navy
department:
VIII kindly me know Immediately if it is
true that the steamer Vacuum sunk on saturday
by a torpedo If please tell me that my boy, my
only son, is safe. He gunner that ship. His
name is Frank Loree. Oh, for Gods sake tell he
is safely rescued his way will great
ly oblise and relieve an almost distracted mother"
THANKS SCOTCH WOMEN.
The boy dead, but there this consolation
that in his last hours he was cared for by scotch
mother and daughter who dwelt at a lighthouse on
headland of the Hebrides. They were of the Clan
Macdonald. whose ruined stronSholds Null and
other islands nearby recall the days their ancient
forays against the MacLeans To the mother of the
seaman these good women wrote to tell of their
pathy and how they had tried to keep him alive
wore "a ring, they said but the room was small and
ne tossed about on the bed and it slipped
finger and lost of the or window so they
could not send il home America
The secretary of the navy not too busy to send
to the Hebrides his message thanks
Angus Macdonald and her dauShter saying:
The department has received "A report that YOU
received into your home American seaman Frank
Loree, who dying of exposure and exhaustion fol-
lowing the sinking of the Vacuum. on which
ne member of the armed guard. The navy
partment and relatives of.the deceased greatly appre
cate your trouble which were thus thrust
upon YOU and your household"
After the seamans mother had received the letter
from the MacDonalds she poured her TO the
navy department thanking each and all
depths my heart Offering sincerely my ap-
probation for their Kindness my boy. only
son. Who one of the first to give his life for
country throush the giving a great and
and his sisters who We mourn
his deeply sincerely thankful ne fell
among kind hands and loving hearts. lonely boy
from his own loving mothers in the last hours
of life. Let thank YOU once again and all who
interested in my boys care"
The tale of the armed guard all sadness
and disaster Far from it, Among the brighter cpl
let consider the of the fOurmased schoon-
GNun At the outset guns we're placed aboard
two these Yankee sailing vessels. hut were soon
Withdrawn. The biz schooners helpless when
the zone tor one thing and their owners
none 700 eager lay the of protection.
A certain fore-and-after was laid in
nearly a month waiting for orders and loading and
dischargins. Her captain and owners finally com
planned that there were as many gunners aboard
sailors the ships company. their appetes
prodSious They eating mp the prohts the
NoyaSe and the vessel would be glad TO along
without them.
RECORD OF THE CLAIM.
This other schooner. the Gynn. whose record is
sail with moderate breeze. She traverSing the
danger zone the leisurely four knots
an hour a towering mark for a submarine discern.
with her white topsails soaring hundred feet above
deck Twilight in the second dog watch.
and al hands loafng deck the skipper a trfle
nervous. the cook unperturbed most cooks
in time stress. The of navy gunners had their
own lookout the masthead. Tssr chief
IriShman whose not Kelly Burke. Shea.
but tine next thing to It,
His official report of what happened = lacking ia
To hear him tell IL is far diverting I'VE
sighted a submarine approaching at high speed" ne
wrote. AT 6:55 o. IN. the submarine opened fire al
from 5000 20 $500 yards. The submarine FREQ
shots before getting range. The sixth shot
Of the shell going through our foretopsal fore