Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-05-29
Navy YOUTH Tells.
! OF THE FIRST SHOT
Gunner ThatDrew German Blood
Recounts Exploit.
SURE U BOAT WAS sunk

Graft Returned, Damaged, to Homo
Port-His Gray Haired Father Pres
ent at Banquet Proud Of His Naval
Hero and Envied by Others.
A slender young man in the uniform
Of the United States navy stood before
100 cheering and proudly jubilant
army and navy veterans at a New
York hotel and told how he had fired
the first shot for America in the war.
He was Lieutenant Bruce r. Ware,
Jr., who on April 10, the anniversary
of the battle Of Lexington, gave the
command from the deck Of the Mon
golia that sent six inch shell spin
ming through the periscope Of Ger
man U boat bent on the liners de-
structiOn.
All evening Lieutenant Ware and
Captain Emery Rice, commander Of
the Mongolia, had listened to words Of
praise from the other speakers, and
the lieutenant was smiling when he
arose, but his voice broke with emo
ton as he swept into his story, and at
times he repeated his commands to
his men as If hefwere still standing on
the Mongolia's bridge with his eyes
glued to his glasses.
Day and Night Watch Kept.
ut is wonderful pleasure to tell
you how I fred the first shot and drew
the first blood" he said. Captain
Rice and formulated war doctrine,
and one of the first things we did was
to begin night and day watch when
we were six days from our destination.
This event happened five and q half
days later.
1--WE had been up continually, the
men had all been at their guns, and
we had not had our clothes off. Cap
tain Rice and I were always on the
bridge: there was gunners mate al
ways ready and a telephone always at
my elbow We were always ready,
and we were ready at 5:22 a. m. on the
18th Of Aprh-"
The lieutenant was forced to halt for
moment, as the room rang with
shouts as the guests rose to their feet
and waved napkins and small Ameri.
can flags.
U Boat Sighted.
"The sun came up one minute before
5. and it began to get little thick"
he continued. 1--WE were then off
Bcachy Head light, twenty miles from
the Dover strait. Looking through
the port, ! saw the chief officer turn
around. You could see the whole story
in his face. He could hardly speak the
words. My Cod he cried, look at
it,! said. It's U boat, and he's got
u.s.
I'VE threw in the starboard control.
didn't tell him which way to go, be-
cause that had all been doped out. We
charged. We made that snake that
came creeping in toward us 60 down.
II rushed to the chart house and
telephoned: No. 3 gun train on the
starboard quarter! Report when you
see submarine The gun crew report
ed almost instantly. There it is Then.
Now it's gone; there it is again. l
trained my glasses and picked it up.
Coming Tower Hit.
II ordered No. 3 gun to commence
firing. Fire! Fire! Fire! And they
did. and picked up that six inch shell
as she left the gun. and saw it travel
through the air, and l saw it strike
eight inches, foot, in front Of that
fellows periscope."
And then, in contradiction of the
German dispatch to the effect that the
submarine was not sunk. but llmped
into home port. badly crippled, Lieu
tenant Ware fairly shouted the words:
"Apd it went into that coming tow
err! saw the flakes Of metal flying
into the sea. saw smoke. l hit the
enemy"
When the applause had subsidized
gray haired. bespectacled and bearded
man arose and asked if he might say
word.
"Sure!" came the answering chorus.
Ware Senior Proud Of Son.
"You," he said. "have been proud OF
my son since April 10. I've been proud
Of him since Feb. -, 1887"
And Bruce r. Ware, ST., with moist
eyes and flushed face, sat down again,
amid the cheering Of more than 100
fathers who envicd him that proud
moment of his life.
Captain Rice was called upon, but
blushingly excused himself.
I'D rather take the Mongolia through
the war zone any day than make 4
speech" he said. "All i can say is
that hope we meet that U boat again
IL she is still able to navigate"
Most OF those present were>> old
friends of Captain Rice when he sailed
the Pacific steamship service between