Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-05
TORPEDOED FOUR TIMES
HE WANTS REVENGE
CONTINUED From First Pagel

broke out and have been torpedoed
four times and escaped the same fate
scores of other times. For thrills!
Say Bo, the days when pirates and
buccaneers ruled the seas has nothin'
on riding the briny deep these days.
1 have nearly cashed in four times
and have decided to quit the game for
good. Those German U-boats don't
have heart and I tell you 1t amt
safe. I'm going to enlist in the army
and L hope 1 get crack at some of
those German devils that caused me
so much trouble"
Typical Seaman
McMann is a typical seaman and he
told his tale in true sailor fashion. He
stands close to six feet in height and
weighs one hundred and ninety
pounds, all bone and muscle. He was
born and reared in Philadelphia, and
has followed the life of q sailor for
many years. Since the war broke out
he has made thirty-eight round trips
and has nearly lost his life four times
and has escaped by a hairs breadth
scores of others His last trip was
made on the Atlantic Transport Line
Steamship Mongolian, which left Lon
don, March 4, and put into New York
harbo1, March 80. While this trip was
made in safety it was thriller all the
way.
McMann relates the tale of the trip
in this manner:
I'VE left London on the morning of
March IA, and not long after we had
lost sight of land we received wire
less message stating that the Main,
a small steamer, had been torpedoed
several miles ahead of us in the same
course. We then switched our course
south through the Bay of Biscay, off
the Coast of France. Off the coast of
Spain about q thousand miles we
sighted a German raider and later
German submarine. Our boat could
only travel nine knots an hour while
the raider and submarines were
twelve knotters.
Funnel Shot OF
For time we thought all was up
but by zig tagging and maneuvering
we eluded them. We then headed to-
wards Jamaica and after thirty hours
of uneVentful travel we encountered
another submarine which fired sew
eral shots,on of which tore three feet
of our funnel off. The remainder of
| reached port l said no more shipping
for me; a man amt like a cat with
nine lives and 1 thought four escapes
were enough for me.
Sunk in Middle of Ocean
THE first ship l was on that was
submarined was the British Furniss
line steamer Gissmoer," he said.
This happened one thousand miles
from Fasnet off the coast of England.
1t came like q bolt out of O clear sky,
the torpedo striking the bow of the
steamer and nearly cut her in half.
We barely had time to take the boats
before she went under. After floating
about four days and nights, part ofthe
time without water, we were picked
up by Norwegian tramp, and taken
to Cardiff, Wales. None of the crew
was lost.
Eleven Days Adrift
The second boat which was torpe-
doed was the Rowanmore, owned by
the same company as the Gissmoer
This was the narrowest escape of any
of the four. 1t happened about half
way between the States and England
and 1t was eleven days before we were
picked up by the American steamship
New York.
I'VE suffered great agony and when
picked up were all nearly dead, not
having any water and living on hard
the second officer and the third fire.
men were lost when the beat went
down.
The steamship Prince of Wales, was
the third boat l was on that went down
She was summarized one night off the
coast OF Greece, ana went down in
fifteen minutes. We were picked up
twelve hours later by an Italian tramp
steamer.
The last time 1 was torpedoed was
in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast
of France, when the Earle Tanker No.
81, of the Standard Oil Company, was
torpedoed. We left New Orleans for
Bordeaux, France, and were within
two hours of our destination when we
struck. The torpedo cut the tanker in
two and ten minutes later she went to
the bottom. ! had just come from
the fireroom with my watch and an
other watch had gone on duty when
the crash came. There were sixty-five
men in the watch and all were lost"
After his last trip McMann applied
at a Philadelphia munitions factory
for job and was sent to Mt. Union
He said this morning that was worse
than being torpedoed. so l went to AL
toona to enlist and they shipped me
down here" He will be given the ex-
animation by the local officers and If
he passes will be sent to Fort Slocum
RAISED POTATOES IN A CELLAR
Potatoes planted in the cellar of
st. Paul home last Christmas are now
being dug and eaten. The cellar is
lighted by two large windows. Power
full electric lights were turned on when
the sun did not shine.