The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-11-28
ROCHESTER'S MEN
PLEAD FOR DEATH
Survivors, Arriving Home,
Tell of Suffering After
TOrpedOing
WITHOUT WATER FOR
SEVENTEEN HOURS
Cold Was Intense-Too Weak from Elk
posture and Lack of Nourishment to
Do Much-Survivor of the Antilles
Also Relate Experiences.

Also Relate Experiences.
AN ATLANTIC PORT, Nov. IS
First-hand details of the torpedoing of |
the American steamship Rochester on
Nov. > were brought here by seven
Of the survivors who were still suffer
ing from frost bite through exposure
in the lifeboat The men, who arrived
on an American liner, limped down the
gangway to the pier. Warren b.
Thompson, Quartcrmaster, and two 9th
crs had split open the tops of their
shoes from the soles because they could
not bear any pressure on their feet.
We were steaming along quietly Al
40 3, N. on Nov. >, about 400 miles
from port, Thompson said, ''wacH the
ship was torpcdocd hv German subma
rinc which killed second Engineer san
dot and one Of the oilers. Three boats
were lowered and filed with the crew
Of the Rochester and the gun crew. All
we had was the clothing we were wear
ing when the ship was struck. There
was no time to collect anything.
One boat was never heard from.
was told, and two landed AZ Neville on
the northeast coast of Ireland. was
| in the captain S boat with six other
men besides FIVE Of the naval crew.
.''Therc was plenty of biscuit III the
| lifeboat but they got soaked with salt
water We managed to eat them be-
] cause that was the only food we had
/ But the bareback made US so thirsty
/ that we drank more than our daily ra-
! tion of fresh water, which was stored
! in two wooden beakers kept in the
stern sheets. where the Captain sat at
| the tiller.
"Thc cold was intense and the salt
water which slapped over the boat fore
and aft was so cold that ii penetrated
us through to the very marrow. After
/ the fourth day the fresh water gave
out and for seventeen hours there was
nothing to drink. Some of the men
suffered SO much from thirst and eX-
posure that they cried out that they
wanted to die and threatened to jump
out of the lifeboat. They were held
back by their shipmates.
One Young soldier, who did not
come back with US, as he was not cut
of the hospital. was in such agony that
he crawlcd to the captain and begged
him to shoot him, because he could
stand no more and would not take his
| own life. In the meantime the boat
! was drifting along the coast with her
fore and aft sail. Occasionally we pulled
on the oars TO keep ourselves warm
but We were too weak from exposure
and lack Of uourishmeut to do much.
Finally, when we were almost all in
a British trawler picked Us up, and it
transferred us three hours later to a
Red Gross steamship, which landed rs
at Neville. Shortly aftcrward the see
ond boat arrived, with seycn of her
crew dead from exposure Three OF
them had died, we were told. when they
were in sight Of the port.
The others returning with Quarter
master Thompson were David Caldwell
William +. Eisenhardt, Thaddeus Eel
loves, William Foulin, Oscar Garlas
and Edward NcCauealand.
Another party, comprising forty fly,
survivor. of the American transport An
titles, which was torpcdoed in October
off the French coast, landed ut AN At
lantic port Yesterday from Frencf
steamship. Second Officer John Chris
Hansen was in charge Of the group
The men had been torpcdocd secont
time on the transport Finland, and tw,
OF them had been on the American
steamship Vacuum when she was sum
by q German submarine last April.
William Harrison, one of the crew
said that when the torpedo struck tn,
Antilles the men did not have thci
lifchclts on because il was the thir,
trip westward and they had hecom
ovcrconiidcnt in the speed of the shil
and the ability Of the Captain and Off
: GERS to avoid submarines The An
titles = boatS were swung over the sid
Of the davita, bat there was such
scramble for them a9 the vessel wa
king that some Of them were le
go hy the run. and the men in tacn
were thrown into the sea and drowned
We were picked up by the convert
ed yachts Alcedo and COrSair and land
ed 1T Il French port Harrison said
Then we started for home on the Fin
land and were only a day out Of por
when she was banged at by torpedo
Let me tell YOU that our chaps, mum
herlng cightyscyen, who were on board
did not need any buglc call to MAJ
the boats Directly after the torped
exploded we were on deck with belt
on in less than two shakes of dea,
lamb 8 tail. So far as | know ever,
one left the Finland-officcrs as wei
as crew but returned when it wa
seen that the vessel was not likely t
sink, and we landed in France tina
night.
Two American naval officers of senio
rank who returned on the same vessc
from France said that the German sui
marine was still very elusive quaint
~ to handle. The latest type Of per-
scopes, they said, were not more tina
two inches i'll circumference, and whe
seen at close range they resembled
black broomStiek bobbing up and dow
on the water. With a choppy sea an
! and overcast SKY it was practically in
possible to see them at ALL
The naval officers explained that tn
German commanders saw conveyed ve'
sells some distance away and mad