Grand Forks herald., 1917-03-10
Ocean Liner Rushed Through U.Boat
Zone, the While S. O. S. Calls Came to
Her Regularly; Captain Could Not go
To Assistance; Grim Orders to People

On Board Ship, English Channel,
Feb. 1s.-(Correspondence Of the AS
sociated Press. )-This great ocean
liner with its human freight tonight
Is anchored in comparative safety af-
ter having spent in the Mediterranean
danger zone three Of the most strenu-
Gus weeks which the submarine war
rare has produced since the beginning
or the world conflict. For days the
steamers wireless has been humming
almost almost steadily with "s. O: g." calls
received from vessels in distress. It
was only yesterday morning that q
pig ship was torpedoed four miles
from us, and signalled wildly with
rockets for assistance while we did the
only thing which we could do-ran
away as fast as the engines could
take US. But tonight we are in quiet
waters, and for the first time in twen-
ty-one days the commander will re-
move his clothes for sleep. Tomorrow
we shall dock, and consider ourselves
lucky to have reached port at all.
Twice In the past six months cor
respondent of the Associated Press
has travelled through the Mediterran-
can. on trip to and from india. From
Indian ports to Port Said there is, of
course, practically no danger to be
IL
but once the Suez canal has been
passed on the homeward voyage a
ship Is in constant peril.
A day or two after the ship left
Bombay the passengers were summon
ed to the ships boats to which they
mad been assigned, and the chief off,
Ger made the rounds, delivering in
structions which gave to many the
first real idea Of what the coming
danger was
After we leave Port Said we shall
be in the danger zone," he began.
Each one Of you will carry q life
belt about all the time. This is i'm
perative. Sometimes people get care
less or are forgetful. This must no be.
You should have the lifebelts with you
night and day, carrying them even to
your baths with you"
Handle Women Roughly.
The officer gave instructions as to
how the lifebelts were to be adjusted
and continued:
I'm case we are torpedoed five short
blasts of the ships whistle will call
you to the boats. You will come i'm
mediately, bringing such warm cloth
The unmarried men and those who
are travelling without their wives will
see that all women and children are
| In the boats first. You will put them
into the boats by force If necessary /
may tell you bachelors" he interject-
ed with a smile, that woman will
take more rough handling than you
may imagine. So throw them into the
boats If you have to. Married couples
will get into the boats together. 1t is
the husbands duty to go/ with his
wife, and make it an order that this
shall be carried out. Many times a
wife refuses at the last moment to
get into a boat without her husband,
and we want no delays of this sort.
I'm case you see that the ship is 80
badly hit that she is going to sink i'm
mediately, you will not wait for the
boats. The men will see that the wom-
en- and children have their lifebelts
properly adjusted and then will throw
them overheard, following as soon as
possible themselves. Jump as far from
the side of the ship as you can, and
trust to luck. Probably you will he
picked up by someone"
Didn't Help the Nervous.
And SO he continued. It was not q
thing which tended to relieve ner-
vousness. More than one woman who
was travelling with little children
turned away white of face and
thoughtful, and for the thousandth
time inspected the tiny lifebelts which.