Daily Kennebec journal., 1917-05-01
|LL-FATED ILLINOIS
SURVIVOR RELATES
THRILLING TALES

Searspor'' NAe, April SO.-(Special1.
Probably the most sought after man
in Searsport at the present time 8,
Harry L. Mason. 3rd officer Of the ,u-
fated steamship Illinois at the tim.
she was torpedoed' by German suh.
marine. Mr.. Mason returned boua
last Wednesday. and since that time
his friends have demanded every min.
ute of his time, asking question after
question about his experience uis
genialty and never failing courtesy
have made him great favorite hero
his home town. and wherever one sees
a group. Mr. Mason is the center Tn
an interview with the News corres.
pOndent, MIR. Mason told in his earnes+
way of the sinking of the Illinois.
Il joined the steamer rlinois of ~.
TENS Oil Company of New yor,,
Oct. l6, 1916. and made three .r;n.
from Port Arthur to London. On. tho
last lriP TO London, we cighted the
S. : Georgetown an American steam
er. whlch mad been sold to the French
government, and was being delivered
to France. The Georgetown showed
signaiA OF distress, so the Illinois ran
alongside and asked if any assistance
was nGcdcd. The GEORGETOWN said
they would like to be taken off the
ship as it was ir a sinking condition
We asked If we could use their life
boata and they said yes, 50 we launched
the boats containing six men and
transferred to the Illinois. We found
heavy sea running. and as their boat
was SO small, we decided to use our
own boats, and they were launched
There was a strong gale and it took
four hours to rescue the crew. The
Georgetown engine room was flooded
with water.
After we had saved tho crew we do.
eided to go to Halifax and leave them,
but ice was reported bv yrirelose ara
We proceeded to London in hopes Of
picking up another vessel to relieve
US OF the crew, because we did not
want 10 30 into the war zone with
the rescued crew on our ship.
lii two days after rescue, we sighted
an English steamer. and they were
Tery accommodating and relieved us
Of cight of the Gcorgetown's crew.
The weather was fairly pleasant ex-
cept three days Of very strong nowest
gale.
One night before we got into the
war zone. we Sighted an English
transport at five thirty at night. We
ran alongside and told them we had
the remainder Of the crew of the
Georgetown and asked them if they
would take 16 men ard the Captain
sald ne would so we transferred them
TO the British ship--"?" (Tha name
FAD been painted out) 1t took us al
hour and half to transfer them.
Next morning we reached the war
zone. Every man was ordered t. sleep
with clothes on and have a lfa pre-
server at hand. After drcharging
part of our cargo at Thames Haven.
and staying there two days, we pro-
ceedcd to London. We were there
three days.
We sailed from London March 1s.
and proceeded as far as the Downs,
and anchored. Next morning we got
under wav sand proceeded to sea.
Stopped at asle Of Wight Saturday at
midnight - discharge pilot Left Isle
of Wig>t at 1.30 A. M. Sunday and
left I;r Port Arthur March IS.
a 7.55 Sunday morning chief officer
sighted a submarine on port bow. He
rang telegraph and stopped the ship.
submarine submerged. Just as l came
up on the bridge, the submarine start
ed to come up on the surface again
and I saw the periscope with glasses.
The submarine was about two miles
away at that time, Within 80 seconds
of the time the periscope was showed
up. the first gun was fired.
The shell went over the ship about
30 feet. AS this was my first expert
ence under fire. l liked to broke my
neck ducking the shell which, going
about $500 feet per second, screeches
IN an unearthly way. The second shot
cut our wireless, and put it out Of
commission and it tumbled down on
deck at my feet. Then the submarine
commenced to shell the ship using a
four inch shell. and firing every Is
seconds
In the excitement the chief and the
third officers were ordered aft to hold
the boats as it was feared that the
crew would cut away the boats and
leave us. The Captain and 1 were
''utotleu on tne Dfluge. we were IN
hopes that the sub would come along
side and give us warning to abandon
ship, but instead they kept on shelling
us. One shell passed over the wheel
house and tore two sides out.
The Captain decided that it was
getting too warm and that it was
about time to leave the ship. We left
the bridge and started aft to life boats,
and still the Germans kept on shelling.
Got into the boats lowered by four Of
the men Oh the ship, and they came
down the boat tackles. The bos'n was
MT by a splinter while coming down
'he tackle and dropped in the water
SO we went back and picked him up.
After they got tired they came up
IN the submarine between our two
lfe boats and ordered them alongside.
Ihey ordered five of the crew on top
OF the submarine, and T was one.
They transferred lieutenant and four
men to the life boat with bombs, and
our men had to row them to the ship.
short distance away. They went
aboard and the first thing that they
oid was to haul the American flag
GOWN and trample on it. l was some
Wild. BY using our flag halyards, they