The Washington times., 1917-02-28

the ropes. l started to help near q
davit that seemed to be giving trou'
Bile, but was stoutIy ordered to get
Only One HysterIcnI.
We were on the port side, practi
caIly opposite the engine well. Ur
and down the deck passengers and
crew were donning lifebelts, throw
| ing on overcoats and taking positions
| in the boats. There were a numoei
/ of women, but only one appeareo
| hysterical-little Miss Titsie Sihiosi
\ a French-Polish actress, who was be-
inr cared for by her manager, Cedric
p. Ivatt, appearing on the passehsei
list as from New York.
Steam began to hiss somewhere
from the giant gray tunnels that tow
cred above. Suddenly there was
roaring swish as a rocket scared up
ward from the captains bridge, leaN-
ing a comets tail of fire. / watched
il as ii described a graceful arc In
the black void overhead, and then
with an audible pop it burst in flare
OF brilliant colors.
There was a tilt to the deck. 1t
was listing to starboard at just the
angle that would make 1t necessary
to reach for support to enable one TO
stand upright. In the meantime cleo
trio fIoodlights-large white enam-
eled tunnels containing clusters of
buIbs-had been suspended from the
promenade deck and Illuminated the
dark water that rose and fell on the
slanting side of the ship.
Lower away" some one gave the
order and we started downward with
a jerk toward the seemingly hungry
rising and falling swells.
Suspended In MIdair.
Then we stopped with another jerk
and remained suspended in midair
while the men at the bow and the
stern swore and tusseled with the
lowering ropes. The stern of the boat
was down, the bow up, leaving us at
an angle Of about 45 degrees. We
clung to the seats to save ourselves
from falling out
"Who's got a knife? A knife, a
knife!" bawled a sweating seaman in
the bow.
Great God! give him a knife"
bawIed half-dressed, gibbering negro
stoker. who wrung his hands, in
the stern.
A hatchet WAS thrust into my hand.
and forwarded it to the bow. There
was a fash of sparks as IL crashed
down on the holding pulley. One
strand of the rope parted and down
plunged the bow, too quick for the
stern men. We came to a jerky stop,
with the stern I'm the air and the bow
down, but the stern managed to lower
away until the dangerous angle was
eliminated.
Then both tried to lower together.
The list of the ships side became
greater. but instead of our boat slid
ing down II like a toboggen, the taft
rail Caught and was held. As the
lowering continued the other side
dropped down and we found ourselves
clinging on at a new angle and look
ing straight down on the water.
Saved From Failing Over.
A hand slipped into mine and a voice
sounded huskily close to my ear. It
was the little old German Jew travel
ing man who was disliked I'm the
smoker room because he used to speak
too certainly of things he ives uncer-
tain of and whose slightly Teutonic
dialect made him as popular as small
pox with the British passengers.
My boy, I can't see nothing" he
said. "My glasses slipped. and 1 am
falling. Hold me. please"
I managed to reach out and Join
hands with another man on the other
side of the old man and together we
held him in. He hung heavily over
our arms. grotesqueIy grasping all he
had saved from his stateroom-a
goldheaded cane, and an extra hat.
Many feet and hands pushed the
boat from the side Of the ship and
we sagged DOWN again, this time
smacking squarely on the pillowy top
of a rising swell. It felt more solid
than midair, at least But we were
far from being off. The puIIeys twice
stuck in their fastenings. bow and
stern, and the one ak passed forward
and back, and with It my nashIIght.
as the entanglinE ropes that held us
to the sinking Laconia were cut
away.
Man Jumped to Water.
Some shout from that confusion OF
sound caused me to look up. and !
really did so with the fear that one
of the nearby boats was being lower
ed upon us.
- hANiA W ~ jumping. - DEFNuT1f-u
with the intention OF landing in the
boat. and ] prepared to avoid the i'm
pact. but he passed beyond us and
plunged into the water three feet
from the edge Of the boat He bob
bed to the surface Immediately.
IT'S Duggan," shouted a man next
to me.
7 flashed the light on the ruddy.
smiling face and water plsstered hair
Of the little Canadian. our fellow
saloon passenger We pulled him
over the side. He spluttered out a
mOuthful Of water and the first words
he said were:
81 wonder n there is anything to
that lighting three cigarettes off the
same match? ] was up above trying
to loosen the rope to this boat ]
loosened IT and then got tangled up
in 1t. The boat went down but / was
Jerked up. ! jumped for IT"
How They Tempted Fate.
His first reference concerned our
deliberate tempting of fates early
in the day when he. Kirby, and l
lighted three cigarettes from the
same match and DuGgan told us that
he had done the same thing many a
time.
As we pulled away from the side
Of hn shin raredfnrr tarru,a Of