Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-12-06
Geo. Wilson Given Big Reception
Tells 81 His Experiences when His
Ship Was Sunk BY TorDsdo

Loaf came up and took me on. |
got into life boat where | was
me Gniy one who could speak
| iEnsish. | had a hard time MAX
ING them understand what they
were TODD. bat after Il while we
col the boat rightcd and started
for shore. which was $50 miles
away We were in this life boat
Tor 50 hours. having nothing to
eat but canned beef and sea his
cuts. We also had a breaker of
fresh wafer. \ breaker holds
aneut ten gallons. and there We're
eighteen men in the boat. We
landed i'm the Hcbridcs Islands.
off Scotland. We werc taken good
care OF by Mr.. Ferguson, a rep
reScnta'iNe OF The Lloyds Insur-
ance Company. He took all the
occupants OF he boat to his resi-
dence and administered first aid.
After we left the ship one boat
went in a nortleastcry direction.
l'he other Two boats steered due
east. The Two boats that were to-
scther was my own and the first
officers boat. The first officers
boat tried to get ahead of us, and
had pulled up all the sail they
had. | was running along with
my sail down to the last reef
point. The other boat passed us.
but just as she did. she went on
top oil a big wave and then down
IN the trough, and there cross
wave hit them, and capsized their
boat. All the occupants of the
boat We're thrown into the sea. |
tried to go to their assistance,
but there was such a heavy sea
rNnning that did not succeed. so
mad to keep on my own course
and leave them to their fate. They
succeeded after a while in right
ing their boat, hut lost three men
IN doing so. At the end of "a
hours there We're only two men
left out OF the original eighteen.
rs luck would have it the boat
that mad left us came along and
picked up these two remaining
men. They We're IS hours i'm their
boat before they landed at Mon
ach Light, Scotland. There were
stWenty-tlrce men lost out of the
original iltty-nine. Among the
navy mon missing there was one
lieutenant and four gunncrs, the
rest being of The Ships crew.
We stayed With MIR. Ferguson
FOR two days, and then left for
Oban, Scotland, where we en-
parked for Liverpool. We stayed
in Liverpool for five days, when
we came back on the st. Paul.
Our trip across was uneventful.
We arrived in New York on Nav
10, where ! went ON he Frederick
der Crosse, staying there until
june 4. With The permission of
the Secretary Of the Navy, 1 went
alioard the Grace as naval gunner.
We started for Salonilli, Greece.
With a general cargo. Our trip
across the Atlantic was uncvent-
iul. We landed i'm Gibraltar ON
june 20. We stayed i'm Gibraltar
four days. where we coaled our
si p, and then proceeded across
the Mediterranean TO Algiers.
There we got orders to- sail only
at night, and lay i'm port in the
day. SO after that we laid i'm the
following ports: Oran, Philips
willie. Bona, Bizerle. We spent
the Fourth of July in Bizerte.
where we dressed our ship with
flags, and had a base ball game
ashore that day. The following
day we sailed for Malta. We
stayed in Malta for two days. and
then started for Saloniki. When
we We're about Two days out of
Malta, we We're going along
through the Straits OF Dore. On
one side was the Greek mainland.
on the other side was Andres Is
land. IL was at 1851 Il. m. that /
went ON watch on the forward
gun. | had just bucklcd on my
pistol and buttoned my overcoat,
when saw the wake of a torpedo
approaching the ship. rang
INTO the bridge for full speed
astern, but ii was too late. The
torpedo hit about 40 feet from
he how. III blew me and another
gunner into the air. | landed on
top OF the gun, and jumped down.
expecting to find the gun plat
form. but fell through onto The
deck, because Of the gun platform
being blown away by the ex-
plosion. The oil came up out OF
the hole in big ,Gcam. 1t burnt
me severely around the face,
hands and feet finally succeed
ed in reaching the rail, where |
looked down into the sea, and
found the oil burning on the
surface of the water. | dove
deep and swan under water quite
ways. ] came up just at the
edge OF the fire. and started