The daily progressive-miner., 1917-02-08
AN ACT OF HEROISM
 WELL WORTH RECORD

LONDON, Eng, tep, o.-A COIIes- pondent, who simply signs himself "An Engllshman," has sent the London Times the following account of an act of heroism at sea:
 "In the Times recently there was re- ported among the shipping casualties | the loss by enemy submarine of the i steamship Coneh. 5620 tons, belonging ! to the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Com pany. There was just the bare report, no more. May tell the people of this naval country of ours tale of hero | ism?
 "At II o'clock on the night before the l Conch went to the bottom, the vessel carrying 5000 tons of benzine, was tor pedoed and set on fire by German submarine At a. m. or whereabouts huge conflagration lurching thru the water at a speed of eight knots, was observed by British destroyer The destroyer at once proceeded full speed in the direction of the blaze.
 "A large steamer was discovered burning for and aft, and to the horror of every one there were 300 men on board, huddled together and seeming ly doomed Three steamers, all lar ger and tougher than the destroyer, were steaming along about a quarter of a mile away from this terrifying spectacle They had been there for hours powerless to help. What could be done? How could they help?
 "The blazing Conch had been left with engines running, and it was under no control A nasty sea was getting up, and from end to end it was mass of flames More horrible still, it's car go of benzine every moment was swell ling out from it's sides, causing lakes of fire all round it. Can you blame the stoutest hearts for keeping well away clear, as these three steamers did?
 q want the country to know the fol- lowing tale of glorious heroism. The captain of the destroyer saw it was sheer madness to attempt to go along side the Conch. It was still lurching at eight knots all over the place.
 Three times, by magnificent sea- manship, he placed his vessel across | the bows of the doomed oil steamer, throwing overheard his rafts, his life belts and buoys, and finally his boats, and shouted to the crew to jump for their lives.
 Many did so to be saved by the destroyer's boats, but not all. After two hours magnificent seamanship there were still nine men left on board. The flames were now but a few feet off them, and the ship was going fast, but still stumbling along like some fearful live thing. But the captain of the destroyer found that there was no single lifesaving apparatus left aboard his ship. The three other steamers waited, watching.
 q would have given years of my life, and so would any man, to have seen the slight, boyish figure of the des- troyer's captain on his bridge, smiling a trifle sadly-he had wife and baby boy two days old at home-as he or dered boats, davits, and all overhang- ing gear to be turned in Surely he was never going to put his ship along side the Conch?
 That was at 6:24 a m. After AS minutes of the most nerve-racking, ter rible and magnificent seamanship and judgment that ever had been seen, that British destroyer was placed gently and superbly alongside the Conch and every single man of those doomed creatures was taken off. Two or three sharp orders and the British man-of war was clear. Ten minutes later the Conch had disappeared
 q have told the story but feebly and badly. Not word has been said; not sign of recognition. Let us at least see that justice is done Which was