The Washington times., 1917-02-28

Hoschna
Fox Trot. Come On Along Van AIstyne
Waltz Suite. Sweet Memories. Joyce
Request. ''Whistling Rufus" s".......... Mills
Finale, The IrisA King. Pryor
The Star Spangied Banner"
In our boat. I made my way to the
stern and there found an old, white
haired sea captain, a second cabin
passenger, with whom l had talked
before. He was bound from Nova
Scotia with Goldfish. His sailing
schooner, the Secret. had broken in
two. but he and his crew had been
taken of by a tramp and taken back
to New York.
Had TO Have Spokesman.
He had sailed from there on the
Ryndam, which. after almost crossing
the Atlantic. had turned back. The
Laconia was his third attempt to get
home. His name is Captain Dear.
The rudder's gone, but l can steer
with an oar" he said. 81 will take
charge, but my voice is gone. You'll
have to shout the orders"
There was only one way to get the
attention of the crew, and that was
by an overpowering blast OF profan-
ity. l did my best, and was rewarded
by silence while made the announce
ment that in the absence of the ships
officer assigned to the boat, Captain
Dear would take charge.
There was no dissent, and under the
captains orders the boats head was
held to the wind to prevent us from
being swamped by the increasing
swells.
Second Torpedo Sent.
We rested on our oars, with all
eyes on the still lighted Laconia. The
torpedo had struck at 1880 p. m, sc-
cordinE to our ships time. II was
thirty minutes afterward that another
dull thud. which was accompanied by
a noticeable drop in the hulk told its
story OF the second torpedo that the
submarine had dispatched through the
engine room and the boats vitals
from a distance of 200 yards.
We watched silently during the next
minute. as the tiers of lights dimmed
slowly from white to yellow. then to
red, and nothing was left but the
murky mourning OF the night, which
hung over all like a pail.
A mean. cheese-colored crescent OF
moon revealed one horn above a
rag bundle OF clouds low in the dis
tance. A rim OF blackness settled
around our little wprld. relieved only
| by general leerinE stars in the zenith,
and where the Laconia's lights had
shone there remained only the dim
outlines of a blacker hulk standing
out above the water like a Jagged
headland, silhouetted against the
overcast sky.
slid silently down.
The ship sank rapidly at the stern
until at last its nose stood straight
in the air. Then 1t slid silently down
and out of sight like a piece OF dis
appearing scenery in a panorama
spectacle.
Boat No. 3 stood closest 10 the ship
and rocked about in a perilous sea
of clashing spars and wreckage. AS
our boats crew steadied its head into
the wind, a black hulk. glistening
evil and standing about eight feet
above the surface OF the water. ap-
preached slowly and came to a stop
opposite the boat and not six feet
from the side of ii.
What ship was dot?" the correct
words in throaty English with
German accent came from the dark
hulk, according to Chief Steward
Ballyn's statement to me later.
"The Laconia," Ballyn answered.
"Vot?"
"The Laconia, Cunard Line" re-
sponded the steward.
Asked About Passenger.
"vot did she weigh" was the next
question from the submarine.
Nhapaand
"Any passengers"
"Seventy-three." replied Ballyn.
"men, women and children, some of
them in this boat. She had over 200 |
in the crew."
"Did she carry cargo?"
yes"
well, you'll be all right. The pa
troll will pick you up soon," and with |
out further sound save for the al
most silent fixing OF the coming
tower lid, the submarine moved off.
81 thought it best to make my an
swers truthful and satisfactory. sir"
said Ballyn. when he repeated the
conversation to me word for word. |
Il was thinking of the women and
children In the boat. ! feared every |
minute that somebody in our boat
might make a hostile move. fire a re-
submarine. I feared the consequences
If such an act"
Survivors Anxious.
There was no assurance of an early |
pickup. even though the promise
were from a German source. for the
rest OF the boats, whose occupants
II they felt and spoke like those in
my boat-were more than mildly anx-
ious about their plight and the pros
poets OF rescue.
We made preparations for a siege
from the elements. The weather was
a great factor. That black rim of
clouds looked OminOus. There was a
good promise OF rain. February has a
reputation for nasty weather in the
North Atlantic. The wind was cold
and seemed to be rising. Our boats
bObbed about like cork on the swells,
which fortunately were not chOppy.
How much rOugher weather could
! the boat stand?" This question and
the conditions were debated pro and
con. Had our rockets been seen?
| Did the first torpedo put the wireless
out of business? Did anybody hear
80 Was tbera annmpb fond